Review by: Raygun
A pretty legendary dram: this was released to mark Jim McEwan’s retirement from Bruichladdich. It came from a Chateau Latour cask, one of the five premier crus of Bordeaux, called “Princess Diana” (for reasons which escape me completely). It was aged for 23 years and bottled at 52% to commemorate his 52 years in the Scotch business. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 20 minutes.
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Bottler: Bruichladdich
Region/style: Islay single malt Scotch
ABV: 52%. Not cask strength (probably pretty close)
Age: 23 years. Distilled 1992, bottled in 2015.
Cask type: Chateau Latour wine cask, 220 bottles.
Color: 1.3 russet. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Price: Most recent I could find was around £1000. Woof.
Nose: Smells very good. Fresh berries at first, especially raspberries and blackberries. Mint and thyme. Jam donuts. Sweet bean sauce. Umami coming from somewhere. Smells like walking into a really good restaurant.
Palate: Even better than the nose. Berry jam, donuts, and some sea breeze. Papaya, both ripe and green papaya salad with a hit of fish sauce. Demiglace. Both richly fruity and herbal. Mint and cilantro for the most part. Sun-dried tomatoes. More cherries now. Develops beautifully with time. Every sip brings something new.
Finish: The fruity and savory flavors continue. Raspberries, cherries, and tamarind sauce. Cilantro and now a touch of rosemary. More tomatoes, again with a very Southeast Asian vibe. Now some chocolate wanders in and joins the cherries. The harmony here is stunning.
Conclusion: It was a little shy at first, and I wondered if it might be overhyped. No. It’s fantastic. A fitting tribute to an epic career in whisky. It’s rare to get a pour like this which develops in such interesting ways over time, and I love it when that happens. I swear it felt like each sip was different in what came out. Beautiful interplay of flavors, like a well-composed dish. When I taste something this good, I do my best to pick out any flaw. Couldn’t find any. Didn’t want to finish the glass.
Buy a bottle? Can’t afford a bottle, but happy I got to try it.
Score: 97
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)
Malt Runners 