Ultimate Ardbeg Dinner

[Admiral]

How's this for an upcoming event:

The Ultimate Ardbeg Dinner

Chui Lee Luk, Shane Kalloglian, Graham Wright, Franz Scheurer and Moët Hennessy Australia will host the Ultimate Ardbeg Dinner on Thursday, 14th June 2007 at Claude’s Restaurant in Woollahra (Sydney).

Shane Kalloglian of Premium Scotch Importers and Franz Scheurer of Australian Gourmet Pages have combined their Ardbeg treasures and are matching these ultra-rare whiskies to Chui Lee Luk’s inimitable food. Graham Wright from the Odd Whisky Coy in Adelaide will enlighten guests on the history of whisky, Ardbeg in particular, while Antoine Varlet from Moët Hennessy will make the entire current Ardbeg range available for tasting (with a couple of surprises).

With the dinner we will showcase:

On arrival:
The current range, highlighting 10 y/o, Uigeadail and the Beast
Also, as a special treat, we'll be showing the Kildalton

Matched with one course each:
Ardbeg 1975
Ardbeg 1976 (Single Cask #137 Sherry Butt)
Ardbeg 1977
Ardbeg 1978
Ardbeg FS Special 1999 Burgundy Cask
Ardbeg Provenance 1974 (bottled 18th November1997)

Stand alone at the end:
Ardbeg 1965

Nightcap: (for the ones still standing): Ardbeg Mor

The dinner will be limited to 20 people and Luk has kindly arranged for exclusive use of the restaurant. (Claude's is a restaurant with Australia's equivalent of Three Michelin Stars)

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to try rarities that cost thousands of dollars per bottle (if you can find them in the first place) and Luk has promised to cook a dinner unmatched in the history of Sydney’s gastronomy.

* * * * * * * *

After I recover from the event, I'll let you all know how it went!

[parvus]

Bastard.

That's pretty much all I can say.

[Mr Fjeld]

I haven't tried any of these whiskies but would love to of course! This must be the ultimate Ardbeg dinner! I was about to say "have a good time" but judging from the list it's pretty obvious you will

[les taylor]

I've got an Ardbeg Ten, Nam Beist and an Ardbeg 1977. For all those who can't make it in Sydney it's round my house for a BBQ on saturday after.

[martin grant]

Sounds good Les. I got a bottle of Ardbeg Almost There and a Ledaig NAS. Can I come?

[Deactivated Member]

What a fabulous night that will be - and Admiral yours doesn't sound too bad either

Arghh - I've just read Martin's message again. It was all going so well 'til you mentioned the Ledaig Looks like I'll be off to Claude's instead

[Onefortheditch]

I've always thought Ardbeg was overrated......

[Onefortheditch]

......joking!!

[Ardbeg311]

Looks like a hell of an evening, Admiral. Many there I look forward to trying in this lifetime. Would like to see which one would come out on top if you tasted them all blind.

[Admiral]

I suspect I'll be blind by the end of it !!

I'm truly looking forward to it - I've long held up the Ardbeg 1977 as one of the two or three best whiskies I've ever tasted, so I'm really hanging out to see how the other 70's vintages compare.

Cheers,
AD

[bond]

6 days gone and no post yet. Some hangover, Admiral!

[Admiral]

Ha ha Nice one!

No hangover after the event....I've just been exceptionally busy!

The event was spectacular in every sense of the word and - needless to say - a grand time was had by all in attendance.

I'm writing an article on the event that I believe will be published in Whisky Magazine proper, so I won't reveal all here just now. Keep your eyes out for a story in an upcoming edition of Whisky Mag!

Cheers,
ADmiral

[Di Blasi]

Sounds great Admiral, looking forward to reading the story!
And what an unbelievable lineup!!!

[corbuso]

How's this for an upcoming event:

The Ultimate Ardbeg Dinner

And what about the cost of that evening?

[recordmeister]

Am i the only one who thinks that they wouldn't want to eat DURING that selection of awesome adrbegs? I mean, give me a 5 course dinner first, then let's sit back and enjoy the whisky selection one by one with water in between.

[Admiral]

And what about the cost of that evening?

Yes, it was awfully expensive, and yet the value for money was exceptional.

