Wines of Israel Part 2 - Tzuba Winery

Yesterday, we had a birthday to celebrate. Because of the slippery accident mentioned in my previous post, dinner was at home in our tiny French apartment, which has minimal cooking facilities. The absolute highlight of the meal was a fabulous bottle of a Bordeaux style blend from Tzuba Estate Winery. This prompted me to share the story of this little winery, which I had the pleasure of visiting last month.
In November, I tasted Israeli wines for the first time and was generally delighted by the quality and diversity.  Israel is a hot, dry country for much of the year, and has a a history of vine growing that goes back to biblical times. Still, as I mentioned in my first article, we generally don't drink much Israeli wine in North America.
The wines I tasted were generally big, bold and balanced - rich in fruit, with nice acidity, earthy elements where required and well integrated tannins. Almost everything was ready for drinking relatively young, suiting 95% of wine purchase requirements, but I have more to explore in this department when I return - next week.
In general, the varieties grown are French, and some Italian and include Syrah, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot, Mourvedre, Viognier, Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauv Blanc, Sangiovese and  more. Some are bottled as straight varietals, and Bordeaux and Rhone style blends are common. The modern wine industry in Israel is quite young and still experimental in some ways, so everyone seems to be growing everything to find out what works best.
According to Paul Dubb, the young winemaker at Tzuba, some work is being carried out at Tel Aviv University on a handful of ancient indigenous varieties, some of them from Druze communities, which survived historical uprooting of vines. It will be very exciting if some currently unknown varieties appear in the future.

Paul  hopes that wineries will continue to focus on the particular varieties that grow best in their regions, which comprise Galilee and Golan Heights, Shomron (south of Galilee), Samson (between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean Sea), Judean Hills and even parts of the Negev desert - in other words, most of Israel. 
At Tzuba, in the Judean Hills, they make very good wines - whites, reds and dessert wines, all popular, all good. Surprisingly, despite the hot summers, wine drinkers in Israel sip much more red wine than white. Yet, according to Paul,  the Judean Hills is ideal for Chardonnay and Viognier, as well as Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. His ultimate goal is to focus on whites, a high end Bordeaux blend and Syrah. Demand for wines from this boutique winery, which only produces about 50,000 bottles a year, outstrips supply. About 30% is sold at the winery, (some before they're even labelled), as much as 60% goes to export and the rest is sold locally.

Paul grew up around wine. His father was a winemaker in Stellenbosch, South Africa ( an area I'm happy to say I'll be exploring in February). He started making wine when he was sixteen, studied Hebrew, and moved to Israel. He's been growing vines and making wine at Tzuba since 1996, with excellent results, due in no small part to careful vineyard management and intelligent experimentation, both with winemaking and cask selection.
In the vineyards, on rocky and ancient terraces, many of the plantings face south west, for equal ripening. At 700 metres, the humidity is low, and the Mediterranean climate provides warm days and cool nights  throughout the growing season. High density plantings and regular thinning throughout the season provides low yields of 7 to 10 tonnes per hectare of high quality grapes. Soil moisture is monitored throughout the season and drip irrigation is used after the harvest to return minerals into the vines.
The grapes are all hand-picked and gently handled during the wine making process.  Paul has carried out much experimentation with different types of French oak, in his quest for the perfect cask for different wines. The winery has its own bottling machine, and so can precisely dictate when the various wines should be bottled.
All of this careful work has resulted in  excellent products, some of which I tasted last month. Here are some reviews.

