Our remote Feis Ile 2025, today at Bruichladdich


May 25, 2025

Our remote Feis Ile 2025, today at Bruichladdich

It's Sunday, let’s try to find some melon and a touch of sea spray today…

Bruichladdich 2003/2025 (56.7%, Caora, refill barrel, cask #132, 273 bottles)

No doubt already an unpeated Laddie, although let us not forget that the very first batches post-2000 had been lightly peated, around 5ppm if memory serves, under the influence of one Mr Jim McEwan. Colour: straw. Nose: these batches tend to be rather fat on the nose after more than twenty years, with plenty of candied citrus, cassata and limoncello... Yet the whole remains very clean, almost fresh. With water: I do seem to detect a little melon indeed, a wee chalky side with aspirin tablet and a few drops of yellow Chartreuse. Mouth (neat): citrus and linden infusion, and again this very textured, oily feel throughout. Perhaps even a faint saline touch. With water: eminently Bruichladdich. Melon, salt, mandarin, lime blossom, a tiny oyster and some lemon. You know what other malt it brings to mind? Pulteney! Finish: long, citrusy, waxy, with a splash of sea water. Comments: one does not so often encounter such coastal character in B, despite past mantras, if you see what I mean. At any rate, these refill barrels handily beat any other cask combination, in my view.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Bruichladdich 33 yo 1991/2024 (41.5%, Sansibar, Fazzino series, bourbon hogshead, 233 bottles)

Caution here, this may well have turned fragile, even though they were mostly filling into ‘very refill’ casks back then. Colour: very pale white wine. You see! Nose: it whispers, it speaks softly, sending you little apples, a touch of acacia honey, quince paste, a hint of damp earth, some dried flowers, potpourri... Mouth: a young lady Laddie (?!). Light, delicate, not tired in the slightest, mostly on apple and light beer, cedar wood, tiny plums, wild cherries, tisanes... One might almost call this an afternoon whisky. It is most lovely, very delicate, refined... Finish: not very long but firmer, fruity, mostly on yellow fruits, with quince returning for an encore – nature’s little wonder. You’ll tell me you’ve never seen a quince tree on Islay, not even in the wooded bit in the middle of the island. Comments: zero fatigue here, but this is truly delicate and quite beautiful, though you’d perhaps do well to wear sunglasses when reading the very shiny label. No, love you Sansibar.
SGP:541 - 89 points.

Bruichladdich 22 yo 1965 (48.8%, OB, Riserva Veronelli, Rinaldi import, Italy, 2400 bottles)

A fairly well-known official bottling from the golden vintages of the 1960s. Not to be confused with the superb 1966 Riserva Veronelli imported by Moon (WF 91). Colour: gold. Nose: Bruichladdich, like Bunnahabhain, was still peated up until the very early 1960s, and one would swear there’s a touch of peat here too, a bit of ash, whiffs of campfire smoke... It’s also rather earthy, with humus, old stumps, mushrooms, an old tin of mint tea, and even a good helping of pine nuts. Old herbal liqueurs, Bénédictine, Verveine du Velay... Mouth: yes, still some peaty notes, earthy, metallic, with ham, marrow, orchard leaves, Italian bitters (naturally), smoked ham, ashes... This is absolutely not your usual fruity old Bruichladdich. Finish: long, still on those old herbal liqueurs, salt, pepper, ashes... Comments: it may not be sexy as such, but these damp earthy tones are of great beauty and the saline notes are rather stunning. Perhaps a wee touch of OBE.
SGP:462 - 90 points.

(Merci to Hannes)

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