Weekend Briefs Nov. 2022: Bruichladdich Three Ways
A round-up of quick reviews with a focus on Bruichladdich! The modern renaissance of Bruichladdich owes much to the taste and distilling acumen of Jim McEwan, though he was certainly not alone in breathing life back into the mothballed distillery. The three whiskies below illustrate important aspects of that renaissance— bottling and blending pre-existing stocks, offering a private cask scheme to help raise funds and cultivate enthusiasm for the distilling, and experimenting with new styles, distillation cuts, and peat levels.
My love affair with Bruichladdich has been focused almost entirely on Port Charlotte, though occasionally, unpeated Bruichladdich and heavily peated Octomore have struck my fancy. I suppose I am a bit of a Goldilocks and need that middle ground of peat and funk.
A friend and an absolute Bruichladdich nut provided the first two whiskies in this review. The first bottle was distilled before Bruichladdich was mothballed in the 90s and subsequently released when the distillery came back to life. The second bottle was a private cask sold by the distillery— indeed, owning a private cask has to be a dream for many a scotch enthusiast. Private casks can be quite the gamble, and I have tasted more than a couple that seemed absolute train wrecks— perhaps the kind of whisky only the owner can appreciate. This was not one of those bottles.
The final whisky is one I own and have started and stopped typing up a review many times. I finally brought it to another whisky tasting with friends and used their refined palates to help me finish my review. I am ponderous about reviewing the whisky I own because I never actually feel like reviewing them. I just want to kick back and relax.
With Bruichladdich on the brain, on the reviews!
Whisky Details: Bruichladdich 16 Year (1991) Port Cask Finish 46%
Nose: Subtle and soft with grape, dried fruits, beach florals, driftwood, red ginger, plumeria, and hints of passionfruit.
Palate: Medium-bodied with dried fruits, hints of tropical florals, chalky mineral-rich beach sand, mellow salt, hibiscus tea, and hints of sandalwood.
Finish: Medium-length with mellow fruit and subtle salty-mineral beach vibes.
Score: 6-7
Narrative & Notes: A pleasant and mild beach sipper, if ever there were one. Whiskies come with all sorts of different vibes and fit different moods. I have written before how much I love a good bath time dram— something fruity, oily, and perfect for kicking back with while the world spins on by without me for a little bit. This was something adjacent to that, better suited for the beach rather than the bath. It was a dram for sipping under the shade of a palm tree in the morning or that magic twilight hour when the sun slips below the horizon.
This was really enjoyable. I wish it were a little bit heavier and the finish longer, but that might have taken away from the beachy mellow vibes.
Whisky Details: Bruichladdich 15 Year (2003) Private Cask “Freedom CMA/MG” Sherry Hogshead 59.9%
Nose: Musty and farmy, Hawaiian fruit punch, cigarettes and tobacco smoke, vegetal, leather, coconut cream.
Palate: Medium-bodied, musty, lacquered wood, a hint of sandalwood, leather, a kiss of celery salt, dark chocolate, subtle fruit punch, coconut flesh, wet pavement and mineral toward the end.
Finish: Lingering dried fruit and tobacco with hints of minerals and salt.
Score: 7+
Narrative & Notes: I love when a dram reminds me of the old-school diners that existed when I was a child: a glass of fruit punch, a leather booth, and an air so laden with smoke that it permeated everything. Okay, maybe I do not miss all of that, but a dram such as this triggers a wonderful nostalgia for those yesteryears.
This was a remarkably un-funky Bruichladdich. Beyond a bit of farminess to the nose, there was none of the telltale lactic quality from Jim McEwan’s time at the helm. There was so much going on with this dram that I barely missed those aspects— perhaps with the sherry they combined to give that lovely coconut cream running throughout in the background.
Private casks are a gamble, but this one came up as a winner.
Whisky Details: Lochindaal 10 Year (2009) First Fill Bourbon 63%, Lady of the Glen
Nose: Creamy, salty, citrusy, and a bit funky. Seashells, clams, butter, and citrus sizzled away with hints of wood smoke. A gradual transition to salty-smokey caramel ice cream and hints of kinako began as sweeter notes took hold. A subtle funk, farmy and grassy, with hay, clover, and horse blankets, lingered in the background.
Palate: Medium-bodied, citrus, salt, cream, herbal. Salted citrus candies with licorice, sarsaparilla, and horehound. Occasionally medicinal as the herbal notes moved toward burning grass and mineral-laden smoke. Water accentuated the sweeter elements, highlighting more orange, caramel, and cream.
Finish: Medium-length with buttered seafood and herbs; more caramel and cream with water.
Score: 7
Narrative & Notes: I love Lochindaal, and every time I review one, I feel obligated to say that Bruichladdich should make more of this. Two runs were not enough, though I am glad they seemingly sold off just about every cask so that they regularly pop up with independent bottlers. At the time, this was my first Lochindaal. I bought it without knowing what it would be like. Still, I thought the story of its production and the idea of a peatier Port Charlotte (without reaching Octomore levels of intensity) was promising. I was not disappointed— though I am certainly a bit sad that the price of Lochindaal bottles has increased quite a bit since I made my first tentative foray just a couple of years back.
Overall, I own this bottle, or what is left of it, and would buy it again in a heartbeat.
