Westland/Bruichladdich Tasting Review Part 2: Bruichladdich
Background
Welcome to part two of my review of the recent Jack Rose tasting! For those interested, part one is here. This particular tasting was put on by Westland and Bruichladdich, both of which are owned by Rémy Cointreau, and hosted by National Brand Ambassador Jason Cousins. This part will cover the Bruichladdich offerings, of which there were three plus a MYSTERY POUR. An important disclaimer before we start: I can’t tell you how many times I Googled the correct spelling of “Bruichladdich” while writing this. That “i” before the “c” can go to hell. These scores were unaffected by my annoyance with Scottish spelling.
Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie (NAS, 50%)
Nose: Light, floral, approachable. Fresh cut apples and flowers. It’s pretty delicate. Not boring per say, but subtle and coy.
Palate: Brown sugar and apple oatmeal. I'm actually getting a big oatmeal note, it’s taking me back to these Quaker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal packs I used to make for breakfast growing up. Besides that, it’s a little grassy.
Finish: That cut grains note persists, as does the fresh apple, there's a bit of vanilla and cloves.
Good (5/10)
Overall: It’s a good whisky! Will I be bouncing my grandkids on my knee telling them about The Classic Laddie? No, but it’s a tasty entry level pour and definitely a good gateway dram to Scotch generally.
Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2013 (10 Years, 50%)
Nose: Brown bread, caramel apples but heavy on that fresh, drippy caramel. Robust yeasty and toasted notes leave you constantly swirling this in the glass and taking your time moving into the sip.
Palate: Take that brown bread, and add that cinnamon butter from Texas Roadhouse. It has a nice oily texture. A little peachy. Lightly syrupy peaches perhaps. Or just stone fruit generally. The texture is on point.
Finish: That stone fruit really persists, then maybe bake it into a gooey pie with some baking spices. Fruity and spicy, it blossoms into an array of flavors on the back of the palate.
Excellent (8/10)
Overall: Made with 6 row barley that is grown in Orkney, this really morphs on the palate. What starts as a yeasty, brown bread and buttery sip opens up into this lovely stone fruit. This one really stuck with me, as I’m not sure I’ve yet to have anything quite like it in a Scotch. It’s texture is deliciously oily, and it is layered with flavor from nose to finish.
Bruichladdich 18 Year (18 Years, 50%)
Nose: Toasted oak, I guess almost lightly herbal. I recently bought some fresh Farmer's Market wildflower honey and it reminds me of that. It has a mature, golden sweetness.
Palate: For unpeated whisky, I still get a bit of a charred toasted oak. Creme brulee and pineapples. It’s not smoky really… but it does have these roasted, somewhat medicinal notes that are hard to place.
Finish: A bit minty, lemony cough drops, syrupy and medicinal coating. Almost numbing. It lasts FOREVER. What a finish on this bad boy wow. It just hangs on the palate.
Great (7/10)
Overall: Lots going on here! Flavorful, citric, toasty, somewhat medicinal. There’s a charred, kind of over toasted stave note that is a touch off putting on the palate… but then it takes off. The finish is absolutely killer.
Now onto the MYSTERY pour…
Bruichladdich Black Art 11 Ed. (24 Years, 88.4%)
Nose: Orange candies, wax candles, sticky melty candies. It absolutely pops out of the glass with these butterscotchy and sherry forward orchard fruit notes.
Palate: Big ole sticky coffee pudding, fancy dark chocolate, have you ever had those wax coca cola bottle candies? It’s kind of like you bit into one of those. A syrupy cola note layered with a waxy texture. There’s hints of minerality and salinity, presenting almost like rock candy.
Finish: Sticky toffee pudding, waxy caramel chews, tart and succulent slices of dark fruits intermingle with the slightest bit of a medicinal menthol note and star anise. Waves of waxy texture and citrus wash over the back of the throat and hang around.
Incredible (9/10)
Overall: I used to work at a movie theater, and about once a year someone would fuck up changing the soda syrup box and it would spill EVERYWHERE. It's got a big delicious, soda syrup vibe but that’s overly simplistic. It has a waxy texture, layers of flavor and kisses of Islay influence in the form of this general medicinal minerality.
