Whisky : Bruichladdich 32 Year 1984

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV :  43.7%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon

Age : 32 Years (Distilled 1984, Bottled 26 May 2017)

Nose : Pears, pencil shavings, and old wood.  Opened with big notes of minerals and wood; pencil shavings, lead, slate, an old salty beached wooden boat, and a mild salinity.  Fruitier notes appeared with time as pears, pie crust, apple sauce, and butter.  

Palate : Light, though with a nice woody tannic structure and rich notes of pencil shavings, Japanese pear, and waxy tropical fruit.  Pencil shavings and minerality hit the palate first before crisp fruity sugars turned toward Japanese Pear and fruit punch.  Wood and fruit mixed to create the impression of lychee pits, waxy starfruit skins, and underripe nectarines.

Finish : Lingering waxy fruit sugars and a tingling dryness.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Fresh Cut Fruits at the Tropical Morning Market

Notes :  A Laddie with an age that nearly matches my own!  I have said before, there is something intensely romantic about drinking a whisky as old, or nearly, as oneself.  It gives one a moment to reflect on the world that was when this casked and all that transpired as the malt slept in its woody cocoon.

This definitely tasted old and when we poured this for the second birthday party of our local whisky group everyone pointed to a note of old wood that gave this dram the impression of being venerable.  I loved the subtly sweet fruity profile that came forward with time.  It reminded me strongly of a bowl of rough chopped and peeled fruits enjoyed during a morning at Papeʻete’s Mātete.

Overall, this was a remarkable Laddie that mellowed wonderfully with age and presented a unique profile of wood, minerals, and fruit.  This was nothing like any other Laddie I have had, though I have never had one even close to this old before.  This was lovely though the profile was a bit light and dry for my taste and I did not really care for all of the old wood notes that came through.  Still, this was very popular at our tasting and I would never turn down a dram of this if someone were offering.