Review by: dustbunna
Distillery: Bruichladdich.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Islay, Scotland.
ABV: 60.8%. Cask strength.
Age: 14 years. Distilled in 2003. Bottled in 2018.
Cask type: ex-bourbon finished in ex-Calvados. Optic barley.
Price: Winnings from an advent calendar with friends; unsure of original RRP but seems to be fairly pricey now. 230mL made its way to me after all was said and done with guesses for the calendar.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 2 months (and open 6+ months prior to me receiving it), notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: (BLIND) dusty malt, old papers, faintly floral, water brings out metal shavings and smoke, vanilla cream, orange zest, cocoa powder, (NOT BLIND) fresh cream, funky cheese, fresh flowers, a pretty extreme sulfury funk begins to build, more soft funky cheeses.
Palate: (BLIND) rich ~ white pepper, nectarines, plums, water brings out charcuterie meats, industrial shop floor, apples, forest decay, earth, ink, (NOT BLIND) more cheese, apples intensify, spent matchsticks, cantaloupe, water brings out sarsaparilla spices, a touch more oak.
Finish: (BLIND) long ~ wax, more white pepper, dunnage earthiness, more smoke, (NOT BLIND) fresh mint, more sarsaparilla spices.
Thoughts: This was my pick from a blind advent calendar orchestrated by a friend group, including several other MaltRunners writers. Blind, I was absolutely convinced it was Springbank with all the industrial, dunnage and fruit notes. The lactic side really reared its head in the lower half of the bottle, which was the remnant sent to me about six months after it was opened and blind samples were sent out—hence the unusual timing record above, and the differentiation of notes from the initial blind round and later one with the remainder of the bottle. All blind notes were still present when I tasted it knowing it was Laddie, it was just a bit more obvious that it was Laddie and that there was ex-Calvados involved (in the form of all the funky cheese and apple notes, respectively.)
Ultimately, this was amazing whisky, which is why I chose it out of the advent lineup. However, it showed some serious flaws once I spent time with it—most notably the gradual sulfur takeover, which sometimes happens with exceptionally funky whiskies like this. It’s hard to score, because it loses complexity to the point where most of what one tastes is the sulfury side after a while, but that has to be balanced with the initial, very strong and captivating offering. It reminds me of the only bottle of Springbank 12CS I ever managed to buy, which also started out with incredible flavor and complexity, only to struggle with sulfur integration by the end. I think this deserves an equivalent score for the experience, knowing that if it had remained similar to the blind sample we’d be flying significantly higher.
Final Score: 85.
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.
Malt Runners 