A few more Bruichladdich with grapes


June 6, 2024

Feis Ile Special (sequel sessions)

Shall we have a few more Bruichladdich with grapes?

Unpeated Bruichladdich, although the very first ones in the early 2000s after the revival were very lightly peated (5ppm). And those from the 1950s and before, of course, as all Islay whiskies were peated. Also, one can't help but think of the 1990s, with Bruichladdich silent and Ardbeg as well after a few years or intermittent functioning, and the unemployment rate on Islay reaching 25%. Fortunately, that has changed a lot… Speaking of which… (Picture weird AI)

Bruichladdich 15 yo (43%, OB, Sherry Wood, Moon Import Italy, 75cl, +/-1990)

There was also an excellent 10-year-old 'sherry' for France, quite different from the 10 without the 'sherry'. Colour: bright amber. Nose: we are undeniably in cognac territory. Abundant raisins, hints of copper coins, peaches cooked in wine, pears poached in vanilla, crème brûlée, prunes, brown sugar, subtle hints of Nescafé… Only the very light meaty and salty note in the background sets it apart. How amusing! Mouth: it's maltier, deeper, with those metallic touches, broths, even cooked ham, then increasingly salty. Even small hints of asparagus and leeks. Finish: rather long, with what resembles smoke and very discreet hints of tarragon. Yes, indeed. Comments: a true window into the past, quite incredible… and charming.
SGP:462 - 89 points.

Bruichladdich 20 yo 2002/2023 (57.4%, Rest & Be Thankful, LMDW New Vibrations, ex-bourbon barrel, cask #809, 272 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: imagine enjoying a crème brûlée by the seaside, accompanied by a glass of crisp, dry white wine. Then come the shellfish, oyster shells, and the much-anticipated apricots, peaches, and yellow melon, along with a hint of honeysuckle. A beautiful nose, very elegant. With water: no significant change, except for a touch more vanilla. Mouth (neat): eminently Bruichladdich, with melon and orange tinged with iodine, slate, and pepper. Still very slightly harsh, but water should smooth that out. With water: perfect, leaning more towards candied citrus and wax, then gentian and a drop of absinthe. To be honest, there's a slight Clynelish character here. Finish: long and now distinctly salty. Some claim these salty notes are a myth and the result of clever marketing, but I'm not entirely convinced. Butter caramel and Breton biscuits in the aftertaste. Comments: absolutely stunning. These twenty years suit Bruichladdich very well.
SGP:552 - 88 points.

Bruichladdich 13 yo 2010/2024 '8.1' (59.2%, Dramfool, Jim McEwan's Signature Collection, first fill Juraçon barrique, cask #2302, 256 bottles)

As always, our dear Scottish friends seem to struggle with the names of the wines they use to flavour their whiskies. Let's not kid ourselves that they are familiar with these wines! Of course, it's Jurançon, not 'Juraçon'. It would also be helpful to specify whether it's white or red Jurançon, though the colour here leaves little doubt. The problem, my friends, is that red Jurançon doesn't exist, thus deepening the mystery... Could it be Béarn? Colour: copper. Nose: initially quite sulphury, then moving on to crushed fruits and moss, damp earth... It's very wine-like. With water: bay leaves, leather, cherry jam and roasted peanuts. Mouth (neat): it works quite well on the palate, but it's very powerful. Grenadine, children's toothpaste, cherry syrup, bits of tobacco. With water: now it seems like it was sweet white wine, typical of Jurançon, but then where does the coppery colour come from? Finish: long and very fruity. More cherry jam and chocolate. Black truffle and old walnuts. Comments: really quite an odd creature, rather 'trans'. Initially, I feared it would be much worse.
SGP:652 - 81 points.

