Redemption in Uigeadail

Holiday time and a trip through duty-free sees me in 'boy in sweetie shop' mode. Edinburgh Airport's selection doesn't seem to be what it used to though. There is variety but much of it seems to be underwhelming 'travel-retail only' from some of the industry's big guns who jump at the chance to proffer a new name or two with no age-statement and the auld ABV of 40%. Some of it is more or less the same stuff you can buy in a local supermarket except that here you have 'trained' sales-rep types mangling the Gaelic names on the likes of Glenlivet or Glenmorangie.... "La Santa? You mean LASanta?!"

I had decided beforehand that the bottle to keep me warm on this holiday would be the Bowmore 100 Degrees Proof or maybe the Ardbeg Uigeadail. The absence of the Bowmore rendered the decision an easy one.

Ardbeg though has been disappointing of late. Last year's purchase of the Corryvreckan was a mistake. It was underwhelming. More so when I had the choice of the Uigeadail. It may be another NoAgeStatement but it's reasonably priced and it's a flaming great dram. It has a fabulously filthy flavour if you excuse the alliteration. Oily with flavours of TCP, dirty leather and the old Portobello swimming baths back when they were filled with seawater from the Firth of Forth. On top of the peat though there's a little sweetness. It's drinkable at the ABV of 54.2% though a smidgen on water does no harm.

Here's hoping Ardbeg get back to the robust and direct approach to whisky that gave us Renaissance and Airigh nam Beist as well as Uigeadail. An approach that married simplicity with complexity without over the top marketing or cask-strength gimmickry.

Whisky Fringe benefits

The coming and going of this year's Whisky Fringe has more or less consigned Summer 2013 to history. Autumnal nights of log fires, drams and Nordic-noir beckons as the nights begin to fair draw in again.

As always, a superb selection of drams were on offer. Having seen the Spirit of the Fringe awards, I have to admit that most of my drams of the day were not on it. Indeed, perhaps there should also be a 'Stall of the Fringe' award for the table that bears the greatest weight of liquid treasure? If there had been such an award this year then surely the Adelphi display of fire power would've blown most of the others across to Fife or least to an overpriced George St wine bar.

Adelphi seem to have a knack of bottling seriously fine malts. This year's offerings were both fine and interesting. A 6yo Glenrothes sherry cask? Lovely. The sherry theme dominated and did not disappoint. The Bowmore 17 was neck and neck with the Caol Ila 9 for me. It was also good to hear that Adelphi expect distilling to start at their new Ardnamurchan distillery in December of this year.

I was also more than pleased to discover a preview of the forthcoming Longrow Red #2. Like the previous offering, this is an 11yo but this one enjoyed its latter years in a Shiraz cask. Wonderful, wonderful stuff yet again from Campbeltown's finest.

The benefits this year included the chance to sample the Brora 32 as well as Douglas Laing's 15yo Laphroaig.

On the downside was the Balcones Brimstone. If you forgive the religious analogy, this is more happy-clappy than in-your-face Presbyterian fury. The absence of Laphroaig and Bruichladdich was also noted as was the failure of Glen Moray to supply a sequel to last years superb Chenin Blanc 8yo cask strength. Never mind, at least I have this years Laphroaig Càirdeas Port Cask to welcome in the dark evenings.

Burns Nicht wi nae meat

Times change. Haggis no longer has to contain the head, the arse and everything in-between of an animal. Veggie haggis is becoming increasingly popular with both vegetarians and squeamish carnivores. Equally, whisky has come a long way since uisge-beatha was a clear fiery liquid that was matured for days, at best, and not years in a variety of exotic casks.

If we're talking about etymology here, then 'meat' originally meant 'food'. In Old English it was 'mete' and Old Irish had 'mat' meaning 'pig' which is possibly the ancestor of today's Gaelic 'muc'.

I say all this as it seems as if some - who may or may not see themselves as 'tradition bearers' - turn their nose up at the idea of a vegetarian Burns Nicht. While Burns was a man of his time and enjoyed his animal flesh, innards etc, he was undoubtedly open-minded and content to embrace diversity.

Suffice to say that Scotland's various winter festivals can be enjoyed by all regardless of diet.

The Mac na Bracha household enjoyed a veggie Burns Nicht that included more than one dram of  vegan, distilled barley juice.

To eat: Veggie Haggis - MacSweens is by far the best though other varieties can be bought and unlike meat haggis, it can also be home-made quite easily without the need to blowtorch the skin of an animal, split it's head with an axe and scoop the entrails into a mixing bowl - Hebridean life has been described to me in such detail on more than one occasion btw. Mashed Tatties with olive oil instead of butter. Cubed and caramelised neeps. Most Scots kids can remember being forced to eat neeps at some point in their childhood and may recall that mixing it with the tattie rendered it somewhat palatable. I and others can attest that cubing the offending root and roasting it for nigh on an hour makes it very delicious indeed.

A vegan whisky sauce - rice milk, olive oil, white flour, ground oats, wholegrain mustard, a squeeze of lemon juice and some Laphroaig Quarter Cask - topped off the main course.

This was followed by Black Crowdie/ Gruth Dubh - traditional soft cottage cheese rolled in oats and black pepper - some Strathdon Blue and Asda's whisky cheddar accompanied by Shetland Oatcakes.

