Review by: The Muskox

I drank this dram on my birthday this past year and completely forgot to write up the review from my rough notes. It didn’t notice until just last week, when I poured my friend the rest of my sample and tried to look up my review to remember what I thought about it. Oh well, better late than never!

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Distillery: Bruichladdich.

Bottler: Archives.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 59.7%. Cask strength.

Age: 16 years. Distilled July 17th 2001. Bottled September 14th 2017.

Cask type: Cask #278, an ex-bourbon barrel.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Lean, salty, savoury, and just a little sweet. Cheesy at first, aged mozzarella, or maybe a smoked gouda. Canadian bacon and salted fish. Stonefruit and tart lemon. Cool green notes of mint, eucalyptus, even a little rose. Demerara sugar. A slightly lactic note of buttered popcorn.

Palate: Medium-thick texture, fairly oily. Arrives floral and tart, with lemon, peach, and gingerbread, then getting into herbs (tarragon, sage) and biting mineral notes. Sooty smoke and iodine develop next, balanced by sweeter notes of sponge toffee, milk chocolate, and caramel fudge.

Finish: Fairly long. Lots of sooty smoke and sea spray. Honey and ginger, hazelnut pastries, and coffee. A little more mint. 

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Beach grill-off on Islay’s one sunny day per year”

Conclusion: A beautiful and classic Port Charlotte. You know how I know it’s a classic? Because my friends zSolaris and TOModera both tried this and found nearly the same notes as me – that never happens! It’s right on the line – lean, briny, sooty, and tart, but with just enough richness, a very nice texture, and a long finish. This is also the first Archives Fishes of Samoa I’ve released that tastes like the label looks.

Final Score: 87.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.