Bruichladdich 12 yo 2011/2023 (57.5%, Dramfool, 1st fill Banyuls barrique, cask #1515, 292 bottles)

You could almost call Banyuls 'a French sweet PX', and it's clear that we are indeed within 'sherry-like' territories. And they wrote 'Banyuls' correctly, bless them and love them. Colour: copper. Nose: so much cleaner, brighter, fruitier, easier, sexier (what?) and sweeter. This seems to really work. With water: patchouli and rose petals, plus a little miso paste and sweet Tennessee-like barbecue sauce. Mouth (neat): very well, sweet but not vulgar, with a very lovely spicy structure, around Sichuan pepper and paprika. Lots of raisins, damsons, dates, then plenty of freshly ground black pepper. With water: no problem, it's good, sweet, really focused on all sorts of raisins and quite mild peppers. Finish: medium length, still with raisins leading the way. Nice peppery aftertaste. Comments: by the way, Jurançons come from the west of the Pyrenees, whereas Banyuls come from the east. I thought you'd appreciate this precision, though I'm sure you already knew.
SGP:651 - 85 points.

Bruichladdich 14 yo 2009/2023 (64.8%, Dramfool, Middle Cut, 1st fill syrah barrique, cask #1944, 265 bottles)

Syrah! Think red Hermitage, think Côte-Rôtie (that's the appellation almost no Scots ever got right on a whisky label), and think spicy and liquoricy violets. In Whiskyfun's opinion, syrah produces both the most stupendous red wines and the most vulgar ones too, so… Colour: apricot, or late-season mirabelles. Nose: there's a touch of old cask, mushrooms, sherry vinegar, and of an unkempt nun (as they say in wine enthusiast circles), then a softer, sweeter side with buttercream, Paris-Brest pastry, brie pastry with kirsch, biscuits… With water: an old wine cellar, ancient barrels. Mouth (neat): it's rather lovely, very fruity, kirschy, full-on with pepper and black cherries. And quite a lot of ethanol. With water: strawberry jam, green pepper, and champagne. Finish: long, more on cooked bell peppers. Touches of honey and cloves. Comments: it's creative, it works quite well, though it's not exactly 'my style'. By the way, there are young winemakers crafting excellent syrahs in more modest (and less expensive) appellations of the Rhône Valley. Try 'Sixtus' in Seyssuel or the syrahs by Gonon. Well, I promise, despite all these improbable wine finishes coming our way, we're not going to turn into winefun.com.
SGP:651 - 84 points.

While we're on the subject of wineskies...

Bruichladdich 14 yo 2006/2022 (60.6%, Rest & Be Thankful, wine hogshead, cask #534, 250 bottles)

I don't think any winemakers use hoggies, so this one must have been of the 'treated' kind. That said, when the Scots truly make wine (and we truly make more proper whisky), nothing will stop them from declaring that hogsheads are their official capacity. Colour: gold. Nose: no idea which wine was used, but it seems to have worked quite well, as if it were a sweet wine. Lots of vanilla, sultanas, apricot jam, honeys, with just a hint of sulphur (asparagus, leeks, truffles). With water: cabbage soup, vanilla, shortbread, and gunpowder. Mouth (neat): it's good, sweet, aromatic, very honeyed. Growing touches of tobacco, leather, and wood. Crème catalane. With water: the black truffles and pepper return, along with plenty of leather. Finish: fairly long, peppery. Leather and green tea. Comments: this worked quite well too. Is wine the future of whisky?
SGP:651 - 83 points.

Well, that's enough, let's return to the true whiskies of Bruichladdich…

Bruichladdich 18 yo 2005/2023 (54.7%, Nickolls & Perks, Inaugural Casks, fresh bourbon barrel, cask #518, 195 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: oh my goodness, what a difference! Soft, natural vanilla, ripe melons, fresh brioche, focaccia, macarons… This is just perfect. With water: even more wet earth and fallen leaves. Marvellous! Mouth (neat): yes, perfect. Earthy touches, dill, celery, gentian, then high-class green tea, fruit peels, rhubarb… With water: all sorts of pastries, muffins, makrouts, brioches, scones, shortbread, angel hair. All with wonderful hints of orange blossom. Finish: medium length, very sweet, on cakes of all kinds. Vanilla cake in the finish, some white asparagus and a bit of earthy liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: it's simply very, very good.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Bruichladdich 18 yo 2004/2023 (61.8%, OB, Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange, Micro-Provenance, 1st fill Sauternes, cask #1518, 234 bottles)

