30/06/2018 Ardbeg tasting at the English School, Zürich

Once again in the land of raclette and mockolate. The weather (Switzerland is going through a heatwave, like everyone else) is not really adequate for either: the brown stuff melts in one's hands, while the Neutrals are perplexed, when I talk of a raclette and chips in thirty-degree weather. Fools.
In this weather, we do the only thing that makes sense: drink Ardbeg.

Ardbeg shirts all round

JS and I are back (once again, it's the incredibles) in lovely sweltering Switzerland for another night or two of debauchery. We arrived last night and were kindly invited to the after-party of the Friday tasting (same line-up, different people), where mucho whisky was shared and enjoyed. No notes, however.
The tasting we attend is tonight. The last of four sessions held by the Swissky Mafia with those very Ardbegs. CD assures us that it is the best, because he and PG had lots of time to perfect the sequence. I secretly bet we start with an Ardbeg, continue with an Ardbeg or four, and finish with an Ardbeg. Clever watchmakers.
Before the event, we have supper at Grain, which hits the spot.

Grilled-veg' flatbread for me

No time for dessert. We have work to do.

Work

CD (referring to the latest Ardbeg release, called Grooves): "This is the Grooves we like to drink."

Ardbeg 25yo 1976/2001 First Bottling (50%, Silver Seal Special Reserve, Barrel, 276b, b#49): nose: a dirty one, with ash, ash, and more ash. Scorched earth, soot, charcoal dust. A few minutes in, ground-apricot-stone dust shows up, then cigarette ashes and cocoa shavings. This is very austere and peaty, very dry. Coming back to it later, it has become overly pickled. Mouth: soft enough, with extremely ashy apricot -- or rather: a drop of apricot juice on a bed of ashes. Tobacco juice, snus. Finish: nutty, ashy, with also ground apricot stones and black tar (says MRa). Pickled orange rinds appear, much later on. 8/10

Ardbeg 15yo 1974/1990 (57%, R.W. Duthie for Samaroli imported by Monnier, 240b, b#219): an extremely rare single-cask bottling by fabled Eye-tie bottler. Nose: stripping, it soon reveals apricot skins and bone-dry peat. Seconds later, it shouts tar, rubber, liquorice, burnt wood, tar, rubber, tar, rubber, PVC, rubber gloves, rubber boots, tar, tar (steak), rubber. Mouth: here too, it has ash and burnt wood. It is very dry, but then fruit ends up emerging -- unripe green melon, dried apricot, dried wood, hazel, wood dust. Finish: big, assertive, not boisterous, it has burnt wood, some ash, and quite a lot of fruit here as well -- not quite ripe, but good; pickled lemons, lemon marmalade. Wow. 9/10

Ardbeg 27yo 1975/2002 (50%, Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 50°, 198b): when I see this, I fear I have had it before, but it turns out to be a different cask -- it is from that time when the number of bottles was the only way to distinguish two otherwise similar Laing bottlings. Nose: this one has pears and pickles, white peaches, a thin veil of peat. I find it the most interesting, so far. Shoe polish, old rags, the seats of a new car. Mouth: velvety, with peach skins, a little smoke, dried grapefruit skins. It is still fruity, after forty-five minutes; in fact, the smoke disappears altogether. Finish: elegant and delicate (!), it has some smoke, still, even fishing nets and smoked mussels, but what dominates are the dried grapefruit skins. Most tonight agree that this is the weakest of the lot, proving once and for all that the Swiss prefer their whisky as they do their chocolate: inferior. I find it the best of the lot, overall, and excellent, in any case. 9/10

CD: "This guy from Russia ordered samples of tonight's drams."
GT: "There is a chance I go soon..."
CD: "You want to be the Moscow Mule!"

Ardbeg 28yo 1972/2000 (50%, Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 50°, C#DL 913, 222b): nose: very fresh, it has mint, mint chocolate, cough lozenges, mossy earth, forest floor in a pine forest. The nose is the strongest of the whole line-up, with, on top of the above, baking dough and a whiff of refined smoke. Mouth: soft at first, it quickly becomes spicy, with a pinch of chilli -- no! paprika. Smoked paprika, salty fishing nets, mussels and cockles. The seafood is tame: it barely obstructs a layer of gentle fruit. Finish: a peat furnace, here; burnt wood, a diesel engine, peat smoke. The fruit has now disappeared, which makes it less interesting to me. I find it pretty fierce and austere, actually. 8/10

JS: "You do push-ups?"
GT: "I did for him, apparently. At the Whisky Ships." (reference to Whiskyschiffs, a local whisky festival)
JS: "Why?"
GT: "I don't remember."

