Bruichladdich Cask Tasting 2003

Bruichladdich Rum Cask 2001 (2 years old at the time of tasting)

Tasted: 2003 (from cask)

A very spirity nose, wheaty and malty, which hasn’t surprisingly picked up anything from the cask at this moment in time.

The palate is very much the same with nascent fruit but quite a fair amount of spice!

Bruichladdich 1998 (5 year old at the time of tasting)

Bourbon

Tasted: 2003 (from cask)

The nose is incredibly young, very spirity, wheaty/grainy and biscuity, with that almost of the still pungency. Being just a mere five years old it is to be expected.

On the tongue it is very oily, tangy and spirity with those malty/wheaty/cereal, just off the still flavours very evident.

Bruichladdich Manzanilla Cask 1998 (5 year old at the time of tasting)

Tasted: 2003 (from cask)

This was one of five special casks which the whisky had been decanted into on 14 March 2000 from Bourbon casks. The nose was very rich displaying a marked similarity to the 1990 Mortlach. Very intense with a dry sharpness and sherried fruit aromas.

The palate was fruity and tangy. Very intense on the middle. The trademark biscuit, fudge and vanilla flavours are conspicuous with an added sherry complexity.

Bruichladdich Oloroso Cask 1986 (17 year old at the time of tasting)

Tasted: 2003 (from cask)

A very heavy, rich oloroso nose, displaying a marked similarity to the 1998 Manzanilla cask, but with an abundant, oilier character.

On the palate it was rich and smooth, yet intensely tangy acidity, sherried fruit and a very distinct salty character. The finish was very long and lingering with hints of digestive biscuits on the finish.

Bruichladdich 1970 (33 year old at the time of tasting)

Bourbon

Tasted: 2003 (from cask)

A good fruity nose, quite floral with marzipan, salt, angelica, white fruit along with a touch of lightly oiled crème caramel.

The palate is clean and fruity and mirrors the nose with white fruit, angelica and a touch of crème caramel and biscuits. Very soft, refined, elegant and harmonious with a lovely texture. Very long with a lightly creamy finish.

Bruichladdich 1964 (39 year old at the time of tasting)

Bourbon

Tasted: 2003 (from cask)

What a find, nestling in a dusty corner was this little gem. The nose is stunning, rich, very complex, ephemeral and floral. Apricot, digestive biscuits and rich creamy butterscotch aromas dominate, with a touch of light oil and sea air.

The palate is incredibly complex, soft and full with an ethereal balance. Honeyed apricots seeped in a harmonious, slightly smoky Islay liquor. The finish is absolutely delicious, very long, very smooth and very pure. 

North Star Spirits Bruichladdich Tasting Notes

North Star Spirits Bruichladdich 2002 (15 year old) 57.1%

Radoux French Oak (ex Bordeaux?)/ Dist: July 2002 Btl: Sept 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2017

Dark and malty aromas with an almost sherry-like richness. Hints of heavy treacle/ syrup, vanilla and subtle red wine notes. Very subtly peated with the sweet, but grippy oak in the background.

The palate is rich and dark. Slightly syrupy with dark fruit, malt and hints of red berries. Again the oak is quite grippy and slightly spicy with hints of salt and earth coming through. Long with a subtle peatiness, drying tannins, green oak and lingering sweet bbq sauce.

A drop of water makes the nose a little soapy and the palate becomes a little vague, but emphasises the grippy/ spicy oak.

Malts of Scotland Bruichladdich Tasting Notes

Malts of Scotland Bruichladdich 2003 (10 year old) 56.3%

First Fill (?) Sherry Hogshead – MOS13051/ Dist: Jun 2003 Btl: Oct 2013/ Tasted: Nov 2014

A serious nose full of what must be first fill Oloroso. Very clean and leafy with liquorice, treacle, tar and a touch of brandy butter. It’s all sherry, which isn’t a surprise with developing green nuts, tobacco and dried fruit.

The palate opens with an intensity of green nuts, dried fruit, liquorice, treacle and tar. So thick and unctuous you could slice it up and serve it for desert! Again there is zero distillery character or  coastal character for that matter. There is a very minor blemish noticeable on the middle, which unfortunately lingers. Quite a dry, tannic, tart after-taste.

Oh dear. A drop of water brings out that struck match note on the nose. However it is less noticeable on the palate now. It is a homogenous sherry palate, it could be any from distillery and ultimately is rather disappointing.

Claxton’s Bruichladdich Tasting Notes

Claxton’s The Single Cask Bruichladdich 2005 (11 year old) 57.2%

Ex Rioja Cask 1605-1052/ Dist: July 2005 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016

A very earthy nose of damp soil and bruised cherry fruit. Hints of syrup and a balancing coastal thread. With time a touch of malt, smoke, sweet barley and citrus appears.