Oh bad news, wine again. There are indeed contradictions in all these wineskies. How could 'Sauternes' be a 'micro-provenance'? And if the focus is on the provenance of the barley, how do you preserve its subtlety by flavouring it with more or less aromatic wine casks? Yes, these are seminal questions. Colour: dark gold. Nose: let's be honest again, while the term 'micro-provenance' makes us chuckle, the nose here is beautiful, round, very much on banana cakes, a touch of apricot and muscat, acacia flower fritters, multi-flower honey... you get the picture. Except that all this has not much to do with 'pure island of Islay'. So much for 'provenance'. With water: fresh bread. Who doesn't love fresh bread, right. Mouth (neat): excellent, it almost seems peated, really. White pepper, roots, plums, Earl Grey, ethanol. That's normal at 62% or nearly. With water: grapefruit, gentian, lemon, green melon, and even some ashes. Finish: long and saltier. Comments: this is not a classic Bruichladdich, and it's even hard to pinpoint the how and why of it, but it works well. Have they added some Port Charlotte to the mix? Some Lochindaal? Some Octomore?
SGP:651 - 86 points.

Bruichladdich 13 yo 2005/2018 (64%, Whiskybroker, cask #1452)

Whiskybroker has already offered some wonderful casks, always refined and subtle, and, above all, strictly never tampered with as far as I can tell. Colour: white wine. Nose: a Bruichladdich entirely on garden fruits, mirabelles, quinces, peaches, pears, then the proverbial melons and sunflower oil. Really very, very nice. With water: Middle Eastern bread and panettone. All very beautiful, very inspiring. Mouth (neat): very powerful, on pears, apples, and melons. A superb eau-de-vie-like quality. But at 64%, one must be extra-careful, as the neighbours here might say. With water: pure fruitiness, a classic Laddie eau-de-vie character. Finish: quite long, taut, lemony. Green apple. Comments: even Bruichladdich themselves don't often produce malts as 'Bruichladdich' as this.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Bruichladdich 30 yo (48.2%, The Single Malts of Scotland, Director's Special, hogshead, 218 bottles, +/-2024)

Colour: white wine. Nose: one wonders if the hoggie was made of concrete or clay. Apricots, peaches, melon, greengages, soft meadow honeys, natural vanilla. Absolutely zero cask influence, at least in terms of flavouring, it's as if this old Bruichladdich had been stored in demijohns since its tenth year. Mouth: wonderfully gentle, with honey, green apples, honey, green apples, honey, green apples, honey... and so on. Just a drop of melon liqueur. Finish: long, taut. A hint of mint in the aftertaste, and especially pear. Comments: an old Bruichladdich that has remained extraordinarily elemental after thirty years in the cask, almost a thesis subject.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

A last one for the road (an expression that'll soon become strictly verboten, I suppose).

Bruichladdich 31 yo 1991/2023 '5a' (50.6%, Cask 88, Ralph Steadman, refill hogshead, cask #2258)

Love Ralph Steadman! For once, someone genuinely famous. Sometimes whisky brands showcase 'artists' whom absolutely no one outside of Glasgow has ever heard of, like one of the CEO's cousins or the owner's half-brother (ha). Colour: white wine. Nose: very much in the same realm as TSMOS' Director Special, word for word. Plums, peaches, melons, lemon, fresh honey, then sweet peas, beans, sweetcorn, vanilla… With water: brioche dough, fresh panettone (not really in season), pumpkin pie… Mouth (neat): very fruity, with even more apples, plums, grapefruit, peaches, sweet meadows honeys… With water: same, apples, pears, plums, green melon, green pepper… Finish: quite long, rather on green fruits. Greengages and gooseberries. Comments: we've had the pleasure of tasting these spirits at all ages, thanks especially to Cadenhead. At 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 25 years, now 30 years… As Alain Delon's character said in Visconti's 'Il Gattopardo', everything must change for everything to stay the same. I agree, it's not directly related, but it does put the role of time into perspective, don't you think…
SGP:551 - 88 points.

That's enough Laddies for this spring… Stay tuned.

(Merci Stéphane)

Check the index of all Bruichladdich we've tasted so far