This 34-year-old single malt, limited to 400 bottles, is housed in a bespoke metal capsule inspired by traditional diving and space suits
Ardbeg Collaborates With Author and Artist Tradd Moore for The Abyss
This 34-year-old single malt, limited to 400 bottles, is housed in a bespoke metal capsule inspired by traditional diving and space suits
When the Ardbeg distillery on the island of Islay reopened in 1989 after an eight-year closure, things looked bleak. Like so many other whisky distilleries, they’d suffered the effects of over-production and declining demand—and it looked as though they were likely to disappear as others had. It would be another eight years of constant financial uncertainty before Glenmorangie came into the picture and thanks largely to the foresight of Dr Bill Lumsden, then distillery manager at Glenmorangie, a new volume in the Ardbeg saga would begin to be written. Between 1997, when the first new spirit was distilled and 2008, when the first consistently available whisky arrived, there was very limited bottling of older casks and young whiskies, which only strengthened Ardbeg’s existing cult following and made the brand seem more exclusive to mainstream drinkers.
The creation of the “Ardbeg Committee” may have been a tongue-in-cheek nod to Islay’s love of a good committee, but it’s no joke. Today there are more than 180,000 members of the Ardbeg Committee in over 130 countries, all committed to ensuring that “the doors of Ardbeg never close again.” Of course it doesn’t hurt that members of the free-to-join committee are regularly consulted on new expressions, as well as being offered exclusive committee bottlings and receiving invitations to special gatherings, tastings and events.
Jackie Thomson, chair of the committee (and the visitor center manager at Ardbeg), shares that “by the time the original Coryvrecken debuted in 2008, Ardbeg was ready to throw its hat into the single malt whisky ring with storytelling as the primary driver.” Thomson continues to fill us in on what sets Ardbeg apart from other single malt whiskies—other than the unique liquid itself. “We use wit to woo our consumers and as storytelling is part of the fabric of Islay, a place where myths and legends abound, we feel it’s a very natural way of doing things,” she says.
Latest in Ardbeg’s series of stories is a collaboration with American comic-book author and artist Tradd Moore. It adds a lighthearted, entertaining element to the release of a very serious liquid known as The Abyss. To call a 34-year-old single malt that’s limited to 400 bottles a special release hardly does it justice. Fortunately for us, the powers-that-be at Ardbeg were not above siphoning off just enough of the liquid so that a lucky few could have a taste in order to add perspective to its story.
That story begins with the first spirit distilled upon Ardbeg recommencing operation in 1989. Aged first in bourbon casks and then in “ultra-active” French oak casks, which were heavily toasted to an exact specification thus rendering them more powerful than standard French barriques, the liquid came out in 2008 as The Corryvreckan. It was an instant hit and won World’s Best Single Malt Whisky at the World Whisky Awards in 2010. However, Lumsden, being the curious, experimental type, set a number of barrels were aside to be tapped into at another time. That time is now.
The Abyss delivers the type of depth one would expect from a bottling with a significant age statement, but quickly dispenses with tradition in favor of evolution. There’s peat smoke and it lingers on the palate, but while it’s even more complex than we’d anticipated it’s also more approachable. “Like autumn in a glass” says Thomson during our digital tasting. We do feel that it’s worth adding that should you not be among those to fork over $27,500 for one of the 400 bottles housed in a bespoke metal capsule inspired by traditional diving and space suits, it would be easier to track down a bottle of the current core range edition of The Corryvreckan. You may even be inspired to travel to the visitor center at the Ardbeg distillery to get one of the 1,000 bottles exclusively available there and featuring one of four optional frames from Moore’s graphic novel on the label.
As Moore told us when we spoke to him about the collaboration, “nothing is timeless, but rather it’s like a beautiful thing from a moment. To connect with the people behind it and let it transport you, you have to be quiet and take your time with it, whether it’s art or whisky.” Looking at the first comic that is Moore’s work end to end (from concept to writing and drawing) it’s clear that what he’s preaching, he put into practice. With influences ranging from Gustav Klimt and art nouveau to Jean “Mœbius” Giraud and French comic books of the 1970s, Moore put a vibrant, sci-fi spin on the Norse/Gallic legend of Prince Brecan.
“I’ve been to Islay twice now and to be tasked with making art to represent the people and the place, more than a product, that’s a special thing,” he says. Moore went on to share with us that after visiting the Corryvreckan whirlpool and soaking up the culture in Islay he felt as though there was “a throughline in distilling, as with art, where people get different things, but follow the overall narrative.” He went on to say, “steel sharpens steel and this is a great collaboration between artists because the Ardbeg distillers are artists.” Having sampled The Abyss following our conversation with Moore, we wholeheartedly agree that it’s inspiring stuff. The sensory journey the liquid takes the drinker on nicely parallels the reimagined journey of Prince Breacan to “Planet Ardbeg” in Moore’s graphic novel, which adds to the universe established in 2022 with the 40-page sci-fi anthology by award-winning New York cartoonist Ronald Wimberly in collaboration with Emma Ríos and Sanford Greene.
“Make the effort to carve out time to enjoy the liquid and the art,” Moore says as we wrap up our conversation. Easy enough to say, but harder to do with all the demands of the day. Still, we recognize the importance of his words, whether it’s The Abyss or something else entirely, it’s important to slow down and savor such things whenever possible.