The palate is earthy like the nose with hints of hessian, syrup and coffee. Tawny, aged red fruit, barley and salt follow but the coffee notes power through on the middle. Long and lightly peated with a lovely salt encrusted finish.

A drop of water emphasises the peat, straw and earthy fruit. On the palate it emphasises the juicy, syrup coated fruit and earth.

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Bruichladdich Tasting Notes

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Bruichladdich Batch 1 49.6%

Tasted: July 2014

Nose: Very grainy with a spirit nip. Sharp citrus, light dusty barley, brittle honey and grainy oak follow. Lightly leafy and herbal with hints of baked fruit and tobacco. Water emphasises the citrus and brings out a perfumed note.  

Palate: Opens with some soft vanilla ice cream and barley. Succulent and juicy with a touch of apricot and some lightly tannic oak notes. Water unfortunately turns it into sugar water!  

Finish: Quite hot, gritty and tannic. Water again makes it rather sugary.  

Conclusion: Dilution does it no favours!

Hunter Laing Bruichladdich Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Bruichladdich 2003 (12 year old) 50%

Bourbon Barrel/ Code: OMC2533/ HL12144

Dist: Nov 2004 Btl: Nov 2015/ Tasted: Jan 2016

The aromas are quite gritty with coal dust and phenolic, briny peat. Lovely intensity and depth with some barley and baked fruit beneath the stinky, manurey peat.

The palate opens with the sweet-ish barley and slightly toffee’d oak, before the gritty, raw peat and dry some comes through. Very slight coastal note on the middle. Long and citric with coffee, gritty peat smoke, smoked meat, sweet peat and a touch of violets on the finish.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Bruichladdich 1988 (25 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2263/ HL9810

Dist: Feb 1988 Btl: May 2013/  Tasted: June 2013

A gorgeously fresh and mature nose of lightly briny baked apple and barley. Fragrant and floral with hints of honeysuckle, apple blossom, green apple, under ripe banana, guava and honeydew melon. Oooh! It’s becoming very tropical now! Stunningly fruity with a background of subtle yet mature oak. Light, duty spices mingle effortlessly with the lightly creamy oak vanillins.

Lightly creamy oak to begin with on the palate with a touch of butter toffee, then the green apple, banana, honeydew melon follows. The drying spices an oak come through on the middle with a little salt but the fruit return brining hints of barley, straw and citrus. Very, very long with hints of white liquorice, light coal dust, sweet dusty spices and dark chocolate on the finish. A superb, old ‘laddie!

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Bruichladdich 1991 (28 year old) 44.6%

Bourbon/ Code: OMC2931/ Dist: Oct 1991 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Dec 2019

The nose opens with nutty (peanut/ almond) oak and hints of toffee, malt and Cognac-esque dried apple. A touch of fresher apricot emerges along with nectarine, salt, violets, bog myrtle and cigar leaf. Quite elegant but it feels like it’s lacking some real Bruichladdich identity.

The palate opens with the nutty and marzipan oak with hints of apple, apricot and subtle baked fruits. It becomes a bit denser as the malt arrives along with honeysuckle and Cognac-esque dried fruit. The palate feels more focused than the noise and it is certainly more evocative. Long, lightly spied and peppery with returning mature marzipan and dried fruit. Great palate, shame the nose wasn’t quite as great.

Douglas Laing Bruichladich Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular Bruichladdich 1991 (25 year old) 54.6%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: XOP0064/ Dist: May 1991 Btl: June 2016/ Tasted: Nov 2016

Aromas of sea air and honeysuckle along with hints of vanilla, baked apple and gentle citrus notes, all gently dusted with castor sugar. Beautifully mature with a touch of dunnage and malt.

Fresh and citric on the palate with hints of vanilla, salt and subtle baked fruit. Bracing and briny on the middle with developing apple, apricot, honeysuckle and lightly coffee’d tannins. Intense and continuing salty on the finish but a touch of mature honey and malt balances. Superb length with lingering baked apple and salt. A classic, mature ‘laddie!

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Douglas Laing Old Particular Bruichladdich 2005 (11 year old) 48.4%

Sherry Hogshead/ Code: OL|D0385/ DL11509

Dist: June 2005 Btl: Nov 2016/ Tasted: Jan 2017

The nose is unfortunately a little dirty, dusty and balsamic with young, rose petal marc and burnt coffee. A little disconnected with some late treacle, cinnamon and burnt raisinated fruit.

The palate is coffee’d and balsamic with treacle and marc notes. Like the nose it is disconnected and a little rough. Thick, sugary, molasses sweetness with burnt spice on the middle. Good length with lingering sherried dried fruit, marc and finally a very subtle peat note. This really could have done with more time in the cask.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Bruichladdich 2005 (12 year old) 48.4%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OLD0487/ Dist: Jun 2005 Btl: Jun 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2017

A dark-ish and malty nose with coffee and subtle oxidised fruit. Gently earthy with hints of dark marzipan and camphor. Lightens with time as a touch of honeysuckle and cream emerges.

