Another eclectic mix of bottles from late summer evenings. A few of these came out at bottle shares and tastings before, but it is impossible to try everything in a single night, so I was glad to finally have a moment with them (looking at you fatberg!). I thought I had reviewed this Brora before, but I cannot find a post online or wherever my written or typed notes ended up filed away. On to the whisky!
Brora 24 Year (1981), Chieftain’s Choice Cask 1522
NOTES: Freshly extinguished candle wicks and melted wax blew in with dried plums, woody potpourri spice, and a bit of pomegranate syrup. A backbone of old papers, waxy comic book covers, and unfinished wood put me in mind of an old comic book store, now long closed, that I used to frequent. Light-bodied on the palate, the flavor profile was austere with wooden pencils, shavings from sharpening the pencils, and just a touch of wax that built in the background. Plums and stone fruit pits appeared with pepper and strawberry vanilla infused black tea. The finish was medium-length, drying, and austere with old comic books, stone fruit pits, and a touch of pithy bitterness.
SCORE: 6-7 (79)
IMAGE: Comic Book Store Browsing
THOUGHTS: The aroma met my expectations for what a Brora should be, checking off classic notes and qualities as if running down a checklist. However, it was a bit austere and challenging on the palate, and perhaps a bit washed out on the finish. That made for a confusing experience— was this just another smelling whisky? No, it was not quite at that level, but the aroma wrote checks that the palate could not cash.
Bruichladdich 14 Year (2008), SMWS 23.81 “Fatberg ahead!”
NOTES: Creamy yogurt with pineapple, mango, and peach chunks were a fair complement to gingersnap cookies with their ginger, molasses, and sugar crystal bite. Subtle coconut appeared on the edges of the cream and somehow reinforced the idea of Little Debbie oatmeal creme pie cookies. Medium-bodied on the palate and rather oily and fatty, the profile was loaded with more yogurt with pineapple, apricot, and poached pears. A surprising dirtiness lingered in the background providing contrast to the fruits and cream with grease, rubber machine belts, dirty concrete— it was the loading dock at a grocery store (my first job!) The finish was medium to long with creamy yogurt, dry wooden pencils, and dried pineapple.
SCORE: 8 (87)
IMAGE: Yogurt Smugglers
THOUGHTS: This had everything I want from a Laddie, I totally understand why the bottle typically remains hidden away.
Glenburgie 18 Year (1989), Murray McDavid
NOTES: Fruity hard candies, mostly green apple but with a few purple grape, arrived in a basket of woven palm fronts and dried grass— a touch of sisal perhaps. Waxy candies and freshly mowed grass moved toward pouches of orange Tang as the aroma grew more spirited over time. Medium-bodied on the palate, the fruits were more medicinal in nature with cherry cough syrup and later bubble gum flavored amoxicillin. Plenty of butterscotch and Werther’s Original candies ran throughout with dried grass, new leather, and plastic— vaguely new car. Water brought out more butterscotch and a bit of sour fruits with crab apples. The finish was medium-length and drying with fruity hard candies and plastic.
SCORE: 5-6 (75)
IMAGE: Butterscotch Amoxicillin
THOUGHTS: I naturally wanted to like this because it was Glenburgie, and Glenburgie (yes, spelled Glenburghie on this bottle) is one of my favorite distilleries. Maybe I judged this a bit harsher because it did not live up to my expectations for the distillery. I have not been a huge fan of rivesaltes maturations or finishes, so I am also not surprised this fell a bit flat for me. It was overly sweet, rather spirited for the age, and loaded with an odd medicinal quality that clashed with the butterscotch on the palate. Toward the end it had an interesting plasticine element, but I was already struggling to enjoy the sourness that had crept in. Overall, an odd whisky— I would try this again because of how strange it ended up being— was this just a one off? Otherwise, it was not to my taste.
Lochindaal 14 Year (2010), The Roots
NOTES: Farmy and herbal with patches of wild mint, barley sprouts, and dried grass. Freshly fertilized fields in the warm tropical night air… maybe something I experience more often than not (I love it, the neighbors complain)… with manure, hay, lacquered wood, and gradually more resinous woods and aromatics: fine cologne in a pasture. Medium-bodied and very oily on the palate with burnt grass and fertilized fields that gave way to lemons, coastal salinity, sea shells, and a touch of dirty grill— it was altogether less funky and farmy on the palate. The finish was medium to short with coastal brine, driftwood, and minerally sea shells on the beach.
SCORE: 6-7 (80)
IMAGE: Honouliuli 6:34AM Kahauiki Bound Train
THOUGHTS: Farmy and maritime, this mid-teens Lochindaal had a lot going for it on the aroma. The palate was a bit of a step back, it was hefty enough to never feel austere, but the farmier elements were pushed well back after an initial gust. It was in keeping with most of my prior Lochindaal experiences as maritime brine, beachy minerals, and sea shells came to the fore. Citrusy elements felt more lemony than the orange that some of these malts have carried, but the overall profile was coherent and developed nicely. Overall, another tasty Lochindaal… maybe they should make more.
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