Origin: Isle of Islay (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 50%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-wine and ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Bruichladdich (Rèmy Cointreau)
Average price: € 350.00
Official website: www.bruichladdich.com
Vote: 90/100
Since last year, the Fèis Ìle for Bruichladdich has been called Rock’Ndaal, the distillery’s open day on Loch Indall becoming a big rock party (as well as a whisky party), with perhaps the largest attendance on festival days.
And, of course, there is no shortage of special bottlings created for the occasion, this year distinctly divided into two of Bruichladdich’s ‘souls’: sixteen year olds, with the Rock’Ndaal 02.01 featuring unpeated distillate from local organic barley matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sauternes casks, and this 02.2 representing peat under the Port Charlotte label in refill ex-wine and butt ex-sherry casks.
Last year the choice had been to create two vatting between Octomore, Port Charlotte and the classic Bruichladdich, always distinguished between local organic barley and not, one all in ex-Bourbon and the other in ex-Wine and ex-Sherry, both at 50%ABV as this year and always in limited editions of 2,500 bottles.
Tasting notes
Very peaty on the nose as expected, with the smoke more evident at a distance from the glass, while going to the source the blanket thins out, opening up to a mouth-watering sachertorte resting on a bed of wet dried leaves and resin, with orange marmalade, toasted nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, cashews), dried fruit (blackcurrants, dates, plums), sour cherries and nutmeg. Opulent and liqueur-like, with a richness that evolves over time, extracting burnt caramel, coastal gusts, worked leather and a balsamic puff. Seductive.
On the palate it is the red fruits that take the reins of the flavours, juicy and slightly acidic, with smoke (thick and vegetal) framing the whole dram. Chocolate is the other protagonist, a wrapping that envelops cherries in spirit (think of Mon Chéri Sweet Cherry), nuts, candied orange peel, caramel. And salt, lots of salt, especially along the length, with a mineral vein that is accentuated over time, extracting impressions of tobacco, chocolate icing, ginger.
The finish is long and rich, of ash and salt, red fruit jam, tobacco, nuts, cocoa, orange.
A full and complex dram, layered, with the peat perfectly integrated also thanks to a very apt strength, a set of balances and counterpoints that manages to be elegant and sumptuous at the same time.
Already a significant price on release, but understandable.