Origin: Isle of Islay (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 50%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-bourbon and ex-Wine
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Bruichladdich (Rèmy Cointreau)
Average price: € 120.00
Official website: www.bruichladdich.com
To celebrate the quarter-century since the rebirth of Bruichladdich, which reopened in 2001, the distillery has created this celebratory bottling that, as the name suggests, is inspired by the style of their whisky from the 1980s, label included.
Maturation predominantly in first-fill ex-bourbon casks with a small addition (5%) of Sauternes wine casks, the raw material (unpeated) comes entirely from Islay, in honor of the search for the terroir that the current ownership has pursued since the beginning.
On the back of the label, there is a map of the twenty-six farms that have returned to growing barley on Islay, fourteen of which contributed to this bottling.
Tasting Notes
A nose that is extremely fresh, almost pungent, with citrus notes of lime and grapefruit, mineral hints (wet stone) and vegetal undertones (hay), alongside fresh ginger that permeates an intense core of fruit and pastry. Peach, ripe apple, dried apricot, banana bread, vanilla, lemon meringues, and sugar pastry are rich and pasty, while at the bottom emerges an idea of an ancient book, mingled with dust and damp paper. A rich, three-dimensional olfactory experience with shifting tones.
On the palate, it’s sour, the stone of the nose has sharpened with spices (anise, ginger, black and white pepper) and citrus (grapefruit is predominant), the vegetal aspect rises in tone recalling hay with the addition of pudding and a slight salty touch, more evident in the length. Fruit and pastry take a back seat but remain clearly present in the composition of white fruit and sugary preparations, while the paper-like finish is confirmed at the bottom, along with a faint smoky impression of toasted wood. Time makes it creamier, enriching it with fresh sweetness (pineapple, candied lemon, almonds).
Finale quite long and dry, with citrus, mineral notes, salt, petrichor, and vegetal notes.
Review: Complex and layered, with a continuous and vital evolution that promises different variations in an opened bottle. Great personality and strength, wish there were more like this.
Vote: 88/100