2011 Chardonnay

I'm not a big fan of overly oaky or creamy Chardonnay. I like my whites crisp, so prefer Chardonnay that hasn't seen any or much oak. Tzuba's 2011 is a great Chardonnay, with beautiful fruit on the nose, (pears, melons, passion fruit, guava) and perfect acidity on the palate to balance the wonderful fresh fruit. I loved this. It was so refreshing. After fermentation, the wine was left on the lees (sur lies) for a while, then half was aged in stainless steel and half in French oak barrels for 8 months, prior to bottling. Previously, I had tried a 2010 version and, for my palate, it was a tad too creamy. Interestingly, the oak aging for the 2010 included two different types of French oak. For the 2011, Paul used only the best, new, Bourgogne Perle Blanche barrels and vinification was identical. Given the consistency of the growing season, year over year, the difference in character can certainly be attributed in part to the specific barrel aging. EXCELLENT wine, around $20. If you're fortunate enough to find any, stock up. Drink it on its own, with many kinds of fish, chicken dishes or with a  fabulous array of appetizers.

2011 Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc

This was a 50/50 blend. The grapes were crushed and pressed together and maturation was 50% second use barrels and 50% stainless steel. This was an elegant wine, gentle on the nose, with aromas of almonds, pears and ripe green apples. It would have been fun to have tasted a slightly aged 2010. But this particular wine is in high demand and  Tzuba can't keep it on the shelves. Nice problem. Paul opened a second bottle of this, as the first one wasn't "crunchy" enough for his liking - a great term! A VERY NICE WINE. Also around $20.

2010 Syrah

Northern Rhone wine lovers - take note. This lovely wine, 100% Syrah, was spicy, big and elegant after 14 months in a  mixture of old and new French oak. This was drinking very well now, with the tannins already quite nicely integrated. It will be lovely for a few years to come. We talked a bit about age-ability of Israeli wines, in general. I haven't tasted a massive amount as yet, but my feeling is that most of them will drink better young. Paul agrees with this and says that about 10 to 15 years would be the maximum for aging the right wines. In the case of this Syrah, the low volatile acidity in the grapes and minimal use of the tannin press, invites early drinking. A VERY GOOD WINE. Match it up with slow cooked lamb shanks in a rich sauce, involving dried fruits.

Metzuda 2009 and 2010

 
The 2009 version was the one I poured for that birthday dinner I mentioned. An excellent blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, aged for 24 months in French oak, this is a well-balanced, elegant wine, with gorgeous black fruits, some minty herbs, and a bit of chocolate on the nose. It's full bodied, silky smooth, with a bit of spiciness and just the right amount of acidity to balance the opulent fruit. it has a long, satisfying finish. Very moreish. Very delicious. Perfect for drinking now and for a few more years. EXCELLENT WINE. $30 range.
The 2010 is a slightly different blend - 60% Cab Sauv, 30% Merlot, 10% CF. It's still young but, according to Paul, will be even better than the 2009. The weather during the growing season was near perfect with few heatwaves, resulting in perfect yields.

Dessert wines

We tried a few dessert wines. A late harvest Chardonnay, (who knew!), sweet from natural fermentation, and, after a year in older barrels, displayed figs, white sultanas and nice acidity. It will mature up very nicely.
Another of the same, after 5 years in barrels, displayed a fabulous nose of honey, apricots, and cognac; but we both agreed that it was lacking in the racy acidity needed to counteract the sweetness. Paul plans to tone back on the heavy presses which dilutes the sugars and diminishes the acidity.
A delicious port style red, made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, grown in the outside rows with no shade, was absolutely delicious - resembling a Late Bottled Vintage. The grapes are naturally sweet and delicately handled. They're left on the peel for a couple of months, have minimal fortification to go from about 15% to 18% alcohol and then barrel aged as long as Paul feels is necessary, followed by some bottle aging. OUTSTANDING. Only about 4 cases are produced each year, so I'm delighted that the one in the photo is mine!
With aromas of prunes, figs and raisins, marzipan, Christmas pudding......this will be amazing with cold nights, good friends, chocolate desserts, a strong blue cheese - or Christmas pudding. There you go - Kosher wine and Christmas pudding - a gentle way to integrate the world.

Cheers! L'Chaim!
Check back soon and join me as I visit more wineries.

