The most dependable and scrumptious Bruichladdich ever made. That’s the promise behind the newest Whisky Sponge bottling. It’s a 2001 classic (the resurrection 12 months) matured in first fill bourbon wooden. We additionally return in time a bit of with a Ballechin 2003 and a Craigellachie 2006 which was the Winter 2021 bottling within the Equinox & Solstice sequence.
All three are a part of Angus’ plunderings of the Signatory Classic warehouses. The newest estimates predict they’ll solely comprise garbage by mid 2024.
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Bruichladdich 20 yo 2001 (50,9%, WhiskySponge 2021, first fill barrel, 161 btl.)
Nostril: the everyday Laddie mixture of dusty grains, greasy outdated instruments, sunflower oil and heat minerals, in addition to candy banana notes, citrus and a touch of vanilla. Yellow apples and a touch of honey. Delicate mint. There’s a type of ‘background smokiness’ too, like we discover in 30+ 12 months outdated Caol Ila for example.
Mouth: the smoke is larger now, however the general profile is tighter. Once more a mellow fruitiness (melons, apples, candy citrus) with biscuits and a few peppery warmth, nutmeg and a lightweight leafy bitterness. Honeyed natural tea. Nonetheless this dusty edge.
End: lengthy, oily and natural, with dusty barley, mint and honey.
It is a superb instance of Bruichladdich’s particular type, with a real sense of ‘vintage’ alongside fruity sweetness and delicate natural notes – right here in a really built-in approach. It’s actually costly however Laddie followers will certainly rejoice. Now obtainable from Decadent Drinks.
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Craigellachie 15 yo 2006 ‘Equinox & Solstice’ (48,5%, Decadent Drinks 2021, first fill sherry hogshead, 412 btl.)
Nostril: cassis syrup, forest fruits jam and a truckload of prunes. Additionally chocolate cake and cinnamon rolls. Mon Chéri. Hints of tobacco and treacle. Espresso grit. Mossy notes. Moist felt. Barely cumbersome, missing among the brighter fruity notes.
Mouth: nonetheless centered on the darker sherry notes. Extra espresso, hints of Kahlua cake, blackberry jam, raisins and tobacco leaves. Nonetheless a syrupy trace of black cherries, chocolate, later additionally roasted nuts and toast. Black pepper too.
End: lengthy, on oak char, darkish fruits and chocolate coated mints.
Whereas this isn’t a grimy cask, it’s not a brilliant kind of sherry both. It’s a sherry bomb with an enormous umami facet, good for a wintery night. Bought out. Rating: 85/100
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Ballechin 18 yo 2003 (48,5%, WhiskySponge 2021, refill sherry butt, 353 btl.)
Nostril: smoked meat, like bacon on a barbecue, with smoked Lapsang tea and leather-based jackets. Pink pepper, rubbed walnuts, hints of camphor. Some heathery notes and wee metallic touches. Over time a sharper, virtually pickled type of peat develops, with a touch of cranberry.
Mouth: the leathery, chocolaty facet and the ashy hearth mix nicely with these sharper, virtually acidic (Madeira-like) notes. Walnuts, bitter plums, Demerara sugar, mint, in addition to berries and menthol. Hints of antiseptics and coal smoke. Actually good.
End: lengthy, on black tea, leather-based, brown sugar and chilly ashes.
It is a nice Ballechin. There’s deep smoke but in addition a properly acidic type of sherry concerned, including class and width to its highly effective base. Now obtainable from Decadent Drinks. Rating: 89/100
