Review by: TOModera
Oh god I need something worth drinking now. If you’ve read my last reviews, you know that I’ve beat the living heck out of my tongue. And painfully limping forward, I went for a dram that I wanted to try so much I both swapped for it and bought a dram.
First off, thank you to kinohead for the trade. This isn’t the dram you traded me, however I am happy I have more.
So it’s time to get into Bruichladdich, which isn’t easy. You see, as opposed to other distilleries, today you’ll have 12 different varieties to try, and tomorrow they’ll launch 15 more and 15 more on the way. And they are all OB. They breed faster than rabbits humping tribbles.
Mix into the price of the entry level dram in Canada, and boom, you’re scared to even say the name.
Bruichladdich also likes to buck trends. They only use Scottish barley, and keep each barely from each farm separate. Which would make you think they are hardcore into “Terroir”, yet they aren’t gigantic peat heads like the rest of the island.
Today I’ll be finally trying they’re “Entry” brand, the Bruichladdich 10 year old – The Laddie Ten. I put that in quotes as I’ve never been 100% that I’m correct. Also I’ve been drinking and still am a little jet lagged.
Distillery: Bruichladdich Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Islay, Scotland.
ABV: 46%.
Age: 10 years.
Cask type: Bourbon Cask.
Price: $62.95 (CAD)
Color: Yellow gold
Nose: Peat, pear, medicine, lemon, sauerkraut, licorice, peach
Light smell, and you can tell it’s from Islay due to the light peat. There’s more fruit to it though, and it’s sweeter than what I’m used to with Laphroaig or Lagavulin. I could see having this on a nice summer day, as the nose is refreshing.
Taste: Lemon, peat, manure, sweet licorice, pear, pepper, nutmeg, chocolate, tangy mandarin
Lot more of the same as the nose, with the spice and lemon/peat pairing nicely in there as well. I’ve said this before, however the “manure” taste isn’t a bad thing, as it reminds you of being on a farm. It isn’t so much biting into a turd, rather it’s that memory that fires in your brain when you have it.
Also there’s chocolate!
Finish: Fennel, salt air, grass, bacon, little grape
Long finish, though very simple. I wanted this to be more complex at the end, I wanted something weird to pop out and yell at me in Gaelic. Instead I had a simple tour of what I’ve had before.
Conclusion: There’s promise in the nose. You feel like the nose is going to give you something more than a regular (though still great) Islay. And while the taste follows a little to close to the typical, it too has promise with more pear and a nice tang.
And then the finish pulls out early before you’ve even plateaued, unlike a gentleman. It was okay, yet I wanted just a little bit more. I’d still buy a bottle (not in Canada) given the chance, yet I’d warn against a low end.
Final Score: 80.
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.
Malt Runners 