艾雷島，愛它還是恨它？

在上世紀30年代美國頒布禁酒令的時候，只有一種酒精飲品能夠冠冕堂皇地通過美國海關。那是一款叫拉弗格（Laphroaig）的蘇格蘭威士忌。海關人員在檢驗它時，通常看見的是貼著碘酒標簽的瓶子，然后打開瓶塞聞一下，便會確定這是一瓶醫用碘酒。幾天之后，這瓶“碘酒”會鉆進紐約、芝加哥等大都市的地下酒吧，成為達官貴人們追捧的對象。

這款奇特的、散發著碘酒味道的威士忌來自于蘇格蘭的一座小島——艾雷島（Islay）。我們可以肯定地說，這是地球上威士忌酒廠密度最高的地方，在區區25平方英里的陸地上聚集著7家古老的威士忌酒廠（以及1家新建的小作坊）。這些酒廠的產品風格各異，但或多或少都帶著一種奇怪的本土特征——有一股碘酒的氣味以及泥煤的味道。拉弗格，正是其中碘酒氣味最濃郁的一款威士忌。

泥煤、碘酒？許多人不禁會問：對于味道來說，它們算褒義詞嗎？這個疑問恰恰是艾雷島威士忌的魅力所在。愛它的人將它奉為圣地，恨它的人卻對它嗤之以鼻。例如被譽為“世界上最好的廚師”的中國廚神董振祥，他就不能理解為什么有人喜歡把帶泥煤味的碘藥水喝進嘴里。可是對于無數艾雷島威士忌的追捧者們，這種風味無疑是全球威士忌的巔峰之境。

蘇格蘭盛產石楠花，千萬年來，這些石楠花、羊齒蕨不斷枯萎沉積，就變成了一種介于泥土與煤炭之間的土壤——泥煤。蘇格蘭人以泥煤熏烤大麥，再用烤過的大麥釀酒，威士忌便有一種泥煤的味道。而艾雷島的泥煤更與眾不同，它終年受海藻和海風的影響，含鹽、碘等物質更多，用它烘烤、釀造的威士忌不僅有更濃郁的泥煤味，還帶有奇異的碘酒、熏肉、海風等味道。

人們喜歡用“泥炭”、“碘酒”來形容艾雷島的威士忌，可事實上這些詞匯包含了更豐富的味覺體驗。像拉弗格、拉加維林（Lagavulin）酒廠的產品，在濃郁的碘酒、泥炭、海風咸味之后，迷人的花香、蜂蜜口感會綻放而出，并不斷變化，越喝越甜。而如布魯萊迪（Bruichladdich）、波摩（Bowmore）、布納哈本（Bunnahabhain）酒廠的產品，泥炭、碘酒風味清淡柔和，隨之而來是豐富的果香味、棉花糖香味，入口柔軟甘甜。卡爾里拉（Caol Ila）帶有煙熏培根、鮭魚、青草的味道，入口細膩。而阿德貝哥（Ardbeg）則被稱作“泥炭之王”。這七家酒廠的產品雖同為艾雷島風格，個性卻都非常鮮明。每家酒廠的風味與本島、世界上任何地方的酒廠都永遠涇渭分明。這就是艾雷島的7家酒廠，對于許多人來說它們也是全世界最好的7座威士忌廠。

年份，小島上的內涵

對于艾雷島上這些古老的小酒廠，年份的內涵不僅僅是陳年時間。一瓶蘇格蘭威士忌上標著10年，意味著調和這款酒的原酒中最年輕的酒也有10年的酒齡。而對于艾雷島上這些小規模的酒廠，年份還有更深邃的內涵。

當有人為你斟一杯標著25年字樣的艾雷島威士忌時，你會不會想到這樣一個問題：釀造這瓶酒的釀酒師或許已經不在人世了。因為在艾雷島，一名祖祖輩輩生活在此的學徒至少要兢兢業業學習、工作20年，才有機會成為7家酒廠中某一家的釀酒師。這時他已年近五旬。隨后他才能獨立釀造自己的作品——那些包含他前半生故事、理想的威士忌。在他退休前，他大約只能釀造10個年頭的酒。而當這些酒在橡木桶里沉睡25年之后，釀酒師大多已不在人世了。即使是10年、12年的陳釀，當年釀造它的人也已是海風中的垂暮老者。

當你品嘗艾雷島上這樣的威士忌時，實際上也在品味多年前這些釀酒師賦予酒中的故事與期望。艾雷島的每家酒廠、每個年份、每一批的威士忌，口感都是不相同的，因為當年主人釀造它們時注入了不同的心情、故事和期望。

