Laphroaig There's little doubt that you've arrived in peat country when you drive into the courtyard at Laphroaig and the kilns are on. Ardbeg may be more heavily peated, Lagavulin more smoky, but if it is an uncompromising belt of pitch, peat oil, tarry ropes and iodine you want, this is the place to come - and that's the way manager lain Henderson likes it. lain is another old school graduate, a man with an in-depth knowledge of the industry and who isn't afraid to share
'The reason why whisky is made herei because the water is right,' he says. 'It hasi minerals and flows [like Ardbeg and LagavulinJ over peat, picking up some phenolics from the start.' Like Bowmore, Laphroaig has retained its floor makings, and not for the sake of tourists. 'There's something magic about them,' says lain." you're an accountant you'd get rid of the but there are certain phenols which you < only get from maltings.'
He stands in the middle of the kiln, the sooty, fragrant reek hanging in the air around him. 'This is our heritage,' he purrs. 'That's what is missing a lot of distilleries today. It's difficult for i non-whisky man to understand that, bur r isn't just a process, it's a living, breathing thing. You can see it happening, see the smoke going through the barley, working its magic.
Unusually, Laphroaig ages its malt for a month after kilning to get a better yield. Tut isn't an exact science,' admits lain. 'It's a craft, it's seat-of-the-pants stuff at time. "So we may be more scientific and know a lot i about ethanol, but ultimately it's the hand of the person that matters - particular ly in the maltings and the still house.'
It's impossible to pinpoint what gives Laphroaig its personality, but the floor-malted barley, the peating level, the small stills and the long spirit cut are all key factors. lain is another believer in the importance of the wash still on spirit character. 'It characterizes the spirit.you create the flavour in the first and clean in the second.
'The shape, the size, the angle of the lie pipe all give us that flavour.' As does the wood, which is all ex-Bourbon casks. want a bottle of sherry, I'll buy one.states lain, killing that topic, though the magnificent 30-year-old shows the potential combination of this exceptional dram and exceptional sherry butts. TASTING NOTES
Laphroaig 10-year-old Cask Strength 57.3 %ABV Ultra-crisp malt fresh from the kiln with layers of tar, lap sang souchong, orange, germoline, and peat fires on the beach. Crashes into the mouth with a mix of bonfires, iodine and crisp malt. Long, smoke-filled finish. Savour and tremble at its power. * * * ?(*) Laphroaig 15-year-old
43%ABV The peat has dried down, leaving behind a smooth, oily/creamy nose with hint of tar. Sweet and surprisingly mellow to start, with a slow-burning peat smoke flavour building up towards the finish. * * * Laphroaig 30-year-old
43%ABV A complex, nose of dried peel, tar and sweet perfume. It's Laphroaig mellowed into old age - all leather armchairs and peat fires. Starts smoky, then fruit, then the tarry ropes/iodine, all building relentlessly before finishing with a burst of rich smoky fruit. Great balance. * * ? * * his opinions. This is his kingdom and a to_r round his distillery quickly becomes a tour_ round the industry.
Every firm uses its own malts as the core of its blends: Grant's can draw on the Dufftown triumvirate of Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie, although it still buys or exchanges over 40 other malts for its blends. Grant's also uses its own grain whisky from its distillery in Girvan, which it bottles as Black Barrel.
The need to keep as many of the fillings in-house was the rationale behind building Kininvie in 1990. Constructing a new distillery is always a slightly nervy experience, as you can never be 100 per cent certain how the malt will turn out, how it will mature or how it will behave in a blend. Thankfully, Grant's ever-modest master blender David Stewart is happy with Kininvie's performance so far. 'We built it to give us a fruity note for the blends,' he explains. 'I've been using it in Family Reserve for the past four years and eventually it may end up in the 12-year-old, though we still don't know what a 12-year-old Kininvie will be like'.
Kininvie's arrival doesn't mean the malts it replaces are immediately taken out of the blend, as the process is a gradual one involving constant balancing and rebalancing of flavours and components in the blends. What is certain is that Kininvie won't disturb the graceful, sweet and complex Grant's style; wherein David uses the clean, quick-maturing Girvan grain as a platform for some powerful interplay between the malts.
While the Dufftown core remains the same in the Grant's range, he uses lighter malts in Clan McGregor and Family Reserve, and meatier players such as Cragganmore, Highland Park and The Macallan in older blends. 'There may be more malt in the older blends,' he says, 'but don't underestimate the grain. It does provide flavour as well'.
G RA N T' S One of the most famous families in whisky, the Grants had already built their Glenfiddich distillery three years prior to the launch of their blend - originally Standfast, now Family Reserve.
TASTING NOTES
Grant's Family Reserve A fragrant nose, mixing honey/lime blossom, pear and light smoke. Very soft toffee/vanilla start before a good, subtle interplay between malt and grain, and a crisp and deliciously nutty finish.
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