Unleash the Beastie. . .
Marcin Miller discovers some startlingly successful Ardbeg whisky and cheese combinations Islay is the home of peaty whisky and they don’t come any peatier, or any more unconventional, than Ardbeg. The house style is briny, phenolic, all tarry rope and smoked fish. A balance of peaty thwack with sweetness and citrus. The maturation process is about taming the untameable spirit that runs off the stills.
The majority of flavour of whisky comes from the oak casks in which the spirit develops; the wood extracts some of the less desirable qualities from raw spirit, it adds colour, tannin and myriad flavours and aromas. The magical part is interactive; the whisky and the spirit between them create something new.
Ardbeg has entered into an unexpected partnership with La Fromagerie; the wildest, peatiest Islay malt working with Britain’s most stylish and refined cheese shop. Patricia Michelson of La Fromagerie is also unconventional and seems very comfortable with the relationship. Islay malts are perceived as being the macho end of whisky appreciation. Patricia has looked to introduce some femininity to the pairings, using cheese to make single malt more accessible and easier to draw people in to the delights of the dram.
The combinations suggested by Patricia will permit Ardbeg to be welcomed to the gourmet’s table. First take a small sip of the whisky. Keep it in your mouth for a few seconds prior to allow the glorious brininess to seek out and fill every crevice of your mouth. This prepares your palate. Then swallow and enjoy the long, warming finish. Add a little water to the whisky to help break down the congeners, the flavour-bearing compounds in the whisky, and to encourage the complex flavours and aromas to express themselves fully. Take another little sip then bite into some cheese. Sit back and enjoy unalloyed olfactory pleasure.
Ardbeg 10 Years Old is the core expression of the range; well-balanced and complex, it has trademark Ardbeg smoky sweetness balanced with crushed peat and sweet malted cereal. The finest match for Ardbeg 10 is Isle of Mull Cheddar. As with the whisky, the weather plays a part in the taste of the cheese; exposed to the elements of the Atlantic, salty, briny flavours are evident. The textures work well in partnership and a beautiful relationship develops in the extravagantly long finish.
Named after the loch from which all water flows to the distillery, Ardbeg Uigeadail (pronounced oo-gr-dahl) is a vatting of different styles of Ardbeg including some Sherry butts; these add colour and notes of dried fruit to the trademark smoky notes. The outstanding cheese with Uigeadail is a three-year-old Parmigiano Reggiano. This is a wondrous combination; the cheese is salty, sweet, fruity and gritty all of which work brilliantly with the same qualities found in almost the same configuration in Uigeadail. It is the finest whisky and cheese match I have ever come across: something magical happens and the resulting flavour sensation is greater than the sum of its parts.
Distilled in 1990, Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist (pronounced arry-nam-bayst) is rich, creamy and smoky on the palate with notes of fennel and pine nuts. The name means ‘the shelter of the beast’ little wonder it has been nicknamed the Beastie. The most successful match is with Doddington, a semi-hard unpasteurised cow’s milk cheese with a crumbly texture and a fresh, salty taste mellowing to a rich fruitiness. It is chewy and spicy but the excellent saltiness is what matches with the whisky leading to a very long and exciting finish.
Ardbeg Renaissance is a newly released celebration of the re-opening of the distillery in 1997. It is a limited edition; full, distinctive and, as one might expect, smoky and peaty but with charming notes of grapefruit and tropical fruit. Renaissance is exceptional with Bleu des Causses, a delightful blue cheese that is strong, spicy and rich with a gritty blue streak. Patricia selected this rather than the more predictable Roquefort; “I preferred to use a cow’s milk cheese. Roquefort would have been too dominant whereas this is very rich, but doesn’t interfere.” After the tasting, I was introduced to the Ardbeg Beastie Mobile, an intimidating, lowered, customised two-litre VW camper van. It brings the untamed spirit of Islay to life in three dimensions, causing intrigue and enticing people into the world of Ardbeg. Touring central London on the bench seat, enjoying a dram with Patricia, we attracted much interest from tourists and police alike...
Look out for the Beastie Mobile and sample some of the mesmerising Ardbeg and cheese pairings for yourself. For a simple rule of thumb, pair any expression of Ardbeg with the finest Parmigiano Reggiano you won’t be disappointed.
To find out more please visit: www.ardbeg.com
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