Am i the only one who thinks that they wouldn't want to eat DURING that selection of awesome adrbegs? I mean, give me a 5 course dinner first, then let's sit back and enjoy the whisky selection one by one with water in between.

Actually, you'd be surprised. The dram sizes were very generous, so you had enough to play with before each dish arrived, and then enough to try the match with the food.

THe food matching was spectacular and some of the dishes combined beautifully with the whiskies to create an even better experience.

And besides.....we were hungry!

Cheers,
ADmiral

[Spirit of Islay]

So which is your ugly mug on the Single malts.tv report then admiral ?

LOL!
Nice report , must say the food as well as the whisky looked really nice !

[Admiral]

There are two guys in kilts.

I'm one of them!

Cheers,
ADmiral

[Admiral]

Righto....I've now actually watched the report.

I'm the goose who stands up halfway through and encourages everyone to put a dab of Ardbeg on their wrist and to detect the new aromas that weren't present in the glass.

Cheers,
ADmiral

[Spirit of Islay]

I was hoping THAT wasn't going to be you ....

First sighting of admiral and it's in a kilt

Nice to put a face to a name

I was very surprised i didn't spot Craigs face amongst the crowd , nice bloke had a dram with him in The Lochside .

[Lawrence]

Yes, it looked like it was a great evening, well done (and thanks for tewlling us about it). We held an Aberlour dinner after the Victoria Whisky Festival this year, with a much more limited range of whiskies and it was an excellent evening.

[r900p]

Admiral,

Do you have food menu, i'd be interested to know what food was added to what whisky. I would have though no food no matter how good it was could be on par with those bottlings.

But then again i don't know the chef.

Rob

[Deactivated Member]

Watched some of the tv report on the front page here (and finally got a glom at Admiral! Yow!)--was made nervous by the chef talking about pretty serious spices, on the theory that Ardbeg could stand up to them. I'd be very curious to hear how that worked out. I've always felt that spicy food kills the palate for whisky, and I'd be pretty horrified to have such a line-up so treated. Did I get a false impression?

[corbuso]

And by the way, which was your favorite dram?

[les taylor]

And what was your favourite food?

[Lawrence]

And what was the complete line up of whiskies?

[Deactivated Member]

And what is your favorite color?

[hpulley]

I'm not afraid.

What is your name?

Harry!

What is your quest?

To drink the best whisky in the world!

What is your favorite colour?

Ardbeg Green! What else?!?

Right. Off you go.

And Mr. TH I find spicy food and whisky goes very well, if both are chosen well. I love a good curry (Indian or Thai) or hot mexican food with a good spicy whisky like a cask strength Bruichladdich or Glen Garioch. I'll drink Ardbeg with (or without) anything...

Harry

[Deactivated Member]

I'm skeptical, Harry, but I'd certainly be open to persuasion. But tell me, is this how you would want to experience a flight of extraordinary malts, some of which you may never have another shot at? Would you want your one and only dram ever of the '65 to be after six other Ardbegs and all that spicy food? I think I'd be tempted to pour it into a mini and take it home for tasting under more optimal conditions.

I'm reminded of something I run into quite a bit, working in tourism--you sell a tour by cramming it full of attractions. Then you spend three days or a week driving around, looking at things for five minutes each. A lot of people seem to be very happy with that--"been there, done that"--but it's not the way I like to travel. Nor is this, for me, an optimal way to experience such a flight of Ardbegs.

--Not that I wouldn't have been there in a heartbeat, if I could have!

[hpulley]

I'll gladly match a whisky to a spicy dish with you some day if we're in the same time and place; my treat.

As I've said before if you want to be serious about your whisky tasting then no food is best for sure, not even crackers or black coffee, not even the smell of food should be in the air as that is enough to change the nose of a fine malt. That said, I greatly enjoy having whisky with dinner and matching scotch with food but it is a different kettle of fish than solitary malt enjoyment. John Glaser had a masterclass on this very subject recently and since he came from the wine world where food matching was natural he has carried on with whisky; I know little about wine but I enjoy a well planned meal with my scotch. Sometimes complimentary, sometimes contrasting.

I must say though, if I am invited to a dinner with 1965 Ardbeg or any other menu I would enjoy the food, the company and the drinks and would not think of bringing sample bottles, or styrofoam boxes or doggie bags for that matter. A dinner is a social event, not a lab assignment, IMO of course.