所以，請帶著一顆尊敬的心去品嘗每一款艾雷島的老威士忌。

郭威：假如讓我帶一款酒去荒島

曾經有人問起，假如讓我單獨一人到一個小島上度過我的后半生，而且只能帶一款酒，并且這款酒是永遠喝不完，會選擇哪款？我的答案是——拉弗格10年！

可以說這是一款近乎完美的酒，它的口感、味道、香氣都十分優秀。它僅有10年的時間，可正因為它的年輕更能夠帶給人一種有缺陷的美感，喝多少年都不會膩。

我曾去過蘇格蘭很多次。有時，當我在著名的高地產區和當地釀酒師聊天時，一旦話題談到艾雷島，大多數人都會一撇嘴，很不屑地說：“那根本不是威士忌。”

但是，艾雷島的居民對自己的酒充滿了信心。他們有一種“不論魏晉”的心態，釀自己的酒，絕不迎合其他人。和大多數艾雷島威士忌的愛好者一樣，我對那里威士忌的味道有說不出的熱愛和向往。那里的自然條件十分惡劣，島上經常狂風大作、海浪肆虐。那里的海水和空氣中都彌漫著濃濃的鹽味和海腥味，這種特別的味道甚至深深融進了釀造時熏干麥芽的過程中，進入到酒的骨子里。

艾雷島威士忌產量小，也有很多人從未品嘗過。對于想要嘗試的人，最好從波摩威士忌開始，因為其煙熏味、泥煤味比較隨和，還帶有成熟水果香氣，口感圓滑，易于入口；如果你想挑戰一下，可以直接嘗試拉弗格，因為它濃郁的泥煤味，所以你要么愛它，要么恨它；假如你恰巧是恨它的一族，那還可以試試布魯萊迪這樣泥煤味比較柔和的艾雷島威士忌。

喝艾雷島，請掙脫束縛

有蘇格蘭人說：往威士忌里加冰是比打老婆還嚴重的罪行。聽起來有點夸張，可事實究竟是不是這樣呢？當你拿著一瓶艾雷島佳釀，最好的喝法又是怎樣的？

首先，往威士忌里加水是一種很常見的喝法。對于那些不習慣飲用烈酒的人，這更是一種妙招。通常品酒師在品鑒威士忌時會加入大量純凈水，盡管如此，依然無法掩蓋艾雷島威士忌散發的泥煤香氣。如果你并不討厭烈酒，試著只滴兩三滴純凈水進去，這樣能令威士忌的香氣徹底綻放。

其次，往威士忌里加冰也算不上“罪大惡極”。加冰之后，艾雷島威士忌的泥煤香氣雖會收縮，但口感卻更加清爽。威士忌在口中漸漸升溫、散發出香氣時，又別有一番滋味。

最后，初飲艾雷島威士忌的朋友們最好還是從凈飲開始，感受“原汁原味”的泥煤風味以及濃郁、復雜的口感。特別是對于陳年老酒，艾雷島的威士忌禁得住歲月的考驗，放置時間越久，味道越濃郁，口感越豐富。

奇異的天堂搭配

與威士忌搭配的美食有許許多多。對于艾雷島的威士忌，有兩款搭配是被譽為“天堂級”的。

第一款是阿德貝哥與生蠔。這并非是簡單的酒配餐，而是將少量的阿德貝哥威士忌倒在新鮮的生蠔上，馬上，生蠔就會幸福地醉去。這時入口的生蠔會將阿德貝哥的咸味與海鮮的鮮味完美結合在一起，堪稱人間極品。

第二款是日本北海道白巧克力搭配拉弗格，而且巧克力本身的味道越濃越好。北海道的鮮奶油香濃而不膩，恰好與拉弗格經典的泥煤味形成絕配。

Would you like whiskey that tastes like iodine and peat. On a tiny Scottish island， 7 whiskey distilleries win the world over with an unusual taste of iodine and peat.

In the late 30s when the U.S. enacted Prohibition， only one alcoholic drink could pass U.S. customs. That is Laphroaig. Labeled and smelled as iodine， the scotch can easily get cleared and then supplied to underground bars in metropolitans like New York and Chicago.

This strangely iodine flavored scotch comes from a tiny Scottish island--Islay. Home to 7 old time distilleries and a 8th one opened very recently， Islay is undoubtedly the worlds’ most concentrated place of scotch distilleries. They make whiskey in a variety of styles， but more or less carries the same local characteristic， the smell of iodine and flavor of peat. Laphroaig is the most strongly peated whiskey.

Many may doubt if peat and iodine are good for taste. But they are exactly what gives Islay whiskey the charm that are loved by some as it is loathed by others. Chinese Master Chef Mr. Dong Zhengxiao， recognized as the World’s Best Chef， for one does not understand why would people put peat flavored iodine into mouth. But for lovers of Islay whiskey， that flavor is the top of all whiskey.

