Water of Life

Father’s Day with Glenmorangie and Ardbeg 

When it comes to whisky bars in Australia, specifically within the confines of New South Wales, there are few that play in the same league as The Baxter Inn. 

Pearl in the crown of the Swillhouse Venue Group, over the last twelve years the attention to detail, curation of rare bottlings and unwavering devotion to hospitality has not only established the venue as a veritable heavyweight on the firmament of whisky bars, but created a culture that seems to organically attract like-minded, intrinsically motivated staff.  

After all, every great experience starts and finishes with the people representing it, a thought that allows a seamless transition to Kurtis Bosley, who after having emerged as one of the more innovative figures within the confines of Sydney’s bar management scene, has recently commenced as the face of LVMH’s award-decorated whisky brands portfolio on terra australis.

Given that there was a rather sad time when The Baxter Inn had an Ardbeg / Glenmorangie shaped whole in their backbar, it was fantastic to see an exclusive Father’s Day tasting eventuating, emceed by a knowledgeable and highly engaging maverick of a brand ambassador with an infectious passion for turning education into fun experiences to ignite the imagination of both aficionados as well as the uninitiated.

After easing into the proceedings with a cocktail proffered by the very team that has recently been granted the highly covered Whisky Bar of 2022 award, we were off to the races to sample the emissions of Scotland’s tallest stills. 

With a bold branding strategy that saw the introduction of French terminology along with elegantly designed curvaceous bottles, the toponym Glenmorangie has over the last eighteen years significantly increased its appeal in the overseas luxury goods market and given that I had not been overly familiar with its expressions, I was looking forward to be wowed.

The common denominator of Glenmorangie can be simmered down to all of their variants first undergoing maturation in white oak casks that are specifically sourced and manufactured in the Ozarks. 

After letting them air for two years and leasing them out to local distilleries to mature their Bourbon in them, Glenmorangie then uses them to finetune the tail end of the maturation process, with the core expression (yup, the one that Conner MacLeod ordered a double of in Highlander) maturing entirely in ex-bourbon casks, while the Extra Matured range are being finished in a range of sherry, wine and port casks.

Glenmorangie’s 10 Year Old flagship single malt proves to be an exercise par excellence when it comes to easily accessible aperitifs: On approach the nostrils are tickled by a luxurious avalanche of lemony, fruity and slightly floral notes, vetiver and a bramble of berries, rounded out with spicy highlights.

On the palate, the creamy texture unveils honeyed vanilla, butterscotch and strong black coffee nuances, culminating in a mid-length fruity and malty finish. 

A reliable and accessible go-to dram for beginners and enthusiasts alike. 

Glenmorangie Quinta 14 Year Old is an example of the Extra Matured range and has enjoyed a palpable Port cask finish expression, which imparts waves of scrumptious fruit and chocolate notes to the spirit. The result is a borderline ideal candidate for the perfect postprandial dram (and counterpart to the Ten Year Old aperitif), given the complex fruity tarty, chocolate mousey and toasted almond informed flavour profile, which climxes in a crescendo of tart blueberries and dark chocolate. 

Next up was one of Glenmorangie’s premium expressions and one that I have been wanting to try for the longest time, i.e. Signet, which in terms of the malted barley used is a hybrid between the single estate Cad boll variety and malted chocolate barley, the latter of which is better known as a basis for craft beers. 

Distilled twice through Glenmorangie's tall copper-pot stills, it is fabled to be comprised of rare stocks. Housed in one of the more ornate and visually appealing whisky bottles on this earthround, the nose tantalizes with chocolate raisins and sugared mixed peels. 
Toasted spices, bread and butter pudding and golden syrup complement the aforementioned aromas, while a note of Angostura bitters lingers hidden underneath.

On the top of the mouth, cinnamon and chocolatey orange notes dance against a backdrop of honeyed peanuts, delicate smoke and freshly roasted espresso beans.

The seductive, elongated finish leaves on lusting for another dram and makes one relate to whisky luminary Dr. Bill Lumsden’s claim that the Signet is the accomplishment of a "lifetime of experimentation and innovation". 

So far, so good.

Let’s take a stroll down along the winding road from Port Ellen on the Isle of Islay and move on to a Hebridean distillery that produces some of my favourite expressions in the realm of heavily peated Malts that are focussed around aromas of spices and sweet tones like vanilla and chocolate.

Having had a chance to see Ardbeg’s former head distiller "Mickey" Heads channel his alchemy in the third dimension and spending time at Ardbeg’s cottage on Islay has only intensified my love for their exquisite emissions, with the liquid homage to the lake that is the water source for the distillery, i.e. Uigedail, and the cask strength Corryvreckan being favourites when it comes to finding companions to complete a Boilermaker with a resinous, hopped out IPA.

On offer tonight was a carefully calibrated vertically arranged tasting with the youthful Wee Beastie chosen to be the first cab off the rank. 

Due to having been bottled up at less than six years, it has punchy peaty nuances sitting at the front and centre.

While the age statement could have one think that we are dealing with a blunt and uncomplex drop, it could not be further from the truth: 

Once softened by air, damp, earthy and musty bonfire aromas evoke a borderline Pavlovian response as they blend in with waves of vegetal smoke, which is pervaded by highlights of vanilla sweetness and black peppery spice.

What the nose promises, finds a seamless transition to the palate in that dry wood smoke provides the stage on which delicately tart dark berries dance intimately with coal tar and hints of salted caramel.

The elongated finish reverberates with an oily mouthfeel, unfolding a hybrid of dominant smoke and a tangy citrus taste.

Next up was Ardbeg’s 2022 Ardcore release, which in terms of the punk tinged marketing it was presented with, was an interesting exercise with love and attention to detail down to curated, quite catchy Spotify playlist to serenade the experience of tasting what was portrayed to be equivalent of "biting a spiky ball". 

Despite the hyperbolic advertising, I found this little number to be rather tame and accessible. 

While sensing smoky or burning smells can be common types of phantosmia, having a dram of Ardcore in front of you could be the explanation as notes of zesty grapefruit, minty fresh scents and a seductive core of tarry peat reign supreme on a foundation of burnt toast.

Roasted barley dominates the palate, backed by ashy peat, honeyed vanilla, liquorice root, fennel and caraway, with the finish exhibiting a distinctly earthy, slightly spicy character further enhanced by sandalwood and cloves.

The tasting culminated with an Ardbeg expression that was originally released during Fèis Ìle 2015 in celebration of the distillery’s 200th anniversary. 

Ardbeg’s Perpetuum embodies everything I love about the distillery and the creations of Dr. Bill Lumsden: A full-bodied drop, rich in coastal peat, smoked meat flavours and well-rounded vanilla notes, with the blend having matured in a carefully curated mix of Bourbon and Sherry casks. 

In some aspects the Perpetuum expression tastes like a notch up from the 10 Year Old in that the nose is a bit subdued in the smoke department to allow chocolatey and dried fruity aromas to take on centre stage.

What I love about the Perpetuum is that one can taste the influence of the Bourbon casks upfront in that a peppery and chilli informed piquancy frames and accentuates the peat smoke, which results in an intriguing melange of Ardbeg's signature smokiness and dominant sweet and fruity notes. 

An interesting experiment in venturing a bit away from the DNA Ardbeg is known for towards territory that e.g. Laphroaig’s Cairdeas excels in.

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photos by @k.a.vv