Review by: Raygun

I don’t fully grasp how Spirits Shop Selection works, but I suppose it’s not exactly an IB. It’s a Taiwanese brand, though their bottlings are mostly handled by Sansibar and they add their own branding. Largely distributed in Asia, but it appears that some make it to Europe, probably with the Sansibar connection. Some of the best labels in the business in my opinion. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Bruichladdich  

Bottler: Sansibar (Spirits Shop Selection)  

Region/style: Islay single malt Scotch

ABV: 53.7%. Cask strength.   

Age: 13 years. Distilled in 2004 and bottled 2018. 

Cask type: Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes cask #1053, 305 bottles.

Color: 1.3 russet. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

Price: $238

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Nose: Strongly peaty as expected. Earthy with some dried mushroom funk. Not a lot of fruit, to my surprise. There is some pineapple, papaya, and grapefruit, and a little swimming pool.             

Palate: Earthy and mushroomy again, with dried pineapple. Moderately sweet, but not as much as I was expecting for a Sauternes cask. Confounding my expectations again. Cuban roast pork with some citrus flavor and oregano. Strangely, potato chips come in. Turns a little sweeter with water, but still salty and meaty. More citrus tartness, too.  

Finish: Not overly smoky. The roast pork dials in. Barbecue flavored potato chips. Oregano and a bit of thyme. Not quite as earthy, but the swimming pool is back. A little papaya and lime, but as before, not so fruity compared to most Sauternes casks.    

Conclusion: It’s a little odd and disjointed. I’ve never had Chateau d’Yquem wine, but I didn’t find much of the tropical fruit flavors from other Sauternes casks. More earth and mushroom flavors. Not what I was expecting. I was hoping for more, honestly, especially given the price. 

Score: 80

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)