Bruichladdich 31 yo 1991 (50.6%, Cask 88 ‘Ralph Steadman’, cask #2258, refill hogshead, 125 bottles)
Ralph Steadman is a celebrated satirical illustrator, more famously associated with Hunter S. Thompson. Colour: straw. Nose: very typical with lots of ripe green fruits, melon, lemon barley water, chopped hazelnut and lime zest. The kind of cask that the new owners were filling into any wine cask they could get their hands on only a decade or two ago; as ever, slow and steady wins the race. With water: becoming leaner, drier and more dominated by cereals, canvass, hessian, olive oil and dried herbs. Mouth: a slightly taut and narrow profile, with a fair bit of white pepper, watercress, aniseed, crushed aspirin and fresh linens. Also quite a few pure cereal notes, some chalky qualities and things like vase water, bay leaf and caraway. Very typical of this era of production in my view. With water: again, a lovely combo of lemony and cereal qualities, with a few glimmers of those initial green fruits and even a wee coastal impression coming through. Finish: medium, again rather peppery, more vase water, more olive oil and a little salinity in the aftertaste. Comments: very typical of these early 1990s batches, I would say they show at their best after this length of time and from this cask type. 
SGP: 541 - 87 points.  

Bruichladdich 21 yo ‘Penny Black’ (46%, Moon Import, sherry, bottled 1989, 3216 bottles)
Colour: bright mahogany. Nose: it makes we realise that there is something about older style sherry of this quality, paired with a c46% bottling strength that is a dynamite combination. Well, actually, it’s nothing to do with dynamite! This is hyper clean, pristinely earthy, salty, full of dark fruits balanced on a knife edge between sweeter qualities and more umami, salty and savoury aspects. Beautiful and even rather simplistic notes of raisins, sultana and salted liquorice. It’s easy to see why people have such strong affections for this bottling. Mouth: this perfect mix of drier earthy tones, mushroom powder, pipe tobacco, old pinot noir, game salami and slightly more playful and sweeter notes of glazed brioche, candied citrus rinds and then rising notes camphor drenched in rancio. I feel the bottling strength brings everything together and makes for a very singular profile, even if, in the process, it perhaps also makes the whole a tad simpler. Finish: long, beautifully earthy, full of complex fruit and dark teas, clove, dried mint, aniseed and wintergreen. Comments: an impeccable sherry profile that’s deep, but also hyper fresh, bright and persistently coastal and salty - much like the very best dry olorosos. I would argue it’s not in the tiptop league of Bruichladdich, but it’s flying high! 
SGP: 562 - 91 points.

Bruichladdich 1966/1983 ‘Riserva Veronelli’ (53.5%, Moon Import, sherry, 2400 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: immediately bigger, more tense and with a more expansive structure and complexity. Much more towards very old Fins Bois cognac, Midori (melon liqueur), orange cocktail bitters and some very posh marmalade! Also many tertiary notes as well, including wee earthy and savoury notes, cigar humidor, bouquet garni and ham hock. Enigmatic in some ways, but convincingly so. With water: opens wonderfully, becoming highly autumnal with many impressions of leaf mulch, darker earthy notes, wine cellar must, classic sherry bodega funk. Also doubling down on these wonderful orangey, marmalade impressions. Mouth: excellent, highly umami and salty arrival, really powerfully on salted almonds, salted liquorice and extremely old, dry Oloroso. Impressive and surprising power and intensity on the palate. Goes on with a lovely mix of aged Cointreau and Chartreuse: oranges and herbs + honey - in other words. With water: as on the nose, it really gathers power, expressiveness and salinity when water is added. The whole becoming fresher, broader and more full on orange oils, mint tea, lime pith, aniseed and deeper tones of camphor and unlit cigars. Finish: very long and superbly salty! Has a highly tense, salty and umami aftertaste the makes you think of such things as Maggi and soy sauce. Comments: water accelerated this one over the line very comfortably. Exactly the character that I ‘feel’ a lightly peated Islay whisky should possess. 
SGP: 661 - 92 points.