Whisky Guild - single malt scotch whisky new york new jersey

BROUGHT TO YOU BY
GLENMORANGIE

Whisky Tasting Journey
By Brett Calish

Bruichladdich

One of my favorite movie quotes comes from Clint Eastwood’s 1973 classic, Magnum Force: “A man’s got to know his limitations.” I learn more of mine every day. For those of you who’ve read some of my past thoughts on Bruichladdich (“Bueller?...Bueller?...Bueller?”), you know that my lack of kindness has less to do with taste and/or quality, and more to do with variety. Walking into a well-stocked liquor store, I’ll stare at the dozen different bottlings of “Laddie”. I will then realize that this selection is different from the last time I was in the store, when a different dozen Laddie bottlings greeted me. It is then that my brain short-circuits, and I move on to other whiskies. It’s too bad. The combination of my itty-bitty brain and its inability to process large varieties of similar information is causing me to miss-out on some wonderful whisky. If you are new to Bruichladdich (pronounced brook-lah’-dee), please understand that the incredible variety that they offer has nothing to do with hit-or-miss attempts to produce something marketable. Quite the contrary. Bruichladdich, built in 1881, was closed in 1994. When it reopened under new ownership in 2001, Bruichladdich knew that it would be some time before their spirit would be matured and ready to be sold. But in buying the distillery, the new owners also bought all the whisky stocks, and that is what we have the privilege of enjoying today. By necessity, the Laddie whiskies are limited, and unique from each other. They are, by turns, leftovers from another distillery incarnation, stopgaps until the new whisky is ready, and a delicious history of a distillery that has always exuded quality. And as an added, and not insignificant, bonus – Bruichladdich refuse to chill filter or color any of their whisky! You have to support that! Does this mean that I can keep them straight in my head -- all the myriad bottlings and their various qualities? Absolutely not! The variety still makes my head hurt. But that’s my limitation, not yours. Good thing the whisky’s there to ease my pain.
Here’s a small sampling:

Waves: Very youthful. A nose oozing with Karo syrup as well as peat, cinnamon, cloves, and whiffs of citrus preludes a medium-bodied mouthfeel. The short finish is also lightly peated, with sponge cake, berries, and Lorna Doones. And when I say it has a short finish, I’m talking, “Hey, didn’t I just have a drink? I can’t remember.” In this case, I didn’t struggle with that.

Peat: Wait, wait…I almost have it…it’s ummm, ummm…Nope; I can’t quite identify the central essence of this one. And I was so close… Seriously, though. It’s obvious that this dram is chockfull of peat influence, but that’s not all that this whisky has to offer. The nose also holds fresh, grassy notes, oak, smoke, honeydew, vanilla, and Chex cereal. Peat is interestingly not medicinal, which is the opposite of what you’d expect from such a heavily peated whisky. This Laddie has a medium body, and a dry, medium-long finish that also balances the smoothness of the peat with (possibly too much) confectioner’s sugar sweetness. Interesting dram.

Sherry Edition, 1998 (Manzanilla): Drinking this whisky, I felt like a character in On the Waterfront. The nose is exceptionally briny, recalling an old shipyard, which I didn’t dislike. There’s also buttered popcorn (reinforcing the movie reference), and charcoal, mixed nuts, and honey. A fun nose, and I had high hopes for the rest. The body though, started to disappoint after a few seconds, with a viscosity that quickly broke down. And its medium-short finish also didn’t help. A tad too sharp and with essence of bitter oranges, it nonetheless also displayed nice brine, light peat, butter, ginger, and a definite undercurrent of limes. Although not unpleasant, the finish was incongruous with the nose. I prefer my whiskies to come full circle. Pity. To bastardize Brando, “It could’ve been a contender.”

Sherry Edition, 1998 (Oloroso): Yum. This Laddie expression is very straightforward, and beautifully put together. It is unapologetically sherried, heavier than the Manzanilla, and more soothing to the senses. In addition to sherry, the nose contains oranges, vanilla, honey, soft oak, toffee, and dried plums. Very full-bodied, the finish is, likewise, quite long, with more sherry, more oak, ripe fruits, and a slight sharpness that is quickly enveloped by a velvet blanket of syrupy sweetness. I really liked this dram. It’s not complex, but what it does, it does very well. Despite, or because of, all the sherry, this dram reminded me of a cool, springtime day. [Despite Bruichladdich Distillery being closed from 1994 until 2001, these two whiskies are from 1998. Sound impossible? Actually, the distillery reopened for just a few months in the summer of 1998. The above whiskies were distilled then. Cool, huh?]

21 Year Old: I have found Oloroso heaven. It is Bruichladdich 21 Year Old. Deep and rich, with a nose bursting with blackberries, apples, oranges, brine, honey, and well-oiled leather. This dram just oozes maturity, beyond its years. The surprising thing was how light-bodied and lively it was – almost “white wine-like”! The 21 YO had a medium-length finish, and was sharp and peaty, but also contained a wonderful sweetness reminiscent of a well-aged grain whisky. And, lest we forget about the 21 years in sherry casks, the dram floated away on a bed of chocolate-covered strawberries, graham crackers, raspberry-filled truffles, and peach pits. Very complex. Very sinful. My favorite Bruichladdich, to date.