New scotch from Ardbeg has taste of Russian wood

Islay scotch, famously potent and smoky, is at the global nexus of both tradition and evolution.

When peat is used as the fossil fuel to dry malted barley, the resulting whisky is infused with phenolic smoke. This Islay-born peated approach is expanding out from Scotland to other world producers, including Indian, Japanese and even American distilleries.

Wood, however, is an import. The oak used to age scotch comes to Scotland from France, Spain, the United States and a range of other countries. The wood is what transforms a whisky, over years, to become less harsh and more complex, adding tannins, vanilla and spice.

It can be difficult to taste anything beyond in-yourface smokiness in a typical Islay peat cannon such as whiskys from Laphroaig or Ardbeg distilleries. Ardbeg peat, though, is much less phenolic and medicinal than Laphroaig, and while the spirit remains quite powerful, this subtlety enables other characteristics of Ardbeg to shine through, particularly the wood used for maturation. In effect, sourcing oak from novel worldwide regions has a profound effect on an Ardbeg expression.

Kelpie Single Malt Scotch whisky, named after a mythical Scottish sea beast, is the latest wide-release limited edition from Ardbeg. For this one, about 40 percent of the oak is from the Black Sea Russian Republic of Adygea, — the wood is rarely used to age whisky.

“It has lots of similarities to American oak,” says BrendanMcCarron, head of maturing whiskey stocks for the Glenmorangie Co., the parent owner of Ardbeg distillery.

“Hence the softer, sweeter vanilla fudge finish of Kelpie, but it definitely has some French oak style. It is so tannic, and that to us is why there are the herbal andsalty flavors that first hit your palate inKelpie.”

With a dark-honey hue similar to Ardbeg’s caskstrength Corryvreckan, Kelpie noses thick and musky, with unsweetened tree sap and boiling caramel swirling through a briny mist. A touch of water opens crisp, fresh peat and adds green vegetation, citrus and celery.

In crafting Kelpie, McCarron worked to maximize the impact of the rare Black Sea casks.

“We wanted to see the difference in this strain of oak, so we toasted rather than charred the casks and kept it at virgin oak.”

The complex flavor blossoms into a stew of raw cocoa, spiced vanilla, acorns, figs and spectacular flashes of peat. Kelpie finishes long with the aroma of molasses from the initial nosing returning, and with notes of deep-sea kelp, dank moss and camphor. Where the standard 10-year-old Ardbeg evolves into citrus and ginger, the Kelpie remains shadowed in velvet, simmering in that Black Sea oak.

This massively elemental Scotch is an ideal long-haul fireside dram, even in the heat of the summer.

Ardbeg Kelpie is bottled at 46 percent alcohol and, at a retail price of $120, is a top-shelf keeper, a global experience that the whisky enthusiast will not forget.

JimBrucker is a freelancer.