'Tis the season ~ Single Malts on the shelves, a celebratory Scotch Tasting and an Ottawa Hogmanay

Hogmanay Party in Ottawa!!!!!!

I'm very excited about the recently inaugurated Scottish Society of Ottawa, whose mission is to excite people about the idea of Scotland; its past, its present and its future!
The Society’s inaugural event is set for New Year’s Eve 2012 – a Hogmanay street party at Ottawa City Hall that aims to replicate the excitement of Edinburgh’s world famous Royal Mile as the clock strikes midnight and we enter the New Year. It's just been announced that The Barra MacNeils are the headline act. You won't want to miss this party! Year end festivities also include a tutored tasting by Davin de Kergommeaux on December 30th. This will be a great tasting of wonderful Scotches, at an amazing price. Click here for more details

This year, for various reasons, we'll be spending Christmas on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Dinner might include turkey, almost certainly won't include Christmas pudding, will definitely include Israeli wine; and the after dinner Scotch will be Bruichladdich Valinch, the only one that I'll be lugging from France to Israel. With its unusual maturation in a Calvados cask, it will be just the thing to raise a toast to friends and family.

Single Malts on the LCBO shelves

But despite being geographically displaced from Ottawa, I've had a look at the Single Malt Scotches on the Ontario liquor shelves, and there are more than a few to recommend - for the Scotch lovers on the shopping list, for family and friends dropping by, to raise a toast to 2013, to share around a crackling fire..............
This is not an exhaustive list - there are close to 200 to choose from, although not all available in every store. So, if your favourite doesn't appear here, it doesn't mean I don't like it!

Elegance in small packages

Small, 200ml bottles of Lagavulin 16 year old are on sale at $25. This is a wonderful Islay whisky and the format is ideal if you're not sure, or just want to try one of the best. Of course, you can always buy the full bottle as well.  Read about my trip to Lagavulin.

18 is a great age

Something magical seems to happen to Scotch whisky, after it's been  quietly maturing in oak barrels  for around 18 years. There's a lot of debate about the perfect age for whisky, and the reality is that there are splendid Scotches of every age, including some quite young spirit. But, in every barrel, a wonderful combination of chemistry and magic seems to take place over the years. For those looking for rich,  integrated, well-balanced, multifaceted Single Malts, there are some splendid 18 year old products on the shelves. These aren't in the "budget buy" category - but for someone special, including yourself..........

Aberlour 18 year old 

Around $148, rich dried fruits, toffee, full bodied, (no peat/smoke), beautifully balanced. My favourite Aberlour.

Bowmore 18 year old

Around $127, rich, smoky, spicy, dried fruits, I had a great visit to the distillery in September. 

Laphroaig 18 year old

OK, I have a soft spot for smoky whiskies. Laphroaig 10 year old ($80) is an absolute Islay classic and one of the best for that crackling fire previously mentioned. For further richness and additional flavours and elegance, the 18 year old is a gem - $180. While I'm on about Laphroaig, I never tire of Quarter Cask - $70. The newer Triple Wood at $90, is like Quarter Cask with an extra maturation in oloroso sherry casks. Click here to read about my Laphroaig distillery visit.

Highland Park 18 year old

Around $150. I love this whisky from Scotland's most northerly distillery in Orkney. Rich, great balance, just a  tiny bit of peat presence.

Ten is a good age, too

Ardbeg 10 year old

Around $100, a peaty, Islay classic. Read about my distillery visit.

Talisker 10 year old

From the Isle of Skye, around $80, different peat character from Islay

Glenmorangie 10 year old

About $67, good whisky for a new Scotch drinker, nice to drink anytime, a hint of mint toffee.

If you're travelling and can find a bottle of Glenmorangie Signet, this is a remarkably fine Single Malt whisky, created from some very old whiskies, featuring some roasted chocolate barley malt and some very fine maturation casks, presented in a  beautiful bottle. I tasted this last month and it is exquisitely beautiful. Using words like rich, roasted nuts, chocolate orange, full-bodied and delicious seems inadequate. This is one very, very  fine whisky if you can find it.

