...where distraction is the main attraction.

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Braeval 18 year old 1994 Exclusive Malts, cask 159162

Yesterday's two Inchgowers did not spar alone. They had a third partner, today's Braeval. Unlike the Inchgowers, I had tried this whisky before, and I'd liked it. That's why I thought it was going to be a super triple tasting. But it wasn't super. Those Inchgowers could not compete. Bring on the Braeval, baby.


Distillery: Braeval
Ownership: Pernod Ricard
Region: Speyside (Banffshire)
Bottler: Creative Whisky Company
Range: Exclusive Malts
Age: 18 years old (December 1994 - January 2013)
Maturation: "Oak cask", probably a bourbon barrel
Outturn: 228 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 52.1%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant added? No
(thanks to Brett for the sample!)

NEAT
The nose delivers a spot on mix of malt, peaches, lemons and honey. Hints of roses, clementines and low-rye dusty bourbon rest beneath. At first the palate has citrus and toasted oak spice, then a rush of malt, limes and cara cara oranges takes over. Then almonds and apricots with a gentle ripple of chili oil. The rich long finish holds onto those nuts and fresh citrus notes, as well as the nose's malt.

I don't want to add water to this but for the sake of science:

DILUTED TO ~46% abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Ah gorgeous. Whew. Peach skins, roses, lemon cookies and orange peel on the nose. The palate hasn't changed much. Maybe a little sweeter, maltier. The finish matches the palate closely too with just little more of a spicy zip.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Flawless teenage bourbon cask whisky, with or without dilution. It's been a long time since I had something like this, and I hope dearly the next bottle I open from my stash is near this quality. I did have two opportunities to buy this in early 2013, and I turned them both down because spending $100 on a single bottle was CRAZY back then. Damn it.

See, a nice surprise this week! And a second 90-point whisky. Wut?

Availability - All gone
Pricing - It was around $100-$120 six years ago
Rating - 90