Bruichladdich 7 Year “Laddie Origins” for Fèis Ìle 2021
Whisky: Bruichladdich 7 Year “Laddie Origins” for Fèis Ìle 2021
Country/Region: Scotland/Islay
ABV: 56.3%
Cask: Oak
Age: 7 Years (Bottled 5 June 2021)
Nose: Soft and tropical, citrus and peach, chalky earth, dried grass, heather, hay, grain chaff.
Palate: Medium to light-bodied, vibrant flavors; tropical citrus, graphite, chalky earth, heather, wood shop scraps; grassy and earthy with a mild funk toward the end.
Finish: Medium-length and slightly drying with chalky earth, citrus, and dried grass.
Score: 6-7 (80)
Mental Image: Sun-Tea in the Hay Bale Shade
Narrative & Notes: The aroma was soft and tropical, with sweet citrus rind and peach pits. Lemon and teases of grapefruit gradually revealed chalky earth and dried grass with grain chaff, heather, and hay bales. Medium to light-bodied, the profile was bursting with tropical citrus, herbs, and a touch of grassy-earthy funk toward the end. Lemons and yuzu danced with graphite and chalky earth ahead of dried grass, hay, and heather. Wood shop scraps and an earthiness that approached but never quite hit petrichor remained at the end with a mellow grassy or hay bale funk. The finish was medium-length and slightly drying with chalky earth, citrus, and dried grass.
A touch spirited and peppery at times, I enjoyed the interplay of earth and citrus throughout the whisky. I initially tried this blind as part of our online whisky group’s mystery advent calendar. I had no idea what to guess, and I was torn between Arran, Glenlossie, Glenburgie, or even Littlemill. Some aspects of it reminded me of each of those distilleries, but nothing felt entirely right. I ended up hedging my bets and guessed that it was Arran (a favorite of one of the organizers) and a Lowland malt… clearly those both cannot be right, but I felt the need to be strategic.
It turns out this was “Laddie Origins,” the Bruichladdich release for Fèis Ìls in 2021. The final product combined whisky from 20 different casks produced between 2001 and 2014 with various types of maturation from first-fill bourbon, sherry, and several kinds of wine. Upon tasting the malt again a few days later, no longer blind, I can see more of the Bruichladdich DNA than I did initially, especially hints of an old hay or earthy farmyard note I usually associate with Port Charlotte. I did not pick up any lactic notes, which have historically been a key fingerprint for identifying the distillery.
Overall, a well-composed single malt with some interesting attributes, no doubt something a bit different and special for the annual whisky festival on Islay.