A couple of Glenfiddichs

If you're in the Toronto area, with $26,000 to spend, that bottle of 50 year old that I mentioned last year, is still on the books.

If your seasonal travels take you through a duty free shop, pick up a gift box containing the Glenfiddich 125th anniversary Single Malt. It's wonderful, and is designed after the original style made by the distillery, back in the day. There's some nice peat in this bottle. No age expression, but probably about 14 years. I picked up a bottle in Edinburgh for 70 pounds (Sorry, can't remember the code for my pound character). The gilt tin box will be splendid for storing mince pies, Christmas cookies, black bun and the like!

More elegance

The Macallan Fine Oak 21 year old is not cheap at $380, but, oh my, this is a nice whisky. I tasted it again most recently at Whisky Luxe in Edinburgh - a great event.

And a few more

Glenfiddich 15 - great value, delicious, sweet, unique solera system $65
Glendronach Revival 15 $95

Dalwhinnie 15 Highland whisky of good character, nothing overt, very drinkable $90, from Scotland's highest distillery
Cragganmore 12 $85
Glendronach 12 $60

Sample some fine Single Malts in April

I'll be leading a public tasting at Divinos in April. There will be fine Scotches, great food, good fun, friendly conversation and some education. Makes a great Christmas gift! Meanwhile, drop us a line if you'd like to inquire about private or Corporate events.

A parting story from France..... Although we're in an area near the Alps, with great views of Mont Blanc, there usually isn't much snow on the ground in the village. Not so this year, where we've had a steady stream of snow and ice with melts in between, resulting in sidewalks that would rival the canal above. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any public salting service that I could see. My husband had a spill, did some damage to himself and was carted off in an ambulance. He's on the mend, so no worries, but it was interesting to observe, during the 10 hours or so in emergency, that almost everyone appearing for treatment had fallen and hurt something. It made me appreciate the abundance of salt and grit in Ottawa. The irony of it all was that the ambulance ride was complimentary - a public service!

Slainte!
Happy Christmas,
Very best wishes for an outstanding 2013

Israeli Wines - time to get them off the Kosher shelves!

Tel Aviv

I'm going to jump, chronologically, to Israel. We've just returned from a few weeks over there, which, for someone who's never lived in a war zone, was interesting, if occasionally scary. Subsequently, I had to self-confess my own woeful lack of knowledge about Middle East affairs, history and religion. I have been a reading fiend since we returned. I wish little more than peace and harmony for the whole region.
But Israel is amazing and interesting and, for the focus of this website, it has some world class wines. I had the opportunity to meet a few wine folks and taste some excellent wine, and I'm excited to return there in a  couple of weeks for more vinous adventures and travels.

I was wandering through Tel Aviv one day, when I came across this store. Really? The Scottish Wines and Alcohol? I just had  to pop in to see if I could meet the owner. Dan Leeor is the President of The Scottish - a wine and alcohol import and distribution company, started in 1944 by two Scots who felt sufficiently patriotic to come up with the name.

newly acquired wine purchases outside The Scottish

When Dan took over the company, his intent was to get rid of the odd name - well odd for Tel Aviv. But he found that  the quirky, out of context title was both well known, and attracted curious folks like me, so the name stuck.

Me, looking short, which I am, sandwiched between Dan, on the left, and my husband, Gerald

Dan was enthusiastic and helpful. He knows Israeli wineries well, and sells and distributes many of their products. I left there with contacts, recommendations and vague directions, and a few bottles of wine. If you're in the city at some point, you'll find The Scottish on Hata'arucha St, near Tel Aviv Port. Do drop in. Like many people in Tel Aviv, Dan speaks perfect English, which was fortunate as I have about four words of Hebrew. Before I start in on wines, we need some pictorial travelogue snippets!
The beaches of Tel Aviv are pristine; the water is warm.
Tel Aviv Port is a recently revamped area filled with cafes and shops, and an amazing undulating boardwalk.

amazing undulating boardwalk

Crowds of people come out on sunny days to stroll, eat, meet, rollerblade, skateboard, run and just generally hang out.

refreshing mixture of arak (anis), mint and lemonade

Appetizers. Yum.