I will tell a host that I think the tasting order is wrong but it is theirs to arrange. I prefer to have the whiskies available from the start so I can nose and even taste them all before the food arrives if I so choose and in my order of preference, but it is polite for the guest to have some left when the host introduces it.

I'm going to Scotland in August and all I'm visiting is Islay and I don't plan on visiting all the distilleries this trip so I'm with you there.

Harry

[Deactivated Member]

Thanks for the reply--can't argue with anything you say--and the offer. I hope I can take you up on it someday!

When I made my first visit to Scotland, I wasn't sure if it would be my last. I spent two nights in Lewis, and one in Orkney! Even after a couple years of going, I found I tended to make a bus trip of it--old habits die hard. Even now, planning my tenth trip, I still have too much I want to see, and not enough time, and I have to work very hard to slow myself down. I don't think I really have the hang of it yet!

Enjoy your trip, Harry--remember to stop and smell the Ardbeg. (As if!) I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience.

[Admiral]

To try and answer the previous questions...

The menu was:

On Arrival
Ardbeg 10 Year Old, Uigeadail, The Beast, The Kildalton 1981
with Gougères
********
Ardbeg 1975
matched with ‘Variations on a Pork Theme’
********
Ardbeg 1975 (Single Cask #137 Sherry Butt)
matched with Baked Marron
********
Ardbeg 1977
matched with Pheasant in Salt Crust
********
Ardbeg 1978
matched with Abalone Consommé
********
Ardbeg “FS Special” 1999 Burgundy Cask.# 1304
matched with Grilled Lamb, Murtabak, Jalapeno Oil
*********
Ardbeg Provenance 1974
matched with Savarin, Quince & Mandarin Cream
********
Ardbeg 1965
and Truffle Ice Cream
********
To finish
Ardbeg Mør


My favourite whisky was the 1999 Burgundy Cask. The marriage of the wine's sweetness with the thumping peat was just sensational.

My favourite dish was the Pheasant.

My favourite colour changes regularly between navy blue and black.

At no stage did the food interfere with the enjoyment of the whiskies. The drams were generous, and you had enough time to enjoy each malt before the accompanying dish arrived. Furthermore, you must understand just how good Franz Scheurer is at matching food and whisky, and how accomplished the chef at Claude's is.

Despite the use of the word "spicy", none of the dishes exhibited real heat or chilli-type spice, so it's not like our tastebuds got scorched or anything like that.

Cheers,
ADmiral

[Mr Fjeld]

Admiral - that list made me very hungry indeed! And I haven't even had breakfast

Looks like a fabulous evening Admiral! I hope I'll be fortunate enough to experience such a "once in a lifetime experience"

[corbuso]

To try and answer the previous questions...

The menu was:

On Arrival
Ardbeg 10 Year Old, Uigeadail, The Beast, The Kildalton 1981
with Gougères
********
Ardbeg 1975
matched with ‘Variations on a Pork Theme’
********
Ardbeg 1975 (Single Cask #137 Sherry Butt)
matched with Baked Marron
********
Ardbeg 1977
matched with Pheasant in Salt Crust
********
Ardbeg 1978
matched with Abalone Consommé
********
Ardbeg “FS Special” 1999 Burgundy Cask.# 1304
matched with Grilled Lamb, Murtabak, Jalapeno Oil
*********
Ardbeg Provenance 1974
matched with Savarin, Quince & Mandarin Cream
********
Ardbeg 1965
and Truffle Ice Cream
********
To finish
Ardbeg Mør


My favourite whisky was the 1999 Burgundy Cask. The marriage of the wine's sweetness with the thumping peat was just sensational.

My favourite dish was the Pheasant.

Pheasant is always good, especially on Islay.
And are you sure that the cask 1304 is a Burgundy? Because I have tasted its sister cask 1307 and either the 1304 or the 1305 and I was told that it was Bordeaux wine casks.
In any case, It was a very pleasant whisky, but I found that the Bordeaux was removing some of the Ardbeg complexity, while giving more sweetness and smoothness.

BR
Corbuso
..........
http://www.whisky-news.com

[shoganai]

Wow. That sounds like an absolutley incredible experience.