Bruichladdich 32 year old 1985 Rare Cask Series

I reviewed the first half of a 64 year old (is that how math works?) Bruichladdich Taste Off yesterday. The 32yo 1984 held the distillery's final casks from 1984, while today's 1985 was built from the final parcel of its own vintage. While the '84 was only re-casked from bourbon casks into fresher bourbon casks, the '85 needed more retooling, per Señor McEwan. This larger outturn spent 27 years in 3rd-fill ex-bourbon, then 5 years in 1st-fill ex-bourbon, then several months in Claret casks. Smells like Murray McDavid to me!

Distillery: Bruichladdich

Ownership at time of distillation: Invergordon Distillers

Region: Western Islay

Series: Rare Cask

Age: 32 years (1985 - 26 May 2017)

Maturation: see above

Outturn: 4200 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 48.7%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose begins with many of the same characteristics as the 1984, such as the minerals, limes, fennel, and orange oil. But it has more more chocolate, more shortbread. Hints of ocean and florals, and subtle touches of blackberries and dried currants.

Could the wine casks have helped correct the oakiness that plagued the 1984? Or hid it? The palate isn't winey, though its dryness reads more like dry wine than woody tannins. Tart citrus notes read louder than the sweet berry notes. Some honey here, a few marshmallows there. Sweeter citrus slowly moves to the foreground.

It finishes moderately oaky and sweet. Honey, berries, cayenne appear in order, joined by a slight bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I enjoyed this one more than the all-bourbon-cask 1984. More complex and less extractive, this 1985 made for pleasant drinking, while reading less hot than its lower-abv predecessor. As often happens, its casks were unmasked in the finish, and its balance started to teeter. Both of these 32s had unusually short conclusions, considering their age, as well. They were a bit of a disappointment overall, compared to the two fabulous 1985 DNAs.

Time to go to a different "B" distillery...

Availability - Secondary Market
Pricing - ???

Rating - 86

Bruichladdich 32 year old 1984 Rare Cask Series

As you can tell by the title, I'm abandoning contemporary Bruichladdich for the old stuff. Today's whisky was assembled from a dozen bourbon casks, a dozen re-racked bourbon casks. That second maturation wasn't just a quickie finish, rather it was eight to nine years in length. The packaging says that these were the last 1984 casks the distillery had in their warehouses. Seems like a nice way for them to bid that vintage adieu.

Distillery: Bruichladdich

Ownership at time of distillation: Invergordon Distillers

Region: Western Islay

Series: Rare Cask

Age: 32 years (31 December 1984 - 26 May 2017)

Maturation: bourbon casks, then bourbon casks again

Outturn: 3000 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 43.7%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose starts off quite spritely despite the whisky's advanced age. Minerals, limes, fresh fennel, cut grass, earth and orange oil. Beneath that floats a rich bread pudding and a drizzle of maple syrup.

The palate also begins youthfully; sweet and malty, gently fruity. Bananas, dried apricots, and apple candy. But then it gets woody. Very woody. Spices, tannins, bitterness. Only the apple candy survives.

It finishes sweet and woody, like a long-aged bourbon, which is not entirely a compliment. Bananas and bubblegum on the furniture. But mostly the furniture.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

It smells gorgeous! I'll give it that. But those aggressive re-racked casks......not for me. I wonder what it was like after its first maturation, and I'll have to keep on wondering. Meanwhile, Angus, Ruben, and the  Whiskybase crew are crazy about this stuff. Sláinte to them! They can have it, and probably do. Let's see how its 1985 Rare Cask cousin performed in comparison...

Availability - Secondary Market
Pricing - ???

Rating - 83 (lovely nose though)

Bruichladdich 16 year old 2005, cask 0977 for Feis Ile 2022

Last week's Bruichladdichs turned out to be a mixed bag, which shouldn't have come as a surprise to me since the distillery's contemporary unpeated malts don't offer consistency. This week I'm going a completely different direction. First, one recent monstrous single cask, then two considerably older releases.

Though I'm not a member of Friends of Bruichladdich, one of the FOBs did split up his bottle of the single cask bottled by the distillery for the group for this year's Feis Ile event. Many of Bruichladdich's Valinch-style releases weigh in at fearsome ABVs, and this one is no different, burning in at 63.8%. There will be water.

Distillery: Bruichladdich

Expression: Bruichladdich
Ownership: Remy Cointreau
Region: Western Islay

Age: 16 years (18 July 2005 - 31 May 2022)

Maturation: "SC", I was told it was Sauternes but I think it's sherry

Cask #: 0977
Exclusive to: Friends of Bruchladdich

Alcohol by Volume: 63.8%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Meaty, leathery, and gunpowder-y sulfur hits the nose first. Somewhere beneath that cloud are black raisins, brown sugar, pecans, roses and brine. There's even more sulfur in the palate, mostly of the gunpowder sort, which is too bad because all the other characteristics — like lemons, honey, salt, and bitter herbs — struggle to be found. It finishes savory and salty (mostly due to sulfur), and slightly tangy.

DILUTED to ~50%abv, or >1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Ah, the nose is much cleaner now. Oranges and lemons meet mint leaf, basil leaf and rose petals. The palate is still quite hot, though the sulfur has receded, which allows the sweet raspberries, tart limes and wood spices to be heard/tasted. It's tangy, salty and peppery on the finish.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or >2¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Raspberries, dark chocolate, lemons and saline fill the nose, as the sulfur turns peppery. The palate has gone vague. It's savory, sweet, tangy and tart, somewhat balanced, but also somewhat of a blob. The finish hasn't changed much, still tangy, salty and peppery.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

As noted on the sample label, the bottle's owner thought this was a Sauternes cask. But I'm guessing it was actually a sherry cask. The distillery's "SC" description doesn't help matters. No matter what, this whisky was a big hot sulfur puddle when neat. Dilution scrubs it up a bit, though the palate never really takes off, already getting blurry at 46%. My troubles with ultra-high ABV single malts and unpeated Bruichladdich continue.

