Many whisky commentators today make reference to cult whiskies or distilleries with cult followings. As best as I can tell, such references really didn’t exist until 1997. Then Ardbeg was reborn.
Ardbeg has a weight, a brand, a persona, that is bigger than itself. It has a reputation for huge, bold, peaty whiskies, and its name travels so far and with such reverence that you could be forgiven for thinking it’s the biggest distillery on Islay. In truth, it’s actually one of the smaller ones. With just one pair of stills churning away, its potential annual production capacity is just a tick over 1.1 million litres. But as we all know, size doesn’t matter. It’s what you do with it that counts…
As someone who’s more known for championing the cause of single malt, it’s very rare for me to pour myself a blended whisky, let alone to then sit down and ponder it for half an hour or so. It’s even rarer for me to subsequently then make some tasting notes and to give a blend a write up. But, sometimes, you just can’t turn your back on a good whisky…
Any whisky lover making the pilgrimage to Scotland invariably makes their way to the west coast, and sooner or later will end up passing through Oban. Whether heading north to Skye, or south to Islay, sadly, too many travellers overlook the opportunity to jump on a ferry and head west to Mull. For it is there that a small, hidden gem awaits: The Tobermory Distillery – home to the whiskies of Tobermory and Ledaig.
Monday 28th July saw the official launch of the eagerly anticipated Balvenie 14yo Caribbean Cask expression in Australia. Held at The Cuban Place / Parke Davis bar in York Street, Sydney, it saw a gathering of the usual suspects to enjoy what William Grant & Sons Australia do best: Putting on a great whisky event.
Entering the venue, one was greeted immediately by a musical duo playing an intriguing & entertaining mix of songs on an electric guitar and a steel kettle drum! But before you could quite work out whether you were hearing ABBA or La Bamba, the inimitable James Buntin, Balvenie Ambassador, was there to offer you a dram or a cocktail. The cocktails – creations of the talented Dick Blanchard – were stylish, attractive, and…it must be said…dangerously more-ish. But when you walk in the door and you’re handed a glass of Balvenie 21yo within two minutes of arriving, you know you’re at a good event. The Doublewood 12yo & 17yo expressions were also on hand to try, making for a wonderful spectrum of Balvenie goodness.
Companta …if there’s one thing that gets hard-to-please whisky enthusiasts excited and eager in anticipation, it’s news of a new Glenmorangie release. Even more so when the release in question is from the annual limited Private Edition range. The Private Edition range has included such previous gems as Ealanta (Jim Murray’s World Whisky of the Year, 2014), Artein, and – my personal favourite – Sonnalta PX.
And so, not surprisingly, I was pretty keen and eager when I learned the latest instalment, Companta, had finally reached our shores. After hearing so many wonderful things about it from some industry friends & colleagues whose palates I trust, I was delighted when I finally had a chance to taste this new expression. I’d love to just hit you with my tasting notes and call it a day, but I wouldn’t be doing the whisky or the distillery justice if I didn’t give a bit of background information first.
First of all, let me put all my cards on the table and confess that I have quite a personal affinity for Glenmorangie. I’ve visited the distillery many times; I’ve enjoyed pretty much every release they’ve put out; and I’ve spent some time with Dr Bill Lumsden over a meal or two to know what makes him tick. But as someone who’s always at the coal face of tasting and critiquing whiskies for the purposes of SMWS imports, I can certainly be objective enough to know when a whisky is good or bad, regardless of its pedigree. In this instance, make no mistake: Companta is a stunningly good whisky.
Glenmorangie is famous for many things and it’s hard to write about the distillery without making mention of them for the uninitiated. Tucked away up in the Highlands, north of Inverness in the township of Tain, the distillery draws its water from the Tarlogie Springs; a very rare example of a Scottish distillery using hard water. (Almost every other distillery uses soft water). Glenmorangie features the tallest stills in Scotland, resulting in its famously light, fragrant, complex whisky.