Peat is an accumulation of decayed vegetation like Photinia， which abound in Scotland and fern. The Scottish use peat to smoke barley before making it into whiskey. On Islay， thanks to seaweed and seawind， the peat takes on a rich taste of sea salt and iodine. Whiskey made with Islay peat carries not only a peat flavor， but also the unique taste of iodine， bacon， and seawind.

Although peat and iodine are used to describe their taste， Islay whiskey has a taste richer than that. Laphroaig and Lagavulin whiskey has a charming taste of flower and honey that changes and gets sweeter in the mouth. Bruichladdich， Bowmore， and Bunnahabhain whiskey are lightly peated with a rich fruity and cotton candy flavor. Caolla is tender with the flavor of smoked bacon， salmon， and herb. Aedbeg is known as King of Peat. The 7 distilleries share the common characteristics but each has its distinctive feature. For many， they are the world’s best whiskey makers.

The Significance of Age

The age statement on a bottle of Scotch whisky reflects the age of the youngest whisky used to produce that product. For Islay distilleries， age has a more profound significance.

When you are served with a 25-year-old whiskey， the enologist who made the liquor might be long gone. On Islay， an enologist apprentice would take at least 20 years of learning and working to become an enologist in one of the 8 distilleries， which means they would be at least 50 years old before they could brew whiskey that reflect their life stories and ambitions. A enologist can make whiskey for around 10 years before he or she retires. By the time their whiskey is served after 25 years of aging in an oak barrel， they are either enjoying their last years or long gone.

When you taste Islay whiskey， you are at the same time tasting the stories and expectations given by the enologist. Whiskey with different age from different distilleries taste differently because of the mood， story and expectations of its makers. Drink with respect when enjoying an aged Islay whiskey.

Bowmore is tender， fruity and lighted

peated. It is the best choice for beginners.

Lagavulin whiskey is distinctively Islay. It is a perfect blend of peat flavor， iodine taste， and sea salt， but some would think it is too perfect to be innovative.

Bruichladdich whiskey is light and soft. But under Jim McEwan， its legendary enologist， Bruichladdich has also produced some strongly peated products.

Bruichladdich is acclaimed as the King of Peat. It is a typical “love it or loathe it” whiskey. For its lovers， its profoundness， richness， complexity is irreplaceable.

Guo Wei：

If I were allowed only one liquor for the rest of my life

GM of GLEN， Experienced Whiskey Taster

I was once asked， if I were to live the rest of my life alone on an island and I can bring only one unlimitedly supplied liquor， which one would I choose？ My answer is 10-year Laphroaig. Its taste， flavor， and fragrance is near perfection. It is comparatively young on Islay， but just because it， it has a flawed beauty that never fail to surprise me.

I have been to Scotland many times. Sometimes enologist of highland distilleries would sneer at Islay products， saying “they are not even whiskey”.

But Islay residents are confidently proud of their products， and never change to please others. Like most Islay whiskey lovers， I love its unique taste. Frequented by adverse weather like storms and big waves， the air and water on the island is seeped with the salty smell of the sea， which through fermenting， goes deep into the whiskey.

Islay whiskey is produced in small quantity. If you want to have a taste， better start with the light Bowmore. If you want to challenge Laphroaig directly， be prepared to love it or loathe it forever. If you are the latter， you can still try milder ones like Bruichladdich.

How to drink Islay Whiskey

Some Scottish say： “If you put ice in whiskey， it is a felony worse than beating your wife.” Is it true？ How do you best enjoy a Islay whiskey？

First， mix it with water. For people who cannot take strong liquor， this is amazingly useful. When sommeliers take whiskey， they would add large amount of pure water， even so， the flavor of peat still stands out. If you are OK with strong liquor， several drops of water would be enough to let out the fragrance of whiskey.

Second， it is not capital crime to drink it with ice. Although ice will suppress the flavor of peat， the whiskey will taste fresher. It is another way to experience the expanding flavor as it warms up in your mouth.

Lastly， for beginners， it is advisable to start with pure whiskey in order to feel the original peat flavor and rich texture. This is especially true for aged whiskey， the older they are， the richer the taste.

Perfect Match with Food

Islay whiskey goes best with two kinds of food.

The first is Aedbeg with oyster. Oyster is best served not with but in a small amount of Aedbeg. The drunken oyster offers a perfect blend of the saltiness in Aedbeg and the freshness of oyster.

The second is Hokkaido white chocolate with Laphroaig. The thicker the chocolate， the better the taste.