This Summer: The Smoke Sessions with Ardbeg Whisky and DJ BBQ

Words by Helena Nicklin

It’s great news for fans of smoked meat and smoky whiskies as world-renowned Islay Distillery Ardbeg teams up with the brilliant master of the grill: Christian Stevenson aka DJ BBQ.

Launching today, The Smoke Sessions is an online series designed to offer the ultimate guide to barbecuing and smoking meat as well as the preparation of smoky whisky cocktail serves. In the sessions, DJ BBQ will explain and demonstrate the fundamental laws of smoke, wood and heat while spinning the decks in his inimitable style. All the while, Brendan McCarron, Ardbeg Distillery’s Head of Maturing Whisky Stocks will help creating spectacular, smoky drinks using Ardbeg Ten, An Oa and Wee Beastie.

“The taste of braided beef fillet alongside an Ardbeg Ten Old Fashioned is just awesome, and a sip of hot Wee Beastie punch with a slow smoked pork shoulder is unrivalled,” says DJ BBQ. “My smoky barbeque recipes share so many characteristics with the flavours of Ardbeg whisky, and they complement each other perfectly. The laws of wood, heat and smoke are so important to barbecue and single malt alike, and once mastered, you’ll become a barbeque boss!”

Watch  DJ BBQ create amazing recipes such as the 18-Hour Whisky-Smoked Pulled Pork, served with Ardbeg Wee Beastie Hot Apple Cider, Coal-Roasted Beef Plait served with Ardbeg Ten Maple & Bacon Old Fashioned, and Whisky Planked, Pit-Smoked Salmon served with Ardbeg An Oa Bloody Mary.

How to Watch

To watch the Ardbeg Smoke Sessions, tune into Ardbeg’s Instagram Live on Friday 24 July at 8pm BST to watch DJ BBQ kick it all off. Keep an eye on all of Ardbeg’s social channels and the videos can be watched at any time on YouTube here: 

Law of Heat 

Law of Smoke 

Law of Wood

How to Taste

Cocktail fans will be able to order DJ BBQ’s Maple and Bacon Old Fashioned for delivery across the UK, via Mothership on the Drinks At Home platform, for a limited period from 21 July 2020.

Like this? Try this piece on the Ardbeg releases ranked by smokiness and What is peated whisky?

Sherry Bombs: The Best Sherry Matured Whiskies in the World

Like Marmite, sherry matured whiskies split whisky drinkers. However, those who like them are some of the most ardent fans in the world, being hugely loyal to their favourite brands. There are the superstars of the sherry whisky world like Macallan and Glenfarclas, but then there are other distilleries producing incredible drams. Their fans will probably not be too pleased I’m putting this list together as some of the whiskies are not made in huge numbers and the more popular, they become, the harder it will be to find them. But for those die-hard fans, they will always find a way.

Macallan

Lets start with the king. Macallan is the undisputed king of sherry matured whiskies. It is the most expensive and the best known brand of sherry whiskies in the world. But this doesn’t mean to say it is the best. There will be many who argue it is, but the rest of this list will show you something to compare it with. But for now, let’s start with a classic.

ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £1499.95 // US $2499.99

Glendronach

The contender. This whisky is becoming better known. The distillery has a cracking 18 year old which is a big and powerful sherry bomb, fulfilling the most ardent of sherry bomb lover’s desires. Each year the distillery also releases some special single cask expressions. These are less expensive than Macallan and rarer, and some would say even more delicious. They are hard to come by, but the 18 is a great place to start.

ABV: 46%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £97.94 // US $179.99

Tamdhu

The sleeper. This distillery came under new ownership in the not too distant past, and they pledged to cask all the liquid that will find its way into a Tamdhu bottle will be matured in a sherry cask. They have a batch released cask strength bottle which is epic, and their regular expressions are exceptional with the oldest at the moment being a 15 year old. An 18 year old is on the way we’re told. I can’t wait.

ABV: 46%
Size: 700ml
Find here: 18 year old UK £78.95 // 15 year old US $72.99

Glenfarclas

Always good value. Glenfarclas has been under the same family ownership for its entire existence. This means the stock they hold has never been re-valued and sold in a distillery sale. This means that they can sell the whisky at a very reasonable price. Although prices have been creeping up over the years to keep roughly in line with other brands, they have a 15 year old which is fabulous, and the best place to start trying sherry style whiskies if you haven’t already.

