WF’s Little Duos, today fresh Bruichladdich


August 19, 2024

WF’s Little Duos, today fresh Bruichladdich

We're beginning to recover from the many 'whiskies of the rest of the world' sampled during our little ‘Olympics’, so it's time to get back to our dear Scottish ones, taking it easy. Perhaps with two small Bruichladdichs, for example?

Poster at Bruichladdich Distillery (WF Archive, 2007)

Bruichladdich 2014/2024 ‘Islay Barley’ (50%, OB, bourbon and wine casks)

The barley hails from Islay, though I dare say the wine casks are from elsewhere, ha. It would also be intriguing to explore even more ‘terroir-forward’ expressions where the casks have been well-used enough to erase much of the influence from their previous contents. In any case, this baby is made from a harvest of autumn 2013 barley, once again highlighting the disconnect between the vintages of the cereals and the distillate, unlike, say, in Cognac. We'll talk about the dormancy of barley another time. Colour: white wine. Nose: delightfully fresh, with notes of white currants, green apple, yellow melon, brioche dough, citron, and gooseberries. Very fresh indeed, very Bruichladdich-esque. With water: much more on pastries, custard, streusels, and a very slight soapy note from the addition of water (saponification). Mouth (neat): plenty of yellow and white fruits, lemon peel, more green apple, and a touch of green pepper. There's a hint of wormwood too. Once again, it’s fresh and vibrant. With water: a bit more on stewed fruits, greengages, and other plums… Finish: of medium length, leaning more towards preserved yellow and white fruits, such as mirabelles. Some pollen on the aftertaste, and once again, a bit of green pepper. Comments: it’s really quite lovely, fresh, and fruity.
SGP: 651 – 85 points.

Bruichladdich 19 yo 2005/2024 (55.8%, Decadent Drinks, Whisky Sponge, first fill bourbon barrel, 206 bottles)

One of the last whiskies under the Whisky Sponge label, though we’ll soon be tasting new releases under the name ‘WhiskyLand’. This is one of the early vintages of The Laddie under the former ‘new regime’, though I believe they had already moved away from using the very lightly peated barley of the early 2000s. Colour: white wine. Nose: at first, it’s very much like the official bottlings (green apple, gooseberries, melon), but with more almonds and macadamia nuts, along with whiffs of fresh white tea leaves and lemongrass. A hint of mango too, possibly from the first fill barrel. With water: an oilier nose emerges (peanut oil), alongside grapefruit, passion fruit, and melon rind. It really loves water. Mouth (neat): and boom, there’s that limoncello again, but also a touch of natural rubber and sage, maybe even fresh basil. Some jelly babies and another splash of lemon balm water. There’s a certain richness, probably from the barrel. With water: beautifully developing once more, almost reminiscent of Rosebank. That richness is back too. Finish: rather long, almost waxy this time, with a clean, crisp note right at the end. Comments: a rather magnificent modern Bruichladdich, rich and almost opulent, yet still fresh.
SGP: 561 – 88 points.

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