I poured this as part of our online whisky group’s end of 2024 mystery series, though as an organizer I had some foreknowledge of what it was., and then took my sweet time actually finishing up my notes for it.  I would like to think I would have guessed the distillery correctly as it was absolutely slathered with classic Laddie lactic funk, perhaps a bit too much for my taste.

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Whisky: Bruichladdich 14 Year (2003), Micro-Provence Cask 10/179-1

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 60.8%

Cask: Bourbon, Calvados

Age: 14 Years (Distilled 4 Dec. 2003, Bottled 18 Dec. 2018)

Notes: Lactic and creamy with big full fat yogurt and fresh cheese colliding with fruits— apricot jam, orange, mango, and vanilla. Freshly polished wooden counter tops arrived with the mellow minerality of pencil graphite, old slate boards, and an extra helping of thick yogurt with cinnamon. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, the whisky was bursting with cream and fruits as a hefty dollop of soft mild cheese and yogurt encountered more apricot, orange, ginger, and pineapple fruit curds.  A spirited and pepper quality sat further in as lactic fats lingered on the tongue, more vanilla and wood arrived toward the end.  The finish was medium length with fruit curds, milk fats, and pepper.

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Score: 6 (77)

Mental Image: New Extra Spicy Yogurt!

Narrative & Notes: One for the Laddie lovers, I enjoyed it well enough but found it a bit lactic and spirited for my taste. The creamy fats, which were often pared with sweeter fruits, but occasionally felt a touch sour, were unmistakable.  The whisky was a touch spicy and spirited, though at 60% that was not a big surprise, it actually felt even more peppery and slightly raw when I returned to the remainder of the bottle a few weeks later.