The palate opens with the creamy oak and barley. Like the nose it darkens as the coffee and malt arrives. Good, ripe fruit middle with a gentle saltiness. Long and lighter as the barley comes through with apricot, peach and pear to finish. Lovely progression.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Bruichladdich 2005 (12 year old) 48.4%

Sherry Hogshead/ CODE: OLD0544/ DL12197

Dist: Jun 2005 Btl: Dec 2017/ Tasted: Dec 2017

Tarry, malty and gristy aromas with plenty of herbal Oloroso, burnt treacle and Balcones-esque burnt scrub and spices.

The palate is a little lighter but still pretty dark, malty, herbal and tarry. The burnt scrub notes are subtler but still noticeable. Lightly salted and treacly with a wild, tarry, burnt green wood finish. Very entertaining!

Douglas Laing Old Particular Bruichladdich 2002 (13 year old) 48.4%

Refill Hogshead/ Code: OLD0253/ DL10957

Dist: Aug 2002 Btl: Nov 2015/ Tasted: Dec 2015

The nose opens with oily but sweet barley, liquorice, tar and phenolic (not peat) notes. Very coastal with lemon, digestive biscuits, hyacinth and violet notes developing. Classic, fresh, ‘Laddie.

The palate is soft and lightly citric with hints of biscuits and apricot, along with subtle peat and earth notes. Pleasantly fresh and very coastal on the middle. Medium length with barley, white fruit, salt and a touch of tar in the finish. All that’s lacking is a little wood character.

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Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Bruichladich 1992 (20 year old) 50%

Sherry Finished/ Code: OMC2206/ DL9037

Dist: Feb 1992 Btl: Dec 2012/ Tasted: Dec 2012

A beautifully mature nose. Slightly earthy and dusty. The sherry finish adds just a soupcon of dried Satsuma and grape and allows all that mature, delightful distillery character show. Hints of barley and salinity mingle with a touch of all-spice, light liquorice and baked apple. Superb stuff!

The palate is lightly salted and quite earthy with a touch of peat. The oils gently build along with some delicious sherry spices. Again the distillery character comes through with hints of baked apples and delicate citrus notes augmented by light dried grapey fruit. Very long with quite a thick, malty, slightly treacly finish along with hints of camphor, bog myrtle and drying spices.

Mackillop’s Choice Bruichladdich Tasting Notes

Mackillop’s Choice Bruichladich 1992 (19 year old) 57.8%

Sherry Cask 1874/ Dist: 1992 Btl: March 2012/ Tasted: Aug 2012

The nose displays a soft intensity of Oloroso dried fruit, Colombian coffee, sweet, sun dried raisins, dates, treacle along with some balsamic notes. Yes it’s a case of cask 1 v Distillery Character 0! Yes there is a touch of sweet barley and some coastal notes, but its all sherry really, very clean sherry though. 

The palate opens with soft liquorice, dark toffee, raisins, dates, prunes and sherrywood spices. Quite tannic on the middle with the alcohol adding to the mouth-watering dryness. Good length with a coffee’d and  slightly coastal  nuanced finish. It’s fine if you like sherry monsters but I’m not getting any ‘Laddie elegance here. 

Water doesn’t make much of a difference to the nose, maybe there’s a touch of citrus now and more dusty spices. The palate is slightly sweeter with a touch of burnt caramel now evident, but like the palate there is no real change.

Bruichladdich Distillery ‘Futures 2011’ Tasting Notes

Bruichladdich Future – Trestarig 2005 (6 year old) 46%

Triple distilled from Publican Barley

Bourbon Cask/ Dist: Aug 2005 Btl: Apr 2011

Bottle No: 1075

Tasted: Nov 2011

The nose opens with a lovely, delicately sweet floral note. As expected it’s quite gristy with plenty of fishy, costal hints. Laddie’s new make can be quite biscuity and there is plenty of that evident here. There is not a huge amount of oak but what there is imparts some burnt caramel and a touch of butter. The aromas remind me of ‘Toshan, but cleaner! 

The palate is soft and quite rich in character with plenty of sweet digestive biscuits with light hints of pepper and caramel. There is a pleasant spicy bite on the middle with hints of burnt wood and linseed oil mingling with the biscuity notes. The barley sweetness holds all the way through and it finishes with the barest of coastal notes. 

Bruichladdich Future – X4 2005 (6 year old) 64.6%

Quadruple distilled from Oxbridge Barley

Bourbon Cask/ Dist: Mar 2005 Btl: Apr 2011

Bottle No: 1285

Tasted: Nov 2011

Quite a refined and high toned nose, but like the Trestarig there is plenty of sweet barley and biscuity notes. Obviously not as rich as the Trestarig but showing a touch more wood notes. 