 Floating in the Dead Sea is a must. Covering yourself in therapeutic black mud is optional - as is the Tilley hat!

 Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv, has a beautiful old city, vibrant night life and endless bars and restaurants.

I didn't absolutely fall in love with Jerusalem, although I definitely understand its pull for different religious groups. To my mind, it's an odd mixture of tensions, important religious sites, bustling underground markets and vying for tourist attention. But I was only there for a day - long enough to lose my Tilley hat, as it happens.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

the white things are yogourt pyramids

Church at Gethsemane

The Western wall

Very old olive tree in the garden of Gethsemane

 Caesarea National Park is an ancient coastal village, north of Tel Aviv and an important and incredibly well preserved archaeological site. It dates back to Persian rule in 586 BCE, and has a rich history, including  being ruled by King Herod between 37 and 4 BCE. Between the 13thC and the late 19thC it was desolate, but is now an important site with ongoing work. Caesarea is well worth a day trip. Apart from the ancient site, there are great little restaurants, where you can enjoy lunch and a glass of something, overlooking the Mediterranean on a warm November Day. That's what we did!

Sarcophagus from 2nd or 3rdC CE

Tumbled down ancient walls with a restaurant on top.

Nice view from Caesarea

Beautiful couple - just married

We stayed in the grounds of the Weizmann Institute of Science, in a beautiful house with orange, lime, pomelo and fig trees in the garden. And flowers..............

Israelis are not big alcohol drinkers. Annual consumption is about a quarter of Canadian consumption rates. More wine is drunk than spirits, and restaurants and stores do a fine job of promoting Israeli wines, as well as having a range of international wines. Many restaurants focus on local wines and, given their quality, this is a fine thing.
Wine
Historically, wine has been consumed in this part of the world since biblical times, but the modern wine industry was started in the 1880's by Baron de Rothschild of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, who helped start Carmel winery in 1882. There is, and has always been, a sizeable export market, 60% at some wineries, and much of it finds its way to Kosher shelves, where it's usually bought for religious occasions. Many Israeli wines in bygone years were not that good, creating an impression that Kosher wines were cheap or sweet wines, not intended for the table.
Fast forward a hundred years or so. Even at the turn of the millennium, there was only a handful of wineries in Israel  but, with increasing local interest in viticulture and wine making, aided by experts from other grape growing areas of the world, the Israeli wine industry took off. There are now close to 300 wineries! Wine Spectator magazine just recently named Golan Heights winery, founded in 1983,  as New World Winery of the Year.
Despite all of this, Israeli wines are still mostly found on Kosher shelves, and not everyone thinks to shop there, when searching for a nice little Cab Sauv to go with the BBQ lamb. In some stores, there might be a small section for Israeli wines or they might be nestled in a general section called Mediterranean, which can also be a last resort on the wander around the liquor store.
Paul Dubb is the winemaker and viticulturist at Tzuba Estate Winery, near Jerusalem. Tzuba was recommended to me by Dan at The Scottish. This is a winery making excellent wines, largely due to Paul's intelligent work in the vineyard, and experienced wine making skills, honed early when he lived in South Africa, where his father was a winemaker. Although 100% of Tzuba's wines are Kosher, Paul thinks that there's an impression that Kosher wines are inferior, and that some relabelling, and re-shelving would be advantageous to global promotion. He says that the only real difference between Kosher wines and non is that the former requires that a Sabbath observant Jew be involved in the process from harvesting to bottling. There are some other minor requirements, but nothing that would negatively impact the wine. So, while Kosher wines are the wines that should be sipped for Jewish religious occasions, it doesn't follow that they should only be drunk on those occasions.
I spent a fine morning with Paul at Tzuba, where we had a wonderful chat about the industry, the winery and his wines. I tasted an excellent range, including delicious whites, well balanced reds and some very promising  dessert wines. 
In the next story, I'll give more details about Tzuba and  the wines, as well as more info on the Israeli wine industry and regions. But it's been a couple of  weeks since I posted, so I'll put this out for now.
For Ontario readers, the LCBO currently has 50 Israeli wines on the books, ranging from $9.65 to $98. They are all Vintages products and certainly not available everywhere in great quantity, but if you browse the online system, you'll find some. Or, talk to your local friendly product specialist who might be familiar with some. Wineries represented that are worth trying - Dalton, Galil Mountain, Recanata and the Yarden label, which is the second label of Golan Heights Winery. Lovers of big, boozy wines will enjoy the fact that many Israeli wines are over 14% alcohol level. More on that in the next post.
Please check back next week. Off to Scotland for a few days.
Cheers! L'Chaim! Slainte!

