Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
Two random single cask Bruichladdich that I figured might be fun to compare.
Tasted on 12/20/2020, neat in a Glencairn.
Bruichladdich 10 Year Micro Provenance Cask #007
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 63.6%, cask strength
Age: 10 years old. Distilled on 06/24/2004. Bottled on 02/16/2015.
Cask type: Quercus Robur – Ribera del Duero Wine Cask
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 303 bottles, from a single cask #007.
Nose: ethanol, red wine, cherries, cranberry, sea spray, brine, melons, green grapes, dry grass, a bit floral, toffee, vanilla, a hint of compost. The initially strong alcohol smell fades away with time in the glass. With Water: a bit more bready, some barnyard funk, allspice.
Taste: rich dark fruits, red wine, tannic, medium mouthfeel, sea water, very salty, lots of spice (pepper, liquorice), a bit dry. With Water: more fruit, otherwise similar.
Finish: dark fruits, red wine, salt water, mild pepper, is that a bit smoke?!, liquorice, a bit dry, longish on salt, dark fruit, mild spice. A little sour on the tail end. With Water: similar.
This is an interesting Laddie for sure. The red wine influence is heavy throughout. There’s a lot of alcohol on the nose initially that blows off with time. A lot of different notes on the nose, but they don’t necessarily play well together: big red wine with melons and floral notes trying to poke through. There’s a lot of spice in the mouth and on the finish that isn’t present in the nose. And surprisingly I get some mild smoke in the finish that isn’t present anywhere else. Overall a very good one, but not great in my book; there are many better Laddies.
Final Score: 82.
Bruichladdich 15 Year SMWS 23.12
Acquired and opened in 2018. Bottled at 52.8% ABV, NCF & NCA. An older bottle from SMWS from before they started up with the fancy names and labels.
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Bottler: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 52.8%, cask strength
Age: NAS. Distilled in 03/1979. Bottled in 05/1994.
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. From a single cask.
Nose: overripe melons, peach, sea spray, cereal, dry grass, an odd sourdough funkiness to it, warm sand, dry kelp. With Water: similar, though perhaps the melons are fresher now and a bit more floral.
Taste: melons, peach, sea spray, bready, dry grass, medium-thin mouthfeel, cinnamon, charred oak. With Water: same.
Finish: grassy, melons, sea spray, a little dry, salty, mild warm spice, cereal, medium length finish mostly on dry grass, melons, and salt. With Water: more floral.
This is a very simple dram all the way through, mostly with bright fruit, maritime notes, and quite grassy. Mixed in the with the typical maritime notes are hints of an odd funkiness that’s a little hard to describe; seems like sourdough, but I feel like that’s not quite right. Water makes it a bit brighter and more floral.
Every time I’ve brought this out at tastings we all look at the bottle and think “Oh, this is gonna be awesome!” And every time we’re all underwhelmed. Honestly, I fluctuate on the rating on this one, but I think fairly it’s always around a this range.
Final Score: 77.
Comparison
Order: Micro > SMWS
The Micro Provenance Cask #007 has a hamfisted red wine influence, but it’s a pretty good dram overall. Easily better than the SMWS bottling.
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 