Scottish Whisky

Bruichladdich – Islay Barley

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Bruichladdich Islay Barley

Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
50% ABV
$65 – $75
Website

What the Distillery Says

Yellow gold with great structure. Soft with honey, citrus and sea salt, hints of spicy bourbon and young Islay barley. This is a Hebridean journey like no other
NOTE: Bruichladdich provides a lot of details for different vintages of these releases, which is great; I really love that level of transparency! Unfortunately I’ve no idea which vintage was included here; so using the gift pack image as well as  only providing the above notes which were part of the in-box materials.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet malt, honey over floral and herbal notes, a hint of dried orange zest with a stronger hit of sea air.
Palate:  Creamier mouthfeel, honey with vanilla and pears, some orange spice that transitions to a pepper spice.
Finish: Moderately long, thick and sweet with spice notes trailing.
Comments:  Continuing our exploration of Bruichladdich The Wee Laddie Tasting Collection Gift Pack, we arrive at Islay Barley. The nose is quite similar to The Classic Laddie, just a touch less sweet, a touch more herbal, and a touch more sea air. On the palate the distance grows, with a richer sweetness and some citrus spice. While fairly similar, I prefer this over the first.

Rating: Stands Out

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Bruichladdich – The Classic Laddie

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Bruichladdich
The Classic Laddie
Scottish Barley

Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
50% ABV
$55-$65
Website

What the Distillery Says

Head Distiller Adam Hannett has individually selected casks to showcase the classic, floral and elegant Bruichladdich house style. Made from 100% Scottish barley, trickle distilled, then matured for its entire life by the shores of Loch Indaal in premium American oak, it is a testament to the quality of our ingredients.

THE NATURAL OILS
We never chill-filter our whiskies because this industrial process strips out the natural oils and esters that give Bruichladdich a wonderful rich, oily mouthfeel.
A characteristic ‘band of gold’ is created when water, which is denser than our whisky is carefully added to the glass.

TASTING NOTES
CHARACTER – Smooth as pebbles in a pool. It’s clean, fresh and lively with both the oak and the grain in perfect harmony.
COLOUR – Sunlight on fields of early summer barley.
NOSE – The bouquet is brilliant. Opening with barley sugar and a hint of mint before leading into the most wonderful notes of freshly cut wild flowers; buttercup, daisy, meadowsweet, myrtle, primrose and cherry blossom. The cleanliness of the spirit is remarkable. As the seconds tick by, more aromas rise from the glass, little zephyrs of spindrift and sea pinks reminding you that this spirit is matured exclusively by the sea. After some four or five minutes and with the addition of a little water, caramelised fruits drift onto the scene; lemon drops and honey, tangerine and tablet.
PALATE – The palate entry is so refined and refreshing, the sweet oak and the barley arriving together sending the taste buds into raptures. The fruits from distillation drift in on an atlantic breeze and pop on the tongue like champagne bubbles. A combination of ripe green fruit, brown sugar and sweet malt bring closure. A taste back in time, a realisation that not all single malts are equal and to achieve the absolute optimum, you must use barley that is made in Scotland. Make this one the benchmark for all others you meet on your journey through the stills of Scotland.
FINISH – Unforgettable! Its best enjoyed in good company, you just don’t want the evening to end. It brings warmth to the heart and soul. The clock slows down and the cares of tomorrow disappear into the dawn.
MOOD – Conviviality! Relaxed, enjoying the spirit in the glass and the laughter from tales often told but never tired of hearing.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet malt, with a bouquet of floral and herbal notes, bit a dried mint and sea breeze.
Palate:  Nice mouthfeel, not quite creamy, blanched pears atop vanilla flan with caramel; builds up with pepper spice and a bit of clove at the back.
Finish: Moderately long;  slightly drying with some mint and subtle pepper spice.
Comments:  Richard picked up the Bruichladdich The Wee Laddie Tasting Collection Gift Pack, which included three 200mL bottles. I’m glad he did! Starting with this as the baseline for exploration of the three, which for my tastes is pleasant enough although definitely on the subtle side. Nothing that jumps out and grabs my attention, but also nothing that turns me off.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Compass Box Juveniles

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box Juveniles

46% ABV
$120-140
Website

What the Blender Says

For over 30 years, Juveniles Bistrot à Vins in the 1st Arrondissement of Paris has been a crossroads for winemakers, spirits producers, writers and various sorts of affable hedonists from all over the world. Tim Johnston opened the restaurant in 1987. And in 2014, his daughter Margaux and her husband Romain joined him.

Compass Box and Juveniles share a similar approach to great food and drink, seeking out integrity and not taking things too seriously. Both our businesses are obsessed with quality and provenance. Both like to do things in their own way.

