Let me begin with a confession. Scotland doesn’t actually have 5 whisky areas in any respect. It solely has three: the Highlands, the Lowlands and Speyside.
The opposite two – Islay and Campbeltown – are, in truth, deemed to be ‘localities’ within the official Scotch whisky laws. Their names get pleasure from the identical safety underneath legislation, however there’s an acknowledgement that their tiny measurement locations them in a separate class.
Arguably the island of Islay punches above its weight. It created a household of single malt whiskies with a distinctly smoky flavour because of the peat used to malt the barley. Nonetheless Campbeltown has remained Scotland’s forgotten whisky centre. That’s, till now, with a renewed curiosity within the city and its whiskies sparking one thing of a single malt renaissance.
The place is Campbeltown?
Located on the Kintyre peninsula, Campbeltown is among the largest cities in Argyll, and an vital west coast harbour. The island of Arran and the Ayrshire coast mislead the east. In the meantime Islay looms to the northwest and within the southwest Northern Eire sits surprisingly shut by.
South of Campbeltown lies the Mull of Kintyre, immortalised by Paul McCartney and Wings of their 1977 UK Christmas primary, Mull of Kintyre – one of many few instances that the drone of the bagpipes has troubled the highest of the charts. Further factors in the event you remembered that the one was a double-A facet with Women’ College.
Campbeltown is served by a ferry from Ardrossan in Ayrshire. Many vacationers go for the lengthy drive alongside the A83 from Loch Lomond. This consists of the notorious ‘Relaxation and be Grateful’ mountain go – typically closed on account of landslides – and the achingly lovely Loch Fyne with its oysters.
What are probably the most well-known distilleries in Campbeltown?
In its heyday in the course of the early nineteenth century, Campbeltown was, with out exaggeration, the whisky capital of the world. It was house to greater than 30 distilleries, with provides of low-cost coal permitting steamships to ferry whisky speedily to Glasgow and past.
By 1985, solely Springbank remained. Then, slowly however certainly, a revival started. Having yo-yoed for the reason that Nineteen Thirties between being open and closed, Glen Scotia restarted manufacturing in 1989. Then Glengyle threw open its doorways as soon as extra in 2004.
Within the interim, a blended Highland malt additionally referred to as Glengyle had appeared on the scene, so Glengyle distillery’s flagship model known as Kilkerran. Its identify is derived from Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain, the Gaelic identify for the settlement that was renamed Campbeltown within the seventeenth century.
What number of distilleries are in Campbeltown?
Three – however ask that query once more in a couple of years’ time and the reply might be increased. Simply because the Lowlands has loved a whisky renaissance, so too is Campbeltown. Plans are taking form for not one, however two distilleries within the city and its surrounding space.
R&B Distillers – which has already constructed a spectacular distillery on Raasay, a small island off the coast of Skye – has unveiled plans to construct a distillery at Dhurrie Farm in close by Machrihanish. The Machrihanish Distillery would be the first whisky plant to be constructed within the space for greater than 180 years, quite than an outdated web site reopening.
Scorching on the heels of R&B’s announcement got here information that fellow whisky bottler North Star Spirits needs to open Dál Riata Distillery within the city itself. Its choice was accompanied by the launch of a brand new South Star Spirits label.
What does Campbeltown whisky style like?
Most whisky aficionados would label Campbeltown’s single malts as maritime. For some, meaning the saltiness of the style; for others, it signifies the oiliness of the feel.
Regardless of having solely three distilleries, Campbeltown in truth boasts a wide range of kinds. Springbank is flippantly peated, whereas the distillery’s Longrow label is closely peated, and its Hazelburn offshoot is mild and fruity. That is because of its lack of peat and its triple distillation.
Kilkerran from Glengyle, owned by the identical household as Springbank, can also be flippantly peated, whereas Glen Scotia makes each peated and unpeated whiskies. In years to return, Campbeltown’s new distilleries are prone to chart their very own course with their flavour profiles, whereas retaining that particular maritime character.
Which Campbeltown whiskies ought to I strive?
Peter Ranscombe recommends 4 Campbeltown malts to style.
Glen Scotia 25 Yr Previous Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky
Delicate but complicated aromas of wooden smoke, apricot jam, caramel, milk chocolate and heather honey. These candy milk chocolate and honey flavours come to the fore on the wealthy and oily palate, the place they’re joined by dried apricots, spicy cloves and vanilla ice cream, paying homage to Glen Scotia Double Cask. Alcohol 48.8%
Hazelburn 10 Yr Previous Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Surprisingly floral on the nostril, alongside notes of lemon, spun sugar, runny honey and freshly baked white baguette. Exceptionally well-integrated alcohol, with candy brown sugar notes from its time ageing in bourbon barrels. But nonetheless with that basic oily Campbeltown mouthfeel. Alc 46%
Kilkerran 12 Yr Previous Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Richer and meatier than its Springbank cousin (see under). The smoke centred initially round cured meat earlier than creating layer after layer of coal smoke, juicy raisins, salted almonds and wealthy treacle. Mouthfilling oiliness carries the combination of sweetness and peatiness all over to its lengthy end. Alc 46%
Springbank 10 Yr Previous Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Springbank’s flagship dram is the yardstick by which all different Campbeltown malts are judged. Salted caramel notes mingle amongst the smoke and honey on the nostril, earlier than launching into rounder and richer toffee and manuka honey on the palate. All wrapped in an oily texture. Alc 46%
