Directly north of Islay lies the rugged island of Jura. Just northwest of Jura, separated by a narrow strait, is the uninhabited island of Scarba. The Corryvreckan whirlpool forms in the Gulf of Corryvreckan, which is the stretch of sea between Jura and Scarba. The distillery at Ardbeg is roughly 30 – 40 kilometres south-east of the whirlpool (as the crow flies).
The name Corryvreckan comes from the Gaelic Coire Bhreacain, which means “cauldron of the speckled seas”, and one of the core releases from Ardbeg is named after this famous and dangerous whirlpool.
Famously, George Orwell had a near-fatal encounter with the Corryvreckan whirlpool in 1947. He was spending a significant amount of time on Jura, where he was working on what would become his final novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. One day, Orwell and a small group – including his young son Richard – set out on a boat trip around the north end of Jura. They either underestimated or miscalculated the tides and got caught in the pull of the Corryvreckan. They went through the whirlpool twice before managing to pull clear. Their boat capsized, however, as they approached the shore of a small rocky island. They were rescued only after a fire they’d lit was seen by passing lobstermen. Shortly after the incident, in his diary entry from August 19, 1947, Orwell stated: “On return journey today ran into the whirlpool & were all nearly drowned.” Thankfully he avoided drowning – Orwell completed the first draft of Nineteen Eighty-Four a few months later.
Ardbeg Corryvreckan was first released in 2008 and is now part of Ardbeg’s core line-up – but I only first tasted it myself a number of years later.
The very first Ardbeg I ever tasted was actually the Uigeadail. I remember my first impressions were very, very favourable – my ideal intermingling of smoky and sweet notes. I recall not knowing very much about Ardbeg beforehand, other than that they were a distillery on Islay. And I recall being asked by someone soon after tasting it what my favourite whisky was – always an almost impossible question for me to answer, as my answer may change depending on my mood. But without wanting to ramble on too long to that particular person about this, I decided to simply cite Uigeadail. I thought that I’d picked out something unusual, a lesser-known whisky – and then discovered shortly afterwards an insane cult-following not only for Ardbeg, but it seemed to me for Uigeadail in particular.
This might sound bizarre, given that Ardbeg Day (an annual celebration held on the final Saturday of Fèis Ìle, a renowned whisky and music festival on Islay) is now internationally celebrated (no distillery visit required!). Yet until very recently most standard bottle stores in South Africa stocked a selection of maybe 10 to 20 different kinds of whisk(e)y – half of which would have been very easy-drinking, bottom-shelf blends. Then they may have had two or three slightly more interesting blends, and perhaps a handful of single malts – often kept behind locked glass cabinet doors. Things have changed a bit in the last five years or so, and there’s now a wider selection on the shelves. Anything unusual will still need to be sought in specialist boutique whisky stores, however. To be fair, Ardbeg no longer falls into the category of “unusual”, and I’ll see some of their core releases in most standard bottle stores nowadays. These will mostly be Wee Beastie, An Oa, or the Ten. If I’m lucky, I may occasionally see the odd bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail or Corryvreckan.
After doing a little more reading about Ardbeg and their whiskies after my initial discovery, I heard it suggested that Corryvreckan was actually the more impressive whisky of their core range… so I determined to give it a taste. I found, however, that I preferred the Uigeadail. I’ve found since that I still do. I think it’s really just about personal preference here – I simply prefer the sweeter, sherried notes I get from the Uigeadail.
Corryvreckan is a no-age-statement single malt whisky, matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and new French oak casks. It’s natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled in batches at a powerful 57.1% ABV.
Ardbeg Corryvreckan – Review
Colour: Honeyed gold.
On the nose: Big peat. Smoked ham. A touch of kippers, perhaps. Vanilla. Somet citrus-y notes. Sweet, fresh cherries. A faint suggestion of chlorine (sitting by a pool on a summer’s day). Snorkelling gear. A hint of spearmint, alongside some freshly dug, earthy notes. Cloves.
In the mouth: Warm and intensely peaty A full, chewy, texture which also prickles (due to the high ABV?). Some malva pudding. Cherry liqueur chocolates, and coarse black pepper. Green bananas. Almonds. The meaty peat is long and lingering, accompanied by sugary sweetness. A drying finish, while one’s tongue continues to tingle.
I found my emptied glass, bizarrely, reminded me a little of Coca-Cola.
Conclusion:
A very enjoyable whisky if you’re looking for something powerful and peaty. It’s often described as a whisky that’s not for beginners, but having said that I’ve also known more than one person to be completely converted to whisky after sipping something intensely peaty.
It is fairly pricey, however, so perhaps something to sip on special occasions (although very affordable when compared to Ardbeg’s special releases). I can find a bottle for around $92 (roughly the same price as a bottle of Glen Scotia 15).
