艾雷岛,爱它还是恨它?
开篇：润墨网以专业的文秘视角，为您筛选了一篇艾雷岛,爱它还是恨它?范文，如需获取更多写作素材，在线客服老师一对一协助。欢迎您的阅读与分享！
在上世纪30年代美国颁布禁酒令的时候，只有一种酒精饮品能够冠冕堂皇地通过美国海关。那是一款叫拉弗格（Laphroaig）的苏格兰威士忌。海关人员在检验它时，通常看见的是贴着碘酒标签的瓶子，然后打开瓶塞闻一下，便会确定这是一瓶医用碘酒。几天之后，这瓶“碘酒”会钻进纽约、芝加哥等大都市的地下酒吧，成为达官贵人们追捧的对象。
这款奇特的、散发着碘酒味道的威士忌来自于苏格兰的一座小岛——艾雷岛（Islay）。我们可以肯定地说，这是地球上威士忌酒厂密度最高的地方，在区区25平方英里的陆地上聚集着7家古老的威士忌酒厂（以及1家新建的小作坊）。这些酒厂的产品风格各异，但或多或少都带着一种奇怪的本土特征——有一股碘酒的气味以及泥煤的味道。拉弗格，正是其中碘酒气味最浓郁的一款威士忌。
泥煤、碘酒？许多人不禁会问：对于味道来说，它们算褒义词吗？这个疑问恰恰是艾雷岛威士忌的魅力所在。爱它的人将它奉为圣地，恨它的人却对它嗤之以鼻。例如被誉为“世界上最好的厨师”的中国厨神董振祥，他就不能理解为什么有人喜欢把带泥煤味的碘药水喝进嘴里。可是对于无数艾雷岛威士忌的追捧者们，这种风味无疑是全球威士忌的巅峰之境。
苏格兰盛产石楠花，千万年来，这些石楠花、羊齿蕨不断枯萎沉积，就变成了一种介于泥土与煤炭之间的土壤——泥煤。苏格兰人以泥煤熏烤大麦，再用烤过的大麦酿酒，威士忌便有一种泥煤的味道。而艾雷岛的泥煤更与众不同，它终年受海藻和海风的影响，含盐、碘等物质更多，用它烘烤、酿造的威士忌不仅有更浓郁的泥煤味，还带有奇异的碘酒、熏肉、海风等味道。
人们喜欢用“泥炭”、“碘酒”来形容艾雷岛的威士忌，可事实上这些词汇包含了更丰富的味觉体验。像拉弗格、拉加维林（Lagavulin）酒厂的产品，在浓郁的碘酒、泥炭、海风咸味之后，迷人的花香、蜂蜜口感会绽放而出，并不断变化，越喝越甜。而如布鲁莱迪（Bruichladdich）、波摩（Bowmore）、布纳哈本（Bunnahabhain）酒厂的产品，泥炭、碘酒风味清淡柔和，随之而来是丰富的果香味、棉花糖香味，入口柔软甘甜。卡尔里拉（Caol Ila）带有烟熏培根、鲑鱼、青草的味道，入口细腻。而阿德贝哥（Ardbeg）则被称作“泥炭之王”。这七家酒厂的产品虽同为艾雷岛风格，个性却都非常鲜明。每家酒厂的风味与本岛、世界上任何地方的酒厂都永远泾渭分明。这就是艾雷岛的7家酒厂，对于许多人来说它们也是全世界最好的7座威士忌厂。
年份，小岛上的内涵
对于艾雷岛上这些古老的小酒厂，年份的内涵不仅仅是陈年时间。一瓶苏格兰威士忌上标着10年，意味着调和这款酒的原酒中最年轻的酒也有10年的酒龄。而对于艾雷岛上这些小规模的酒厂，年份还有更深邃的内涵。
当有人为你斟一杯标着25年字样的艾雷岛威士忌时，你会不会想到这样一个问题：酿造这瓶酒的酿酒师或许已经不在人世了。因为在艾雷岛，一名祖祖辈辈生活在此的学徒至少要兢兢业业学习、工作20年，才有机会成为7家酒厂中某一家的酿酒师。这时他已年近五旬。随后他才能独立酿造自己的作品——那些包含他前半生故事、理想的威士忌。在他退休前，他大约只能酿造10个年头的酒。而当这些酒在橡木桶里沉睡25年之后，酿酒师大多已不在人世了。即使是10年、12年的陈酿，当年酿造它的人也已是海风中的垂暮老者。
