The first bottlings of Corryvreckan back in 2008-2009 were met with a bit of hesitation by Ardbeg fans. A non-age statement (NAS) bottling was replacing the legendary Airigh Nam Beist in Ardbeg's line-up, and it was a completely different whisky. The magnificent "Beist" had very much been a purist's Ardbeg, with three yearly batches of 1990 vintage, 46% ABV first-fill ex-bourbon cask matured Ardbeg that was bottled in 2006, 2007 and 2008. This newcomer though was bottled at 100 degrees Imperial proof (57.1%), was partly matured in French oak, was more expensive than the 'Beist and did not carry an age statement or vintage. While they're mostly accepted as inevitable today, back then many whisky fans considered NAS whiskies to be the enemy, and while this was only a decade ago such bottlings were much less common than they are today. This was not Ardbeg's first NAS bottling either, in fact the mighty Uigeadail was launched way back in 2003, which for some reason - perhaps Uigeadail's sherry cask component - didn't incur as much wrath as this new expression. The switch to younger NAS bottlings was always going to happen though, since the distillery was closed from 1981-1989, and was then on "life support" at the hands of Allied Distillers - who also owned nearby Laphroaig at the time - until it was again closed in 1996, before being purchased (saved) by Glenmorangie in 1997 (itself purchased by LVMH in 2004). It took them almost another year to get the distillery back up to scratch, so pre-1998 casks of Ardbeg are now seriously rare (and very costly) things.
Interestingly, Corryvreckan was never intended to be a permanent addition to Ardbeg's line-up. When first launched it was only expected to last for 3-4 years, but it was so successful over that time that they decided to keep it, and it's still going strong now over ten years after launch. For all the hate that Ardbeg gets, it's hard to argue with the relative consistency of their core range - with Uigeadail, Corryvreckan and the 10-year old being around for well over a decade now, plus the recent addition of the milder An Oa, and the forthcoming and very promising 5-year old 'Wee Beastie'. Yes, those older core range whiskies have all changed in character over recent years, and of course have increased in price, but if you ask me they're still dependably decent quality (yes, some more than others) and they offer good value for money - much more so than many other brands. In fact that's created a bit of a problem for the distillery, since all of their limited releases are now immediately compared to the distillery's core range, particularly when pricing is factored in, and they are sometimes found wanting. I've long argued that such comparisons are missing the point a little, since the idea of the limited releases is to present something notably different to the core range, or even downright experimental. Yes, those limited releases are consistently getting more expensive, and are consistently being bottled at lower & lower strengths, but they're always unique and they always offer a different take on Ardbeg's usual style.
Named after a whirlpool that sits north of Jura in the North Atlantic, the recipe for Corryvreckan was a marriage/vatting of roughly 70% ex-bourbon cask-matured Ardbeg and roughly 30% French oak cask-matured Ardbeg. I had always taken the latter to mean virgin French oak, and I assumed that the recipe had been the same since this whiskys inception. But rumours were floating around that there were also some ex-red wine French oak casks involved, which piqued my interest, so I had to do some investigating. I reached out to none other than Brendan McCarron, the distillery's 'Head of Maturing Whisky Stocks' and essentially Dr. Bill Lumsden's partner in crime for Ardbeg & Glenmorangie, and asked the question. Brendan graciously helped and confirmed that yes, in the earlier releases of Corryvreckan there were ex-red wine French oak casks involved, but for a long time now they've used virgin French oak, because they feel that's where the results come from. He also explained how that recipe had developed because of the change in strategy that I mentioned above - from the original intention of Corryvreckan lasting only 3-4 years, rather than being part of the distillery's permanent / core range line-up. So essentially if your bottle of Corryvreckan was bottled in the last 7-8 years or so (discerned by checking the date code on the glass under the back label - L9 166 in this case, meaning the 166th day of 2009), the French oak component will have been virgin oak, but if it's an older bottling it will also have some ex-red wine French oak casks in the mix, while still following the (roughly) 70% ex-bourbon and 30% French oak ratio. Unlike many Scotch whisky distilleries, Ardbeg aren't afraid of the assertiveness of virgin oak - perhaps helped by Corryvreckan working so well for them over the years - and they've used it quite a few times in their limited releases since. From the excellent Ardbeg Alligator, to Auriverdes and Kelpie, and now An Oa, all have used virgin oak to some extent, albeit mixed in with other cask types. Ardbeg's sweet and peaty spirit does seem to work well with a portion of virgin oak casks thrown into the mix - particularly in Alligator's case in my opinion, which was an excellent example.
It's been a year or so since I last tasted Corryvreckan, and that was a much more recent bottling - circa 2017, from memory. Nonetheless it's a fairly easy whisky to remember, since it's certainly the most assertive whisky in the Ardbeg line-up, so this older bottling will make for an interesting comparison. Although it's no longer printed on the packaging or labelling, to my knowledge it's always been non-chill filtered and naturally coloured, as is all Ardbeg single malt - print it on the packaging please people! The sample for this review came from a generous fellow whisky nerd who was lucky enough to stumble on to this 2009 bottling. Right, tasting time!
Matured in approx. 70/30 mix of ex-bourbon and French oak casks (either virgin oak or ex-wine casks, recent batches will be virgin oak). Assumed non-chill filtered, natural colour.
Colour: Copper.
Nose: Yummy, and surprisingly soft. Loads of aniseed, toffee, tar and a floral vanilla sweetness. Then black pepper, burnt BBQ red meats - brisket? - in thick sauce. A dash of salt and charred driftwood. Toffee apples and fruity BBQ sauce with more time - thick plum & apricot BBQ sauce.
Texture: Medium weight, but very oily and silky, almost fatty. A little heat, but pleasant.
Taste: Soft entry, then a big wave of dry peppery peat, dark toffee and fresh tar, and a touch of aniseed. A good pinch of black pepper and that fruity BBQ sauce again, with some sea salt around the edges.
Finish: Long length. The aniseed comes back again, under some charred / toasted wood spices, a thick bonfire smoke and more black pepper. Then fruity BBQ sauce again, plus some vanilla & a crumbly dry peat towards the end.
Score: 4 out of 5. Not far from a 4.5.
Notes: Very, very good. It's still a big, intense whisky, but it's certainly not as aggressive as I remember the more recent bottlings being. The nose is surprisingly soft & inviting - provided you like aniseed - and the initial palate entry is as well, before a big wave of flavour and texture hits you head-on. I don't remember those fruity, plum-like BBQ sauce notes in the more recent bottlings either - which could be down to the wine casks. Likewise the big oily-ness in the texture, but if that's down to the casks it's going to be down to the tannic virgin oak drying things out in the newer bottlings - which makes sense actually. The tar, salt, pepper & toffee is all classic Ardbeg though, but it's amplified here - and it's awesome.
So this 2009 bottling is certainly different to the newer version. It's softer, more fruity & more oily, and less aggressive, but no less intense & full-flavoured. It's still the (physically) big brother to the rest of the Ardbeg core range, and it definitely deserves its permanent seat at the table.
Cheers!
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