ABV: 46%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £48.95

Kavalan

Kavalan is in Taiwan and has been making excellent whisky since only 2005. Since then they have become a cult name in whisky and even won the best single malt whisky in the world in 2015. I know how good it was, I was one of the judges. They now produce a series called the solist, of which some are sherry matured whiskies and there is certainly the same DNA in these whiskies as the world-beating dram in 2015.

ABV: 56.3%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £340

Glenmorangie

The hybrid. This whisky isn’t purely matured in sherry, is has spent the first ten years of its life in a bourbon barrel and then a further two in a sherry cask. I would say this is another great place to have a go at a sherry style whisky. With soft spices it gives an introduction to the genre without scaring the horses. For those who like bourbon matured whisky, this will still please, but for those about to start their sherry adventure, it will give you a taste of what might come in the future.

ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £41.75 // US $44.99

The Glenrothes

The little brother. The Glenrothes distillery is owned by the same company as Macallan. For many years another company owned the brand, and they were an old school company called Berry Bros & Rudd founded in 1598. This old school thinking used old school technics and they worked. They used a lot of sherry in their maturation and were not nearly as expensive as Macallan. The Edrington Group, owners of Macallan have now taken the brand back from Berry Brothers & Rudd and are keeping the emphasis on sherry. Still much cheaper than Macallan, but for how long is anyone’s guess. Classic whisky, and deservedly on this list.

ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £99.79 // US $159.99

The Dalmore

The old timer. The Dalmore has been known for their sherry style whiskies for many years. But they have kept innovation going. Rather than maturing in a single style of sherry cask, like an oloroso cask for example, they mature their whisky in multiple styles of sherry casks. For example with their King Alexander III expression, they mature the whisky in no less than six styles of sherry cask. Including Oloroso, but also Matheusala and Apostoles. The results are divine and although one might pay a premium for premium whisky, it is well worth digging deeper into your wallet for this one.

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £159.80 // US $279.99

There really is a sherry whisky for everyone, at every level of sherry from bomb to balanced and at every price point too. If you haven’t tried a sherried style of whisky before, give it a go. What’s the worst that can happen? You find out you don’t like it and can drink the other 90% of whiskies produced. But if you do, you will open up a whole new drinking experience.

I think that the next big thing in sherry whiskies is going to be Tamdhu, and if you’d like to learn a little more about this Macallan beater, read on with a Tamdhu attitude.

Best Bang for Buck Sipping Bourbon

Words by Colin Hampden-White

Bourbon is having a boom. There are lots of new distilleries opening and some of the rare bourbons are becoming extremely expensive. The big brands are selling more than ever before with premium versions of their standard bottles selling more than ever. With so much bourbon on the market The Three Drinkers wanted to put a short list together of bourbon we have tried, didn’t cost the earth and think should be on anyone’s shopping list if you wanted to try bourbon that not only can be mixed to make great long drinks and cocktails, but which are fabulous to sip, read on.

 Eagle Rare 10

From the legendary Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, comes Eagle Rare 10 Year Old. A spectacular Kentucky straight Bourbon whiskey, matured for at least a decade before making its way into its very smart bottle at 45% ABV. What's so distinctive about the bottles, you ask? Well, we're going to say it's the massive bald eagle, wings outstretched, looking like it's about to snatch up some dinner. Distinctive, yes? The whiskey is also pretty distinctive too, boasting full-bodied notes of toffee, orange peel and buttery corn. This is a bourbon for those who like them big and bold.

ABV: 45%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £36.99

Four Roses Small Batch

Four Roses Small Batch is a step up from the classic Four Roses Bourbon, showcasing the variety of mashbills that the distillers have to work with in Lawrenceburg - and their talents at making them sing together. Ten bourbon recipes are produced by Four Roses, and four of them are blended together to create this approachable but flavoursome expression. Great value-for-money, this whiskey has a huge amount of flavour for your buck and goes down very smoothly to boot. There are notes of manuka honey, winter spice, toasty oak, a little crème anglaise.

 ABV: 45%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £27.23

Yellowstone select Bourbon

From the Yellowstone range (owned by Limestone Branch and run by Steven Beam, which was founded to bring back the glory that Yellowstone once held many moons ago) comes the Select Bourbon. Full-bodied, with a good kick of rye lurking around in the background. If you like your Bourbon with a little nutmeg spice then you will love this. It is rather creamy with lots of vanilla fudge notes. Some herbaceous spice appears on the mid-palate giving lots of complexity.

