...where distraction is the main attraction.

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Things I Really Drink: Bruichladdich Classic Laddie batch 21/208 (and another!)

This standard Laddie had never tempted my tummy, and I really struggled with The Eight, so I was flat out stunned when I liked my sample of The Classic Laddie four years ago. The one problem with my four-years-ago sample was the missing batch number. Every batch of Classic has its own combination of casks, helpfully shared on Bruichladdich's site, so I have no idea what I was drinking. But it still gave me hope that I'd come around to the distillery's standard unpeated release.

Then two months ago I found this bottle in an Ohio liquor store:


The batch number can be found on the side of the bottle. Here, it's 21/208:


I looked up the receipe on the site, and.....um......it's best if I just list it out:
  • One cask of CHILE (CABERNET SAUVIGNON) HOGSHEADS 1ST FILL
  • Five casks of FRANCE RIVESALTES VDN (MUSCAT) THEN USA BOURBON BARREL 1ST FILL THEN FRANCE BORDEAUX PESSAC LEOGNAN HOGSHEAD 2NDFILL
  • Six casks of Islay Barley USA BOURBON BARREL 1ST FILL
  • 24 casks of USA BOURBON BARREL 1ST FILL
  • Seven casks of SPAIN RIBERA DEL DUERO (TEMPRANILLO) HOGSHEAD 1ST FILL, THEN USA BOURBON BARREL 1ST FILL, THEN ITALY AMERONE HOGSHEAD 1ST FILL
  • Six more casks of Islay Barley USA BOURBON BARREL 1ST FILL
  • Three casks of Organic Barley SPAIN SHERRY BUTT 1ST FILL OR 2ND FILL, THEN USA BOURBON BARREL 2ND FILL
  • 24 more casks of USA BOURBON BARREL 1ST FILL
  • Three casks of FRANCE PAUILLAC (CABERNET SAUVIGNON, FRANC, MERLOT) HOGSHEAD 2ND FILL
What, no fucking pruno cask? Lame.

JFC.

Anyhoo. I also had on hand a good sized sample of batch 16/261 from 2016:

Shall I?
  • Five casks of FRENCH OAK RED WINE HOGSHEAD 2ND FILL
  • 12 casks of BOURBON USA BARREL 1ST FILL
  • 10 casks of Organic Barley FRENCH OAK RED WINE HOGSHEAD 2ND FILL
  • 23 more casks of BOURBON USA BARREL 1ST FILL
  • 13 more casks of BOURBON USA BARREL 1ST FILL
  • Five casks of SPAIN RIBERA DEL DUERO RED HOGSHEAD 1ST FILL

Not as terrifying!

I don't know, this seems like less of a Taste Off and more of a Taste Oof. Here goes something.


BRUICHLADDICH, THE CLASSIC LADDIE, BATCH 21/208, 50%ABV

NoseOaky American Chardonnay mixes with California Pinot Noir, with a dash of sawdust, upon my first sniffs. Then it picks up mint leaves, lemon juice, apple Jolly Ranchers, and Fritos. Diluted to 43%abv, it feels more pulled together, but with a big dose of cinnamon and a hint of orange oil.

Palate - It starts raw, sweet and bready. With time, notes of lemon candy, honey, cinnamon red hots and Sauternes appear. After being diluted to 43%abv it reads rawer and weirdly bitter. Some tart fruits and dulce de leche sweetness sits underneath.

Finish - Hot, sweet and tart. Cinnamon red hots floating in buttery Chardonnay. Once diluted to 43%abv, it gets bitter and tart, with more than a little tree bark showing up.

Words Words Words - Attempting to lead with the positive... Enjoy(?) it neatly, do not add water. The neat palate isn't bad as a dessert pour. On the other hand, the neat nose never ever ever works for me. It's like a personal solera bottle, but with wine added. My friends, Dr. Springbank and Dr. Springbank, seemed to like it better than I did, possibly because there are no butyric acid notes. I think they're hiding under a blanket of wine. The butyric acid notes, not my friends. Probably.

Rating - 76 (neat only)


BRUICHLADDICH, THE CLASSIC LADDIE, BATCH 16/261, 50%ABV

Nose - Either the wine is better integrated or it's just less, per the recipe. There's some actual malt in here, along with notes of milk chocolate, marshmallows and apple juice, with hints of saline and wet stones in the background. Diluted to 43%abv, it reads bigger and very toasty. Milk chocolate and almond butter up front, damp moss and ocean in the back.

Palate - It begins tart and very ashy, with an almost rum-like sweetness. Quite a bit more raw heat on this batch. A bit of lemon candy. After a while it's all Mt. Gay Rum and ash. At 43%abv, flowers and vanilla take over, while the odd bitterness from the other batch shows up here too.

Finish - Just lemon, honey and heat. At 43%abv it goes ashy, with some woody bitterness, maple syrup and flowers in the background.

Words Words Words - I adore the smell of this whisky. I do not adore the flavor. Overall, it's approachable as long as it remains undiluted, and it might match well with some desserts. No sour milk nor baby barf notes on this one either, likely a positive for many drinkers. If you have this bottle, you may just want to nose the hell out of it.

Rating - 79 (neat only)


Final thoughts...

While it's true that nothing like Classic Laddie is bottled elsewhere on Islay, I don't understand the need to attempt Black Art Junior with baby whisky. I'm not against tossing in a few wine casks, in fact it often works very well with Bruichladdich's Port Charlotte bottlings. But both of these batches feel like a mish-mosh; a mix that never mixed, not in the blending tun, nor in the bottle. I'm now looking forward to the next three Laddies, all of which are less cask-bothered and more spirit-centered. I am not looking forward to getting through the rest of my turquoise bottle.