Bruichladdich 12 Year (2009) Valinch 56

Review by: Raygun

Bruichladdich’s little gimmick for the Valinch series, which is distillery only, is naming each release for one of the workers, in this case Lindy MacLellan, tour guide and shop assistant. Maybe Lindy likes Rivesaltes casks, because that’s what this is. Not had any Valinch releases before, but my previous experience with Laddie Rivesaltes casks has been good, so I’m optimistic. Reviewed from a sample.

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Distillery: Bruichladdich.

Bottler: Bruichladdich.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 62.6%. Cask strength.

Age: 12 years. Distilled in 2009.

Cask type: Rivesaltes, #1618.

Price: Don’t know.

Color: 1.4, tawny. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Prunes, Asian sour plums, creme brûlée. Smells nice. Not as big a hit of alcohol as one might expect. Cinnamon.

Palate: As rich as the nose suggested, if not more. Prunes, red wine sauce, cream, and very dark caramel. Got some heat for sure, but overall the alcohol is reasonably well integrated. Gingerbread. Tamarind chutney.

Finish: Nothing too much new here. Rich and fruity in much the same way as the palate. Nice kind of mild spice, again reminding me of tamarind chutney from an Indian restaurant. Nice length. Some sulfur comes out with water.

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Conclusion: It’s good. Very strong cask influence, which is no surprise. I’ve never had Rivesaltes wine, but in whisky it does tend to take over. I do get some sulfur from this one, with water especially, which I don’t remember in previous experiences. Whereas without water the alcohol was too strong. Couldn’t get the right balance there. I would say not as good as the others I’ve tried.

Buy a bottle? Wouldn’t go to the lengths it would require for this particular one.

Final Score: 77.

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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.