Ardbeg 29yo 1975/2005 (47.2%, OB Single Cask for Fèis Ìle 2005, ex-Oloroso Cask, C#4704, 270b, b#47): nose: another ashtray whisky, then caramel and treacle, sticky toffee pudding. Much later on, sambuca and Chartreuse show up. Mouth: fiery, peppery (green and pink peppercorns), it tingles, sparkles. It is also slightly drying, with some oaky tannins. Later, it seems much more civilised, with a creamy salad dressing. Finish: now, it is very fruity, with Ricola sweets, cough lozenges, blackberry drops, brambles. I find it very fresh... until burnt wood and dried peat remind me that I am not drinking fruit juice, after all. 8/10

tOMoH: "It is Italian market, is it?"
PG: "Italian make it!"

Ardbeg 31yo 1975/2006 (54.2%, OB Single Cask Committee X-mas Bottling, Sherry Butt, C#1375, 522b, b#79): nose: this last one is a sherry beast, gently sulphury, with lots of dark chocolate (obviously not the local travesty), toffee, burnt cake, wet cigar leaves and incineration (JS). Mouth: overbaked panettone, slightly smoky, fortified wine, Port. It is woody too, with liquorice and ginger, but not overly so. Finish: long, yet this is no steamroller; it is restrained, if assertive, with liquorice, slightly-bitter sherry, sweet and strong. I like this. 8/10

The last two are very nice whiskies, no doubt. All the same, I am comforted in my opinion from years ago that those eye-wateringly expensive, official single casks are usually not as good as the independent offerings, or the small batches (1975, 1977, 1978, 30yo, Lord of the Isles). Or less to my taste, at least.

PG (about the cask-induced character of the dram): "It's butt stuff, but it's good butt stuff!"
GT: "Who doesn't like good butt stuff?"

As usual, I am behind everyone else. Lots of bottles and samples are passed around at a ridiculous pace. I do not even try to keep up, too focused on my Ardbegs. Once I am done, I try a few bits and bobs without taking notes. I make a point in trying the following, however, because it is a bottler I have heard about, whose owner I have spoken to, yet I have never had one of their whiskies. Tough, though: I do not like it. Ben Nevis 10yo 2006/2016 Selection VI (51.3%, Le Gus't Selection, Oloroso Sherry Butt, C#3, 762b) 5/10

There is another Bunna, which they all call Bratensoße.
I do not try it, but I smell this one -- and do not like it

This, we know...

...but why not compare it to its sibling?

This, I do not try

This, we will get acquainted with later

This, I like a lot

I pass a few things around too.

Glen Garioch 21yo (43%, OB, L591, b#14980)
Port Charlotte 14yo 2003/2017 (60.1%, The Creative Whisky Company The Exclusive Malts, Sherry Hogshead, C#1140, 228b)
JS pours Strathclyde 13yo 2001/2014 (64.4%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Editions, B#ST 13 002)

All night long, CD teases that if I am going to complain about inferior chocolate, I should at least bring some proper stuff for comparison. I remind him that I travelled from the UK, and that Cadbury needs not apply.

Mockolate

Meanwhile, cake is served: a pistachio and ricotta chocolate cake, courtesy of GT's wife. It is un-flippin'-believable (and I want the recipe!)

BELIEVE, YO! \o/

GT (about his wife): "She likes Talisker 25 and Cohiba. Not cheap. So she doesn't like whisky or cigars."
JS: "She likes good things."
GT (pointing at himself): "Obviously!"

The following is in theme, so I do take notes.

Ardbeg An Oa (46.6%, OB, b. ca. 2018): nose: kelp, hay, dry and leathery, with fishing nets and sea shells. Mouth: sweet, bourbon-y, almost, with coconut and vanilla. The coastal character is not there, any more. Finish: lots of smoked kelp, here, burning hay, with caramelised honey on top. Decent. 7/10

GT: "Macedonians say they speak Slavic."
PG: "I prefer my slaves, really."

Amazing time, once again. Out of the three tastings I have attended here, this is certainly the one with the whiskies that convinced me the least (matter of profile preference, not quality), but the atmosphere, banter and general pleasantness are excellent. Not to mention the attendees are very welcoming and generous.
CD even gives me an idea for a future tasting theme: politicians and mistresses. :-D