The palate is sweet and gristy and (no surprise) alcoholic! In saying that it possesses a lovely softness in the mouth but given the abv it does finish short but spicy with just a touch of sweet digestive biscuit. 

With water the nose possibly becomes a tad sweeter along with hints of green apple and violets, still quite biscuity but the oak has vanished. On the palate the light, natural oils are more prevalent and just like the nose the oak has disappeared but it’s still wonderfully spicy. 

Bruichladdich Future – Islay Grown 2004 (6 year old) 46%

Distilled from Publican, Oxbridge and Optic Barley

Bourbon Cask/ Dist: Dec 2004 Btl: Apr 2011

Bottle No: 0982

Tasted: Nov 2011

Lightly phenolic with sweet peat and rose peatl notes mingling. Ever so slightly confected with hints of sweet digestive biscuits. With time some soft, ultra-ripe tropical pineapple appears. To me it puts me in mind of a peated ‘Toshan. Really intriguing! 

The palate is light and gentle with oodles of sweet barley and delicate Spey-like grassy notes and some green apple. The light phenolic notes of the nose do not seem to appear on the palate but it has a lovely, fresh, mouth-watering, slightly perfumed finish.

Bruichladdich Future – Organic 2003 (7 year old) 46%

Distilled from Maris Otter Barley

Bourbon Cask/ Dist: Dec 2003 Btl: Apr 2011

Bottle No: 2599

Tasted: Nov 2011

A surprisingly spirity, high toned and edgy nose, but I’m afraid that there is not a lot else, maybe some sweet orange and fishy peat, but this is way too young and displays absolutely no wood interaction. It definitely doesn’t display and fatness, which could be down to the organic barley having smaller grains resulting in less sugar after fermentation? 

The palate is soft and gentle with a distinct milky character. Pleasantly round with some sweet barley but overall quite straightforward and dare I say it a bit bland and short. I would have expected some grist and biscuitiness but there is none of that present. 

Maybe this is a more ‘natural’ whisky, but one thing is for sure it definitely needed more time in the cask. Another thought is that given that this is organic the low wines tank would have to have been cleaned of all non-organic spirit, thus this could have been the product of the first run, ie, without any feints or foreshots from any previous distillation being added, thus the level of congeners in the spirit would have been a lot less than a spirit that was say distilled during the middle of a run. I could well be wrong but it’s a thought? 

Bruichladdich Future – Octomore 2004 (6 year old) 60.5%

Distilled from Optic Barley. Peated to 167 ppm

Bourbon Cask/ Dist: Nov 2004 Btl: Apr 2011

Bottle No: 2249

Tasted: Nov 2011

A very briny, windswept, youthfully phenolic nose of bog myrtle-peat and iodine. Very rich, full and maurey but this is by no means a one dimensional peat monster, there is some lovely balancing macerated fruit with hints of ‘old skool’ Caol Ila fresh garden fruit and a sprinkling of coffee/ chocolate spices. A seriously concentratedIslaynose with some beautiful coastal oily moments. Given time in the glass it becomes seriously rich and unctuous with the young biscuity spirit reacting with the wood to impart an almost Madeira-esque ‘finishing cask’ character – It’s a bit like Caol Ila on steroids! 

The palate is very butch and oily with creosote and tar notes up first. Once the eye watering alcohol has passed some hot peppered mackerel, vanilla oak, bog myrtle and herb notes flow in as does some delightfully dry, dusty peat, and more peat, and yet more peat! Liberally coating the mouth with this stunning peaty/ tarry/ oily residue. Stunningly long with hints of burnt wood and mulchy vegeatation. 

With water the richness of the oak takes a bit of a back seat to the herbal, bog myrtle and manuery notes. On the palate it has become more rounded and chewy now the alcohol is lessened and hints of sub-tropical fruit, banana and white peach have now emerged. The oak has intensified and the rampant bourbon vanillins make this a monumentally spicy mouthful, but that peat cannot be tempered. Beautifully polished but still with a definite Islay rawness. 

I tasted it against the last distillery bottling 04.1 and that seemed almost thin in comparison with this monster, which leads me to believe that the futures bottling was matured in more active casks. Also the peat make up was a lot ‘wetter’ in character in the 04.1. Either way Octomore is the real deal!

Private Cellar Bruichladdich Tasting Notes

Speyside Distillers Private Cellar Bruichladdich 1991 (17 year old) 43%

Sherry Cask/ Tasted: Sept 2008

The nose is quiet closed and unexciting aromas of sherry, a touch of coastal, gentle smoke and peat. Delicate and sweet with orange sherried fruit and delicate smoke on the palate. The finish is mellow with a tangy coastal finish. In conclusion – It’s Mr Dull from Dullsville!