However, where Glenmorangie has really broken from the pack in recent years is its wood regime. With up to 60% of a whisky’s final flavour being influenced by the oak cask it matures in, the quality of the wood is critical, and Glenmorangie goes to great lengths to ensure a supply of top quality casks. Its wood regime is legendary, as is the man behind the magic – the aforementioned Dr Bill Lumsden. Whilst Glenmorangie can’t claim to have invented cask finishing (or extra maturing, as it’s often termed these days), they certainly excelled at it, and Dr Bill has been at the helm of enormous research into both wood science, cask preparation and treatment, and learning what casks can (and can’t) do. Carrying the title of Glenmorangie’s “Director of Whisky Creation & Distilling”, he has tried all manner of experiments and exercises in finishing whiskies in casks that previously matured or seasoned some other wine or spirit. Bourbon casks, sherry casks, wine casks, rum casks….the list is impressive. And, bear in mind, the public only hears about and tastes the finishes that work. Bill doesn’t mind sharing that plenty of experiments miss the mark…..or worse!
The Glenmorangie Distillery
But if you wanted an insight into just how complex and creative Dr Bill’s work can be, this Companta release illustrates it perfectly. The whisky is a vatting (a combination, or assemblage) of two different extra maturation campaigns. Firstly, Glenmorangie spirit that was happily maturing in traditional American white oak ex-bourbon barrels was transferred into casks that had previously held Grand Cru wine from Clos de Tart. Secondly, another batch of spirit undergoing traditional ex-bourbon maturation was transferred into casks that had previously held a sweet, fortified wine from Côtes du Rhône. After a suitable period of second maturation, these two campaigns were then combined (evidently taking many trials and attempts to get the balance just right) to create the magic that is Companta – the Scots Gaelic word for friendship.
And so, finally, to my tasting notes:
Nose: Glenmorangie’s DNA is readily identifiable at the heart of the nose, but there’s plenty of new colour and decoration around the sides. There are some rich fruits like currents, berry compote, and stewed plums to tempt and tantalise, as well as rhubarb and….toffee? It’s one of those noses that offers you something new each time you go back to it.
Palate: Sweet toffee, butterscotch, dark chocolate and Cherry Ripe bars. Honey drizzled on oats. At 46% ABV and non-chillfiltered, the mouthfeel and texture is rich, soft and heavenly. A hint of Highland heather smoke lilts around also.
Finish: More chocolate notes (choc custard?), and finally the malt has a chance to rear its head and remind you that this is whisky, not dessert.
Comments: Yet another shining light in the Glenmorangie stable, and a great example of what finishing in exotic casks can do when it’s done right. I love that this offers all the staples of a good Glenmorangie dram, but then goes in other directions and broadens the spectrum to embrace more chocolate and fruit notes. Amazingly and intensely complex and complete. Well done (again), Dr Bill.
Companta is available now in all good liquor outlets around Australia, and has an RRP of $170. Get it before it’s gone and enjoy one of the most unique and complex drams I’ve tasted for quite some time.
Cheers, AD
PS: Whisky & Wisdom has reviewed other Glenmorangie releases in the Private Edition range. You can read info on each bottling and our tasting notes for each release by clicking on the links below…
Fans of Glenlivet may recall a bit of noise in September last year when Ian Logan, International Brand Ambassador for Chivas Bros (Glenlivet, Chivas Regal, etc), flew into town to present a series of Masterclasses that were co-ordinated through Vintage Cellars. Attendees were presented with three unique expressions of Glenlivet, aptly named Classic, Exotic, and Revival, and asked to vote for their favourite of the three. The same exercise was undertaken in 36 other countries around the world, in order to find out which of the three would be the global hit. A month or two ago, it was subsequently revealed that “Exotic” got the gong, evidently winning favour with the majority of tasters. Personally, I was pretty chuffed with that outcome, as Exotic was certainly the expression that got my vote, and it was the hands-down winner in the session that I attended.
That same whisky – Exotic – has now been bottled and released as a Limited Edition, and launches this month in Australia, badged as “The Guardians’ Chapter“. More about the whisky in a moment…
Ardbeg. The very name conjures up evocative images, flavours, and pre-conceived ideas. For many, it means a big, peaty, smoky, Islay whisky. For others, it represents complexity, refinement, sweetness, and quality. Some link the name to the decline and downturn of the Scotch industry in the 1980’s, resulting in distillery closures and cutbacks. Many of those same folks also link the name to a Phoenix-like resurrection, given the distillery came back from the dead in 1997 and now struts the roost with style and finesse.
For me, it is all of those things, plus one more: Fun.
