From Barley to Bottle-A few minutes with Simon Brooking, of Laphroaig/Ardmore.
Posted in Scotch, Spirits on May 17th, 2009 by halw – Be the first to comment
A glimpse of the barley and peat that gives Laphroaig it's flavor.
I’ve been a fan of scotch for as long as I can remember, and while I had a brief idea of the how, I had previously concerned myself more with the consumption and attempted appreciation of this brown nectar. Simon Brooking is one of the most entertaining speakers I’ve witnessed thus far. Maybe it’s his sense of humor, the fact that he happens to be Scottish so one assumes he knows his stuff, the fact that be burns barley to help demonstrate the process that makes Laphroaig taste the way it does, or it could just happen to be that Simon Brooking is also one of the world’s experts on what makes Scotch, well Scotch.
I caught up with Simon at a Laphroaig and Ardmore event in which they unveiled Laphroaig 25 year old and Ardmore 30 Year Old Vintages which were recently discovered in the distilleries.
Simon Brooking demonstrating the cooking process with Peat.
Both the Laphroaig 25, and Ardmore 30 are available in limited batches. The Ardmore which is aged in bourbon barrels for 30 years is going to be the one that’s truly hard to come across, as it’s limited to a batch of 1428, individually numbered bottles. The Laphroiag 25 is aged in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks and should be slightly easier to come across with it’s availability limited to a run of 2800 bottles. Simon mentioned that the last batch of 30 year old Laphroiag is no longer available, making the 25 the oldest ch ild of the Laphroaig family. With both of these single malts being only available in small batches, they are likely to be sought after by collectors as well as connoisseurs of the brown nectar.
Several bottles of vintage Laphroaig 25.
One of the 1424 bottles of Ardmore 30 produced.
Simon did mention later on in the evening that Laphroaig is planning on a few more vintage releases in the future, but wouldn’t divulge any further details.
So what gives Laphroaig, it’s famous smokey and peaty flavor?
In a room no larger than 20 x 20, peat fires that underneath the floor are used to dry the barley after the brewing process. A combination of the peat used in the fires and the smoke rising gives birth to Laphroaig’s famous flavor.
The peat makes the flavor!
What causes the difference in flavor between a highland and a lowland scotch?
While the Ardmore distillery is located in the highlands of Scotland, the Laphroaig distillery is located in the south coast of Islay closer to water. This difference in the location, and different peats makes the flavors of a highland scotch different from that of a lowland scotch. As the lowlands are closer to the ocean, peat used at these distilleries has more water and adds a saltier taste to scotches originating from these regions, whereas scotch originating from the highland regions generally has a sweeter taste, reminiscent of heather and pine trees.
Okay, so what’s the difference between a Blend and a Single Malt?
Single malt is a scotch that’s aged a minimum of three years and aged in oak barrels, and is a smoother, cleaner and more refined taste. A blended scotch is one that is a combination of several different batches, usually originating from a variety of single malt distillers from around Scotland. Laphroaig for example sells about 35% of it’s its supply to blenders such as Dewars and Chivas, who then blend them together and add neutral grain alcohol (corn-based).
The proper way to taste and to “nose” scotch?
When “nosing” or taking in the scent of the alcohol, part your lips when otherwise you’ll take in more alcohol and less flavor.
And when tasting Simon suggests, placing the glass along the middle of your tongue so you get more of the flavor of the scotch.
He suggested trying to avoid placing sipping the scotch towards the front of your mouth, because while you get a lot of the flavor you also a lot of the heat of the alcohol, since the receptors for alcohol are in the front of your mouth.
Scotch 101 with Simon Brooking of Laphroaig and Ardmore is now complete. with a toast by Simon.
Simon toasting Ardmore 30yr.