ABV: 46.5%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £33.64

Woodford Reserve

The mashbill for Woodford Reserve features a high percentage of rye: 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malt. Unusual also for being triple distilled and having the lowest proof upon entering the barrel where it matures for at least six years. A must have Kentucky bourbon. It is very thick and full. There are notes of espresso beans, winter spice, cereal sweetness, plenty of rye, ground ginger, almond oil, toasty oak and a little rum. A lovely whiskey to ponder as you sip.

 ABV: 43.2%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £33.99

Michter’s US*1 Bourbon

The US*1 Bourbon from Michter's in Louisville, Kentucky, is made in small batches, typically comprised of no more than two dozen barrels. Top quality stuff, brimming with caramel, vanilla and fruit notes, alongside a pleasing earthy quality at its core. Even though this is produced in small batches, there is a core style which is particular to Michter’s which run through all the batches, with the batches giving extra interest as none are exactly the same. If you like this bourbon, the different batches will keep rewarding you time and time again.

 ABV: 45.7%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £53.83

Hudson Four Grain Bourbon

Up in New York, Hudson Four Grain bourbon is made using the Tuthilltown distillery's unique recipe of corn, rye, wheat and malted barley. Hold on a minute, that’s four grains - like what the name says! Tuthilltown Spirits were producers of the first legal pot-still whiskey in New York since prohibition. Four Grain is aged in small three-gallon barrels to accelerate maturation, and each bottle is numbered and wax-dipped by hand. The interaction of the four grains is intriguing and rather unique, but certainly tasty.

 ABV: 46%
Size: 350ml
Buy it now for £36.13

Elijah Craig Small Batch

Elijah Craig has long been a favourite bourbon of many whiskey enthusiasts, and certainly is with The Three Drinkers - to the point where their stocks of 12 year old bourbon have been under a lot of pressure, not that we are drinking all of it! The producers made the decision to discontinue the 12 Year Old expression and create this expression to take its place. It manages to maintain the incredibly high quality that Elijah Craig is known for, including the delicious core of cooked apple drizzled in honey notes. This expression has been well received, taking home not one but two San Francisco World Spirits Competition Double Gold medals!

 ABV: 47%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £39.95

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon

Wild Turkey's Rare Breed Bourbons are bottled at cask strength, and are often absolutely staggering. The bottles have had a little redesign recently, and look very stylish indeed - though the eponymous turkey on the label looks rather surprised to be there. This particular edition was bottled at 58.4% ABV. Heavy caramel and chocolate. A touch of smoke develops on the back pallet, there is brown sugar and touches of pepper on the finish too. This is a bourbon on for the feint hearted! 

ABV: 58.4%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £52.25

Brough Brothers Bourbon

This came to our attention recently and we can’t recommend it highly enough. Brough Brothers Bourbon is the brilliant brainchild of Victor, Chris and Bryson Yarbrough in Louisville, Kentucky. A marvellous small batch Bourbon full of spicy sweetness, cooked fruit and toasty oak notes. Great for sipping, but it also shines in some classic cocktail recipes, too. At a bourbon that is under £30, we would have this in our drinks cabinet at all times. If you want a bourbon which is a true all-rounder, then this is the one to buy. We also love the funky label with the brothers on it.

ABV: 41%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £28.95 

Pappy Van Winkle 23

Now we know this is a whiskey which is beyond most of our pockets, but if you ever get the chance to try it on a special occasion in a restaurant or bar, then go for it, it is a truly memorable experience. This has to be the king of sipping whiskey. At 23 years old it has so much complexity, and yet is still simply pleasurable to drink, the complexity isn’t demanding yourw attention. With aromas of Dark fruit, espresso coffee, oak and buttery toffee. The flavours are rich and spicy. Oak underpinning nutty sweetness, honey and star anise come in on the finish. Produced yearly in very small batches, this hits the market at £250, however this increases to well over £2000 once sold out and bottles find their way onto the secondary market, which happens almost as soon as it is released. 

 ABV: 47.8%
Size: 700ml
Savour it if you get the chance

If you’ve enjoyed exploring bourbon then have a read about one of its founding fathers, and the man who taught Jack Daniels how to make whiskey: Uncle Nearest.