Bruichladdich 10 Year “The Laddie Ten”

Review by: The Muskox

Bruichladdich was my favourite distillery for a long time. I’m not sure it still is, but I do still try to taste as many of their whiskies as I can. This is the original 46% ABV edition of The Laddie 10, which was eventually replaced by the current pseudo-vintage-stated Classic Laddie release.

Distillery: Bruichladdich.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 46%.

Age: 10 years.

Cask type: Bourbon and sherry casks.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Straw. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Lactic and fragrant. Cream cheese, sour cream, buttered popcorn, and vanilla ice cream. White fruit notes of pears, peaches, green grapes, and a little pineapple. Banana leaves and tropical flowers. Green tea mochi.

Palate: Medium texture. Arrives floral and fruity – green apple, banana, and flowers. Cereal in milk. Salt and very mild char on the development. Slight lactic tartness.

Finish: Medium-short. More white grape and pear. Sweet malt and vanilla. A hint of black pepper and salt.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Boardwalk soft-serve stand”

Conclusion: This is quite tasty. It’s light but very characterful. Unfortunately, I know for a fact that some people really won’t appreciate the character on display! That’s not a value judgment – the strong lactic flavour turns some people off of Bruichladdich. I personally kind of like it, but this is one of the more lactic bottlings I’ve tried recently. I can also get a little bit of that “vomit” note on the nose – my nose doesn’t really interpret it as that, but I can see how it’d turn off others.

I don’t think this is any better than the last bottle of Classic Laddie I went through, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to seek this out.

Final Score: 83.

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.

Leave a comment