To drink: Innis & Gunn Rum Cask, Crabbies Black, SMWS 25.62 Rosebank 20 yo, Laphroaig Quarter Cask and Whiskybroker Bowmore 14yo.

Music: Dougie MacLean - Tribute. A Frightened Rabbit EP  - Scottish Winds is surely a song that Burns would've been proud of. And as the inhibitions were chased off into the January night by a sweet and smoky Bowmore, Oi Polloi's Dùisg graced the speakers.

Roll on St. Andrew's Day.

Whisky Fringe - only a year away

So, the Xmas of the whisky year has come and gone. As usual, not one to disappoint despite the new introduction of a standard 1cl measure across the board. I was a bit nonplussed at first but the lower alcohol intake for each dram simply means an opportunity to sample a wider range of malts.

It was busy with lots of non-Scots in attendance - heard a few 'Glendronak' pronunciations from visitors from the south though the Germans and Spaniards present had no bother with the Scottish 'ach'. Lots of female connoisseurs too - the auld days of whisky being principally an auld man's drink are over.

As to the exhibitors, there seemed to be one or two omissions from last year. Sadly there was no sign of Duncan Taylor or Compass Box and while Gordon & MacPhail were present, it was only in their Benromach guise. That isn't a bad thing but G&M have such a wide and varied range of malts and it was a shame not to taste some of the jewels from their deep treasure-chest. Who can forget last year's cask strength Imperial from 1977?

Fortunately, there were still some cracking drams on offer.

My vote, and those of friends, for the Spirit of the Fringe award, went to dark horse that is Glen Moray. The Glen Moray 2003 Chenin Blanc was simply a revelation. Sweet, complex and mouth filling, it had all you want from a dram. A single cask at 60.7%, this will be worth every penny of the £59 they ask for it.

Glendronach had 4 excellent drams on offer but the 1993 Single Cask 19yo was the pick of the bunch and almost the dram of the Fringe. A true sherry monster, it seemed to expand on the palate until your mouth was filled with clouds of sweet vapour - honey, raisins and prune juice. Drams like this one just make your day.

Honourable mentions should also go to Adelphi as well as Tomatin with their expensive but elegant 1982 Single Cask. All in all, Tomatin which some may describe as 'unfashionable' along with Glen Moray, had an excellent Fringe. Interesting whiskies poured by an enthusiastic, friendly (imagine that!) and knowledgeable ambassador for the distillery.

Adelphi chipped in with the likes of the 15yo Clynelish at 54.4%. This had one of the most interesting noses I've even had the pleasure to introduce to my nostrils - big time sweetness dripping with maple syrup, honey and nectar. The palate didn't disappoint either.

Drink me.

Other drams that will join the above on my wish list are the Bowmore Tempest, Benromach Sassicaia, Glen Keith 1993 OMC and the 1996 Caol Ila also from OMC.

The half-time oranges were almost worth the ticket price alone. Two 50yo North British grains?! A 40yo Tomatin?! All of them a joy and privilege to lay on your tongue.

Those that did disappoint were few and far between but also deserve a mention. Kilchoman 5yo Single Cask is the worst dram I've tasted since the first Abhainn Dearg release. Fiery and hot, it had none of the complexity of a young Ardbeg and even the Glen Moray peated spirit was in a different league from this expensive but poor excuse for a whisky. I love Bunnahabhain usually but I fail to see the excitement in their 25yo. Flat, flat, flat. This is one that should be bottled at cask strength.

Others that underwhelmed were: Smokehead 18yo - very pleasant but far too tame, especially at £91! Laphroaig 18 knocks the socks of this one. Arran Amarone and BenRiach Solstice  were also in the 'pleasant but uninspiring' camp.

All-in-all another well organised and stimulating Whisky Fringe.

Hopes for next year? How about a Bladnoch/ Whiskybroker stand to showcase their impressive range of Bladnoch and other bottlings? A well stocked Gordon & MacPhail would also go down a treat. Similarly, a Diageo stall that permits us to sample some of their own gems and not just the usual supermarket heroes we all know anyway. How about a Loch Lomond stall showcasing some crackers from Glen Scotia, Inverleven or the deceased Littlemill?

On top of that is what really makes a successful Fringe. Friendly staff and not just automatons hired from a PR company go a long way. On this count, both Tomatin and Balvenie did well as did Glen Moray. For that alone, I intend to visit all of these distilleries before the next Fringe comes along.

Start ticking off the days...

Bowmore 100 Degrees Proof

Bowmore are going up in my estimation with this own bottling. Previously, I'd found Bowmore's various expressions to be a bit wishy-washy with not much to shout about. Only Mariner at 43% hinted at something more interesting and powerful. Independent bottlings from the likes of Cadenheads and SWMS have been excellent.

Recently though Bowmore unveiled a series available for purchase at 'travel retail'. After tasting the 100 Degrees Proof offering at Manchester Airport, a purchase had to be made. At £49 for one litre at 57.1% this is pretty good value for a lip smacking cask-strength.

Took it to a local whisky group and it went down a treat. Lots of salt and a layer of peat ash on the tongue. However, there's also a sweetness in there that you cannot help but like. Most seem surprised as the strength as its quite smooth. I found that a drop of water went down well though.

Look out for it at your next airport stop and request a sample.

Here's what others say:
http://www.connosr.com/reviews/bowmore/100-proof/lovely-cs-bowmore/

http://whiskyforeveryone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/new-releases-bowmore-100-proof.html