I have visited Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay twice, and I have tasted many of their whiskies, both the unpeated ones, the heavily peated Port Charlottes and the super-heavily peated Octomores.
I usually do enjoy their whiskies a lot. But as it turned out, todays whisky might be one of my favourites. My, oh my. It was available at Cinderella Whisky Fair 2019. I enjoyed my sample at home. This is what they say about the whisky:
Ultra-rare. This is our elegant, floral Bruichladdich with intense, full-term Sherry maturation. First filled into Oloroso butts in 1986, this spirit lay untouched in our loch-side warehouses until 2012 [already 26years old], when our then master distiller Jim McEwan decided to supercharge this sublime single malt by filling it into our privileged parcel of Pedro Ximinez butts from winemaker Jan Pettersen at Bodega Fernando de Castilla.
SHERRY: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
A Bruichladdich Rare Cask Series
— The very last 7 casks from 1986
— Unpeated Islay single malt scotch whisky
— Exclusive to domestic markets
— Limited release of 4,200 bottles
— Vintage 1986 – 30 years
— Distilled, matured and bottled on Islay
— Colouring free and without chill filtration
— Matured in Oloroso casks until 2012
— Recasked into PX casks from Fernando de Castilla
— Natural strength of 44.6% abv
Mmm…so smooth on the nose. Lots of overripe, lovely fruits. Dates, honey melon, peaches and baked apples. Licorice, fresh licorice. Then the smell of oak and dust – like the combination of a warehouse and a library! Fudge and Coca Cola. The nose changes and develops all the way. Wow, so rich and complex on the palate! Figs, prunes and dates. Honey melon, dried mango and papaya, red apples and crispy pears. Quite fresh with eucalyptus and a hint of mint. The finish is smooth. Not as complex as the taste, but the fruity taste lingers.
My score: nose 24 / palate 24 / finish 22 / balance 23 = 93
Thanks, Raymond! Wow!
-Tone
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