Origin: Islay (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 59.5%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Chorlton Whisky
Average price: € 200.00
Official website: chorltonwhisky.co.uk
Vote: 87/100
Whoever delights, even without too much ambition, in writing about whisky, soon becomes, willy-nilly, a compulsive accumulator of samples with which he manages to cram entire cupboards and of which he inevitably ends up losing count. Then, from time to time, it happens that from the bottom of these cupboards sprout samples whose existence we blissfully ignored and which, like bewitching sirens that it is impossible to resist and peremptory reminders of our shaky memory, invite us not to waste any more time and to drink.
Such is the case with this David Bennett’s Bruichladdich, so from memory picked up at the Beija-Flor counter during the Milan Whisky Festival in 2021 at the suggestion of Lamberto, the luminous and enlightened magister of this blog, whom we thank for the tip.
It is an unpeated single cask from Bruichladdich, distilled on 27 July 2005, matured in a former bourbon barrel and bottled after 15 years in 146 examples incredibly still available in Italy.
Tasting notes
The colour is almost amber.
On the nose, the entrance is on a somewhat disconcerting iron note which soon gives way to rather delicate hints of vanilla, custard and icing sugar. All very harmonious, but of a fragile harmony that seems likely to fail at any moment. Instead, it endures and is enriched by impressions of peach in syrup and mascarpone.
In the mouth, the fruity dimension predominates with apricot, peach and interesting tropical nuances of mango and maracuja. Touches of polished light wood and cork, a sprinkling of pepper and a nice sip of peach tea open the door to a medium-long finish with lots of vanilla and a general creaminess in the background.
Another excellent bottling from Chorlton Whisky, in which the monstrous strength does not devastate but sustains and the ensemble of aromas, even if not too original, possesses an overall tone that convinces and conquers.