Review by: Raygun

Had plenty of Bruichladdich, but this will be my first Lochindaal. Lochindaal is more heavily peated than Port Charlotte, but much less than Octomore. Named after the Lochindaal distillery, which closed in 1929. Apparently they don’t make a lot of it, because it’s much less common than Port Charlotte. This particular one was bottled by Dramfood as Brand Ambassador’s Cask #1. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 10 minutes. Thanks to WhiskeryTurnip.

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Distillery: Bruichladdich (Lochindaal)

Bottler: Dramfool

Region/style: Islay single malt Scotch

ABV: 62.3% 

Age: 11  years. Distilled on December 1, 2010, bottled on June 16, 2022. 

Cask type: First-fill bourbon barrel, 218 bottles. 

Color: 0.5 yellow gold. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Yup, that’s pretty heavily peated. An earthy sort of peat. Lemon cake, vanilla, some salt air. Little bit of wood shop and swimming pool. 

Palate: Got some heat, but not as much as I’d have expected. Seriously peated, but in a pretty clean way, with no medicinal flavor. Lemon, grapefruit, caramel, some pine, custard. Embroidered with wood smoke. Nothing too unexpected, but well put together. Very tasty. 

Finish: Doesn’t feel like 62% at all here. Ritz crackers, lemon, grapefruit, vanilla custard. Has that sea breeze quality. Driftwood fire on the beach. Pine resin. Does better with some water, I think, even though it’s not hot. 

Conclusion: Very solid pour. Not sure I could tell the difference between this and a Port Charlotte bourbon cask, but it hardly matters. It’s a tasty peated whisky, with plenty of layers. Clean, smoky, custardy, and citrusy. The pine accent is very nice. All works well together. 

Buy a bottle? Probably gone, but wouldn’t mind a bottle in the cabinet at all.

Score: 82

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)