当你品尝艾雷岛上这样的威士忌时，实际上也在品味多年前这些酿酒师赋予酒中的故事与期望。艾雷岛的每家酒厂、每个年份、每一批的威士忌，口感都是不相同的，因为当年主人酿造它们时注入了不同的心情、故事和期望。
所以，请带着一颗尊敬的心去品尝每一款艾雷岛的老威士忌。
郭威：假如让我带一款酒去荒岛
曾经有人问起，假如让我单独一人到一个小岛上度过我的后半生，而且只能带一款酒，并且这款酒是永远喝不完，会选择哪款？我的答案是——拉弗格10年！
可以说这是一款近乎完美的酒，它的口感、味道、香气都十分优秀。它仅有10年的时间，可正因为它的年轻更能够带给人一种有缺陷的美感，喝多少年都不会腻。
我曾去过苏格兰很多次。有时，当我在著名的高地产区和当地酿酒师聊天时，一旦话题谈到艾雷岛，大多数人都会一撇嘴，很不屑地说：“那根本不是威士忌。”
但是，艾雷岛的居民对自己的酒充满了信心。他们有一种“不论魏晋”的心态，酿自己的酒，绝不迎合其他人。和大多数艾雷岛威士忌的爱好者一样，我对那里威士忌的味道有说不出的热爱和向往。那里的自然条件十分恶劣，岛上经常狂风大作、海浪肆虐。那里的海水和空气中都弥漫着浓浓的盐味和海腥味，这种特别的味道甚至深深融进了酿造时熏干麦芽的过程中，进入到酒的骨子里。
艾雷岛威士忌产量小，也有很多人从未品尝过。对于想要尝试的人，最好从波摩威士忌开始，因为其烟熏味、泥煤味比较随和，还带有成熟水果香气，口感圆滑，易于入口；如果你想挑战一下，可以直接尝试拉弗格，因为它浓郁的泥煤味，所以你要么爱它，要么恨它；假如你恰巧是恨它的一族，那还可以试试布鲁莱迪这样泥煤味比较柔和的艾雷岛威士忌。
喝艾雷岛，请挣脱束缚
有苏格兰人说：往威士忌里加冰是比打老婆还严重的罪行。听起来有点夸张，可事实究竟是不是这样呢？当你拿着一瓶艾雷岛佳酿，最好的喝法又是怎样的？
首先，往威士忌里加水是一种很常见的喝法。对于那些不习惯饮用烈酒的人，这更是一种妙招。通常品酒师在品鉴威士忌时会加入大量纯净水，尽管如此，依然无法掩盖艾雷岛威士忌散发的泥煤香气。如果你并不讨厌烈酒，试着只滴两三滴纯净水进去，这样能令威士忌的香气彻底绽放。
其次，往威士忌里加冰也算不上“罪大恶极”。加冰之后，艾雷岛威士忌的泥煤香气虽会收缩，但口感却更加清爽。威士忌在口中渐渐升温、散发出香气时，又别有一番滋味。
最后，初饮艾雷岛威士忌的朋友们最好还是从净饮开始，感受“原汁原味”的泥煤风味以及浓郁、复杂的口感。特别是对于陈年老酒，艾雷岛的威士忌禁得住岁月的考验，放置时间越久，味道越浓郁，口感越丰富。
奇异的天堂搭配
与威士忌搭配的美食有许许多多。对于艾雷岛的威士忌，有两款搭配是被誉为“天堂级”的。
第一款是阿德贝哥与生蚝。这并非是简单的酒配餐，而是将少量的阿德贝哥威士忌倒在新鲜的生蚝上，马上，生蚝就会幸福地醉去。这时入口的生蚝会将阿德贝哥的咸味与海鲜的鲜味完美结合在一起，堪称人间极品。
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浓越好。北海道的鲜奶油香浓而不腻，恰好与拉弗格经典的泥煤味形成绝配。
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.