Laphroaig - soft name, smoky whisky

If you ask occasional whisky drinkers to name a few distilleries in Scotland, chances are they will mention two or three beginning with Glen - and Laphroaig. Whatever the reasons, the Laphroaig name is probably the most well known of all the Islay distilleries. Perhaps it's the legendary smoky character, or its prestigious position as a Royal Warrant holder, (thanks to Prince Charles), or the easily identifiable old-fashioned bottle, or the uncomplicated range led by the great and consistent 10 year old. Unscientifically, it could simply be the soft sounding "Laffroyg", which rolls off the tongue in a delicious manner!

Outside of name recognition, Distillery Manager, John Campbell would say that it's the depth of flavour which makes the whisky, itself, so popular. Like so many other folks in the Islay whisky industry, John grew up on the island and has worked at Laphroaig for about 18 years, 6 of them as Manager. He is a busy man who not only oversees the many whisky production activities, but is a key figure in the global marketing side of the business. Whether he's tweeting with one of thousands of followers, or hosting a visit from His Royal Highness, he's always front and centre of Laphroaig outreach. With his gentle manner, knowledge about his product, and twinkling eyes, it's not surprising that Beam Inc (the parent company) like him on the road from time to time, talking about Laphroaig.
In September he was in Germany for Laphroaig Live, an annual 45 min internet show, which in recent years has been hosted in Sydney, Kentucky and London. More recently, he was in the US, one of Laphroaig's biggest markets. With his understated good looks and quiet, purposeful, concise way of speaking, he has the kind of presence that makes people listen - a rare gift.
I chatted a bit with John on a late Friday afternoon in mid September, a time when one could imagine the entire population of Islay downing tools to have a wee dram of - something! Not so at Laphroaig. Our chat was sandwiched between a meeting that ran late and a conference call that was still to happen. There was a sense of quiet urgency about the man which made me not want to take up too much of his time. Still, ask John a question about the source of Laphroaig's legendary smoky character, or his favourite expression, (the 10 year old) and he's happy to expand.
Laphroaig has been legally distilling since 1815 (the same year as Ardbeg, so 2015 is sounding like THE year to visit Islay during Feis Ile). It's one of the very few distilleries still conducting some floor maltings, after which the germinated barley is first exposed to a very smoky peat fire to lock in the desired smoky character, before being dried with hot air. John submits that this process is fundamental in producing the smoky depth of flavour of Laphroaig whiskies. The Islay peat is brick shaped to keep the moisture content high and to produce more smoky character. John also described their foreshot run, at 45 minutes, as the longest in the industry. A long foreshot run removes undesirable elements, puts more of the heart front end back into the next distillation, and leaves the heart of the run as close to pure, unadulterated new spirit as possible.
In the stillroom, I met Donnie (19 years at the distillery) and Michael (2 years). Unusually, Laphroaig has  3 small spirit stills and one double size still, the smaller ones producing a sweeter, lighter spirit. Careful attention is paid to the proportions of each going into the maturation stage.
Maturation is predominantly in first fill, ex-Bourbon barrels, giving a slightly sweet, vanilla, nutty character to the smoky new spirit. Sherry casks are occasionally used for final maturation of some expressions. About 70% of the casks are matured on the island, with 60% of that in rack warehouses and 40% in dunnage.
The range is uncomplicated (as in not too many expressions) and tasty. Here's what to look for in the core range.......
The 10 year old is hard to beat. It's smoky, a little bit salty, smoky, a little bit sweet, smoky. There's a cask strength version as well.
The Quarter Cask, which enjoys a few months of final maturation in small casks, offers up additional toffee flavours. I often use this one at tastings and never tire of it. It's a great whisky and, I hesitate to say this in case bad things happen back in Ontario, but it's very decently priced for such an interesting whisky.
Relatively new to the range is Triple Wood, essentially Quarter Cask with a final maturation in ex-Oloroso sherry casks. Such are the wonders of technology that I can tell you that there are currently about 65 bottles of the stuff on LCBO shelves in Ottawa. Go shopping, Ottawa whisky lovers!
The PX, available in Duty Free, is finished in sweet PX sherry casks. I haven't tried that yet but, as I seem to spend  a lot of time in airports these days, I plan to rectify this very soon. I'm expecting syrupy, then dry.
The 18 year old is a dram to be savoured and enjoyed. The extra 8 years in the cask adds more flavours to explore, more sweetness and less smoke. It's really quite delicious. For me, it's hard to choose between 10 year old, Quarter cask and 18 year old - all Laphroaig, each unique.
Slainte!