These common traits have made Compass Box and Juveniles good friends since the very first meeting between Tim and myself years ago. We have collaborated with Tim on Juveniles whiskies several times.

For this limited edition, Tim asked us to create something “…bright, smooth, not smoky…an assemblage perhaps between 12 and 15 years old…”. We’ve tried to give him all that and much more. This assemblage (we love Tim’s use of this wine word to describe whisky blending) is comprised of single malt whiskies from four distilleries, each bringing a distinctiveness to the whole.

However you choose to enjoy it, Tim and I say… Slàinte!
JOHN GLASER — Founder & Whiskymaker

FLAVOUR DESCRIPTORS
You’ll find notes of barley sugar, pear drop and vanilla, complemented by an ethereal underlying herbal character.

AVAILABILITY
Release of 14,894 bottles worldwide. Bottled September 2018.

RECOMMENDATIONS
This is a whisky that would be a delight served with ice or slightly chilled before a meal, with a cheese course, or on its own after dinner.

BOTTLING DETAILS
Bottled at 46%. Not chill-filtered. Natural colour.

LEAD BLENDER
John Glaser

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, floral honey over perfumed malt, hay, almond essence and over-ripe pears.
Palate:  Sweet creamy mouthfeel with vanilla and honey; sharpens with a hint of ginger and tart peaches over pepper spice.
Finish:  Long and delicately drifting with a subtle spice note trailing.
Comments:  Another really great whisky by the fine folks at Compass Box. Lovely, sweet, rich yet delicate, and dangerously drinkable.

Rating: Must Try

NOTE:  Their web-site has downloads with the breakdown (image below), as well as a link to request more information.  Per their request, I won’t publish the additional details here, but they are happy to provide them if you inquire.  We here at Whisk(e)y Apostle are BIG fans of their transparency (oh – and their whisky is pretty great too 🙂 )

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Rock Oyster

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Rock Oyster Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

46.8% ABV
$50
Website

What the Producer Says

Prise open a rock oyster and you’d be lucky indeed to find a pearl. The real treasure though is the hidden, tasty delicacy inside, rich with the flavours of the sea. Bottled at 46.8% alcohol strength and traditionally without colouring or chill-filtration, this Small Batch bottling has a truly maritime and oceanic character of sea-salt, sweet peat, smoke, honey and pepper. Containing the finest Malt Whiskies from Scotland’s Whisky islands, including those distilled on Islay, Arran, Orkney and Jura, it’s no wonder our Master Blender Fred Laing says “If I could select just one dram to transport the Whisky enthusiast to the Islands of Scotland, it would be this Rock Oyster.”

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Anticipate wave soaked rocks and a salty oceanic, fresh influence. A hint of peat smoke, and an enticing sweetness.

PALATE: An initially subtle palate that carries soft and rather sweet peat paralleled with smoke, honey, damp ash and develops with liquorice and late pepper.

FINISH: The maritime is neatly replicated on the long, moreish finish.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Strolling along a Scottish coast; soft sea mist with iodine, subtle peat, damp hay over a hint of dried fruit.
Palate:  Soft and smooth entry with honey and barley sugar that builds in intensity; sweetness evolves to a citric, sour candy note as peat and pepper spice join in.
Finish:  Moderately long with lingering peat and freshly cracked pepper.
Comments:  I really dig the nose on this whisky; while there isn’t anything I dislike in the palate – this is one where I enjoy nosing more than drinking. If you’re a fan of that medicinal, peaty, salty Islay style – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed..

Rating: Stands Out

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The Arran Malt Single Cask Sherry 2014 Spring Release

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The Arran Malt Single Cask Sherry Cask
2014 Spring Release

53.2% ABV
$100 – $120
Website

What the Bottle Says

This was a single-cask bottling that Richard picked up in Tennessee in April 2015, and Gary is now kicking himself for not picking up.
Cask #217
Bottle 183/562
Bottled 2/5/2014
Distilled 2/17/1997

What Gary Says

Nose: Damn this nose is thick! Full of BBQ sauce, molasses, smokey oak, tangy dark fruit with hints of balsamic.
Palate: Promised & delivered – lovely thick, chewy mouthfeel, rich with sherry sweetness, bitter chocolate, and nutty spice.
Finish:  Long, with the dark fruit memory slowly fading while dropping pepper spice along the way.
Comments:  Wow this is a fabulous bottle! I remember when Richard picked it up, and now tasting it REALLY wish I’d have grabbed a bottle. I don’t get BBQ sauce that often, but on three different tastings I noted (and underlined) it here. Unfortunately as a single cask, likely no chance of finding this bottle – but if I stumble upon some bottling of aged Arran in sherry, I’ll definitely give it serious consideration.

Rating: Must Try

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