Tasting Notes: Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie
Vital stats: Islay single malt, no age statement, 50% ABV. Priced in the U.S. around $55.
Appearance: Bright gold
Aroma: My immediate impression is of bright, floral fruitiness, with red currant, passionfruit, and baked pear as well as chamomile and honeysuckle. Underneath those top notes is an earthy, grainy quality, like hot cereal topped with melting butter. Vanilla bean intertwines with a touch of struck match and Brazil nuts.
Palate: Lavish cereal richness supports an array of sweet and floral delights: orange, red currant, chamomile, Meyer lemon, and white grapefruit all dolloped with honey vanilla yogurt. That almost candied sweetness fades into an a satisfyingly savory midpalate, with bittersweet toasted walnuts and Brazil nuts studding musty oak. At the end, though, it takes a final swerve back to the sweet side, leaving me with the lingering impression of sugary grapefruit gummy candies.
Bruichladdich was founded in 1881. But by the late 20th century, it had fallen into disrepair. Mark Reynier, an English wine dealer obsessed with the nuanced and delicate flavor of Bruichladdich’s whisky, bought the mothballed distillery in 2000 after several years of trying, and failing, to get its parent company to sell it to him. He hired former Bowmore distillery manager Jim McEwan to run the place, and set about reintroducing this remarkable but somewhat forgotten spirit to the whisky world. (For the full story—and a great read—check out Kelefa Sanneh’s account in The New Yorker.)
Today the brand is owned by Remy-Martin, but it’s still pursuing its own, Reynier-inflected ideas with quixotic verve. Unlike most distilleries on Islay, Bruichladdich’s whisky is almost entirely unpeated. Port Charlotte and Octomore, which are also made onsite, are heavily and extraordinarily peated, respectively. Over the past decade in particular, Bruichladdich has also poured more time, energy, and effort into exploring the nuances of barley terroir, organic barley, and barley varieties than any other Scottish distillery.
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The winner can pick up their items on May 18, 2022, | Rancho Senior Center| 1 Ethel Coplen Way, Irvine, CA | 9 am - 10 am.
