Saturday 10 January 2015

Ardbeg Uigedail


Over the holidays we decided to get a treadmill in the house. We got a boxing day deal on a decent one with the aim of "deageing". The other day  I was running on the treadmill and during the cool down I was checking out Phish's 2014 Halloween show. I clicked on one of the songs, Your Pet Cat and was immediately blown away by the funk. So much so that I decided to keep the treadmill going, even though my workout was complete. I had to find out more.

Phish have a tradition of playing another bands album in its entirety on Halloween. This is called the "musical costume". In 2013 they did something a little different. They played their own (yet to be released) album. This past performance (2014) was different still. They composed their own instrumental music set to "Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House", a Disneyland album of sound effects and narration from the 60's. Not only do they play fantastic music but the stage set is out of this world. The whole stage is set up like a cemetery complete with dancing zombies and a haunted house as the centre piece. The band plays the set from inside the haunted house, which eventually has its roof blown off and then they are playing on top. There was so much creativity involved in this show that I had to do more than just hear the music. I got a hold of a video of the performance and tonight's whisky will be paired with not only a soundtrack but a video as well.

To stand up to the multiple stimuli I decided on the Ardbeg Uigeadail. This whisky is one of my all time favourites and I know that it has the complexity and strength to stand up to the show. It is also named after a nearby "mysterious" loch. Strong and mysterious, I think that's quite apt.

Nose: After pouring the dram I can smell the smoke before even picking up the glass. As I raise it to my nose I get notes of raisins and wine. There is pine or cedar in there, as well as a good dose of coal tar and leather.

Palate: Smoke is blended with the spiciness of a chili pepper. Notes of chocolate and red wine dance with cedar.

Finish. The finish is smooth and long. The cedar remains and there is a buzz of clove that kicks in and hangs on.

A really beautiful whisky. I can't help but love it.The whisky also works very well with the show. Although I am certain that the smokiness that lingers constantly on the palate is different from the smokiness at the show it is still very appropriate.