That's it from Islay for now. You can browse the article list at the side for stories about each of the eight distilleries. Next up will be some posts about  Speyside and other whisky stuff, Swiss wines, German beer and Israeli wine (delicious!) - not necessarily in that order.

Ardbeg - from mothballs to medals

It's really quite remarkable what the folks at Ardbeg distillery have accomplished in the last 15 years. Back in 1887, Ardbeg produced over 1 million litres of whisky and was the biggest producer on Islay, as well as one of the biggest in Scotland. But, about a hundred years later, changing fortunes and times saw production dwindle to virtually nothing and, in 1991, the distillery closed. Six years later, it was purchased by the Glenmorangie company, currently owned by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. Since then, Ardbeg, its people and its whiskies have won countless awards.
I'm a big fan of the whiskies, but I'm certainly not alone. Ardbeg has a passionate following that broaches on the fanatical. The Ardbeg committee (one of over a hundred that exist on Islay) has reported over 50,000 members for a few years now. In addition to spreading the Ardbeg message (which I am doing, as a good committee member), members have early access to special bottlings and other rewards of membership. If you live in an accommodating part of the world, these special bottlings can be shipped to you. 
With so many committee members having Elite access (to use an Air Canada analogy), some bottlings sell out very quickly, which generates even more demand for limited bottlings, and Ardbeg in general. All very clever.
Still on the subject of serious Ardbeg fans, Tim Puett from California has to be one of the most serious of all. If you love Ardbeg whisky, check out his unbelievably detailed website - The Ardbeg Project
There are many expressions to choose from. In addition to producing a core range that currently includes the very lightly peated Blasda, the "blow your socks off" peated Supernova, the consistently super 10 year old, the big and powerful Corryvreckan and my favourite, Uigeadail, Ardbeg distillery has produced over 100 whiskies, including committee bottlings and single cask bottlings, since being acquired by Glemorangie in 1997.
Jim Murray, who updates his annual Whisky Bible each year, named different Ardbeg whiskies as World Whisky of the Year in each of 2008, 2009 and 2010 - big accolades for a distillery which had its renaissance a mere 15 years ago.
The southern Islay distillery will be celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2015. It's reasonable to expect all kinds of parties and surprises during that year. I recently spent some time with Jackie Thomson at Ardbeg, Whisky Magazine's 2013 Visitor Centre Manager of the Year, and she's the instigator of many celebratory events at the distillery. With a  focus on good fun and a passion for Ardbeg, it's clear that the thinking cap is already on for some 2015 events. Jackie, (who won the same award on 2002),  flits around the visitor centre, wearing many hats in a very capable fashion. When she isn't talking about whisky, showing folks around or leading tastings, she might be tending cash at the enormously popular shop or working in the terrific restaurant, where hungry tasters can sample some great Islay food.
I sampled some whiskies with Jackie and it became clear to me that the clever handling of older stock, as well as very new, post 1997, stock was a huge factor in regenerating demand for Ardbeg.