Meanwhile, bottle owners over at Whiskybase are wild about this stuff, though these guys are less thrilled. Can't wait until the sulfur-phobes weigh in!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - originally £75

Rating - 78 (with dilution)

Bruichladdich 10 year old 2008 Bere Barley

And then there was the Big Bere. All the Bere barley single malts I've tried (from Bruichladdich and Arran) are very different animals than all the non-Bere whiskies. And this one is no exception. But with an asterisk.

Distillery: Bruichladdich

Expression: Bruichladdich
Ownership: Remy Cointreau
Region: Western Islay
Age: 10 years (2008-2018)

Maturation: bourbon and Tennessee whiskey casks
Barley strain: Bere

Source: Orkney
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No

(from my 20cL bottle)

NOTES

Some nice layering on the nose. Apple peels and lime zest. Smoked salmon and ocean air. Caramel sauce and tapioca pudding. But then the palate goes a completely different direction. A joltingly bitter grassiness smothers everything except for a hefty metallic note. A mojito and bitter citrus peels lie somewhere beneath. It finishes with bitter and tart citrus peels, like kabosu and limes, and lots of simple syrup, but even more mothballs.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Having searched online, I've found no one else who had such a visceral reaction to this whisky's palate. Just my offline drinking buddy, Dr. Springbank, and I. Other reviews are all, "Fruits and spice!", which makes me wonder if something went weird with the contents of my bottle. Meanwhile, the nose is great! How does one grade a bottle of napthalene that smells like high quality scotch?

Availability - Set and full sized bottle are scarce
Pricing - ??

Rating - 79

Bruichladdich 8 year old 2009 Organic Barley

The wee 7yo 2008 Islay Barley charmed. What will the 8yo Organic Barley do? It has another year of maturation, no wine casks, and came from pesticide-free barley stalks. It has that light straw tint to it that still thrills this drinker...

Distillery: Bruichladdich
Expression: Bruichladdich
Ownership: Remy Cointreau
Region: Western Islay
Age: at least 8 years (2009-2018)
Maturation: bourbon and Tennessee whiskey casks
Barley Source: Mid Coul farm in the Highlands
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No
(from my 20cL bottle)

NOTES

At least three things are happening in the nose. First, there's a pretty combo of lemon custard and lychee. A darker side, made of paint VOCs and wood ash, curls around the fruits. It's a held up by a foundation of barley grist, peanut dust and dried thyme. After a while, it also gains notes of guava and milk chocolate.

Malt and sugar fill the palate's early foreground, with lemons and limes in the back. Gradually, the citrus moves to the front, adding in grapefruit, which brings in more tartness.

It finishes tarter than the palate, full of grapefruit and lemon juices, the malt and sugar linger in the distance.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

A complex nose gives way to a simple palate. Neither offend, but the nose leaves more of an impression. Again, the spirit leads the way, perhaps even more than the 7yo Islay Barley. Or at least this one feels younger. If I were to get a bit vague/abstract/obnoxious about things (and why stop now?), I'd say this pour would work best in spring's earliest weeks, as the last snow melts away, snowdrops begin to ascend and, FFS, can we just skip to March already?

Availability - Set and full sized bottle are scarce
Pricing - ??

Rating - 85

Bruichladdich 7 year old 2010 Islay Barley

I'd seen this wee set sitting on retailers shelves around the world for years before I got around to buying it:

As I'd mentioned in Monday's intro, I've always respected Bruichladdich's whisky exploration of various barley strains and sources. Often those bottlings have very little cask influence, which helps the drinker experience the spirit. A good thing!

I've tried other vintages of this set's trio, and even finished bottles of the earliest versions of Organic and Bere that came to The States, so this blind buy wasn't much of a risk. Dr. Springbank and Dr. Springbank and I opened these bottles a few days before this review, so I had a sneak preview of coming attractions.

First up, the Islay Barley.

Distillery: Bruichladdich

Expression: Bruichladdich
Ownership: Remy Cointreau
Region: Western Islay
Age: at least 7 years (2010-2018)

Maturation: refill(?) bourbon and French wine casks
Barley strains: Optic and Oxbridge

Source: eight Islay farms
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No

(from my 20cL bottle)

NOTES

Barley, honeycomb, apples, apricots, lemon peel and citronella arrive first in the nose. Hot candle wax, grass in the warm sunshine, and flower kiss candy appear later. The palate almost reads like breakfast cereal, with malt, confectioner's sugar and honey up front. Apple fritters, oranges and white peppercorns linger near the edges. It finishes warm, sweet and spicy, with fresh ginger and baked apples.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Utterly delightful! If other baby whiskies were this clean and crisp, you wouldn't hear me whining about them all the time. While it would be interesting to chart the whisky's complexity if this same batch was aged in refill casks for 18+ years, I'm very taken by the bright simplicity of the malt at seven years. I'd happily purchase a 750mL bottle of this batch were it easily available, four years later. Also, what French wine casks?

Availability - Set and full sized bottle are scarce
Pricing - ??

Rating - 88

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

Nose - Oaky 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.