Bruichladdich 11 Year (2009) Micro-Provenance Cask #3460 (2nd-fill Sauternes)

Review by: The Muskox

This single-cask Bruichladdich was bottled for the Laddie Crew UK. I love Sauternes and Bruichladdich, so this should be great.

…wait a minute, I feel like I’ve been here before…

Distillery: Bruichladdich.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 54.9%. Cask strength.

Age: 11 years. Distilled in 2009. Bottled in November 2020.

Cask type: Second-fill Sauternes white wine cask.

Price: N/A, sample.

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

Nose: Funky-sweet and surprisingly light. No mistaking this as anything other than Bruichladdich – that lactic note is here, and it’s strong. Buttered popcorn, cereal in milk, and pecorino cheese. Muscat grapes, sliced oranges, and musky mango. There’s some serious funk underneath – durian and feet?

Palate: Medium texture, pretty hot. Arrives floral and fragrant, with citrus oils, banana peels, and tropical flowers. Strong brine as well, with some various funky seaside aromas bubbling up. Develops to rich caramelized honey, Herbs de Provence, and nut brittle. Melted gruyere and grilled figs.

This opened up slowly, but eventually flavours of strawberry and malt appear.

Finish: Medium-short, sweet with lighter funk than the nose. More honey. Rich plums, lemon, light honey, and white wine. Nutty toasted cream, browned butter, and… y’know those hard yogurt candies? Lavender and almonds.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Foot massage with tropical oils”

Conclusion: This isn’t nearly as good as I feel like it should be, especially since several of my friends have loved this. This is a seriously funky Laddie – if you’re not a fan of that lactic/butyric flavour, turn back. Maybe that’s why it was picked for a Bruichladdich fan club. I don’t think that’s my problem, though – There just doesn’t seem to be enough complexity backing things up. Combine that with lots of heat and a fairly short finish… this was a fine whisky, but hard to get excited about.

Final Score: 79.

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