In 2000, Ardbeg 10 was launched, but with older stock. From about 2008, the 10 year old character started to become more consistent, from the newer stock - all pointing to some interesting vertical tastings that can be held with Ardbeg 10, from 2000 to 2008. In 2003, the enormously popular Uigeadail was launched but, do the math, and it's clear that this is another whisky that changed with time before becoming Jim Murray's world whisky of the year in 2009. Between 2004 and 2008, various committee bottlings appeared, with names like Very Young, Still Young, Almost There and Renaissance, all selling out and continuing the buzz. Corryvreckan and Blasda were launched in 2008, Supernova in 2010 and, in other years, limited edition products like Alligator (re-charred casks), Rollercoaster, Serendipity ( a blended malt), and many others have continued to  fuel interest and demand. Just this year, a quirky, limited edition product called Galileo was launched, in celebration of the fact that some Ardbeg was sent to the international space station in 2011 for maturation experiments. Some of the whisky was matured in ex-Marsala casks and it's bottled at 49%. With a fruity nose and a peaty aftertaste, it's a different Ardbeg but, as always, has sold out. I managed to pick one up before it was gone.
Among the other whiskies I tasted was a 17 year old from older stock, which reminded me of Lagavulin 16 year old. The peat was more subdued, and it was fruity and elegant. The Blasda was light, as would be expected; the Supernova, big, bold, cask strength, enormously peaty and really tasty; and the Serendipity - a blend of Glen Moray and Ardbeg - had layers of aromas and flavours and was quite delicious. This whisky was apparently produced "by mistake", when some Glen Moray stock found its way to the distillery. It was then released as a committee, blended malt bottling and, to my mind, is proof positive that there should be much more blended malt production to explore new flavour combinations.
It could be argued that there are so many Ardbeg expressions out there, that it's all a  bit confusing for the consumer. (Back in Ontario, we only see one or two, most specifically the 10 year old, so we're not confused at all - sad, but not confused!). However, the fans seem to have no problem whatsoever with the wide range, and demand for Ardbeg, of any kind, keeps growing.
I haven't said much about the distillery itself, but it's quite charming and has some unique characteristics, such as one of the oldest working Boby mills in the world, a purifier on the lyne arm, and another of these long fermentation times to accommodate the high phenolic content, which requires more time for the yeast to break down the sugar.
After looking around with Jackie, and tasting a wide collection of Ardbeg whisky, I spent some time with Michael Heads. Mickey, as he is known, is the 17th Distillery Manager, a position he's held since 2007. Mickey's also a big fan of Uigeadail (it's much beloved by many!) and you can see him chat about this brilliant dram on you tube.
Ardbeg recently lost Master Blender extraordinaire, Rachel Barrie, to Bowmore distillery. Rachel was responsible for the creation of some very fine expressions for Ardbeg and Glenmorangie, so we will stay tuned to see what the next game plan is to be at Ardbeg. Meanwhile, if the distillery keeps producing whiskies in the same class as the 10 year old and Uigeadail, there will be many happy campers for a long time to come.
Slainte!
Next up Laphroaig.