Review #25 Bruichladdich Islay Barley: Scotch

Score: 8.5 / 10

Distillery: Bruichladdich

Type: Un-peated Islay Single Malt

When you think Islay, you think peated. Well you're wrong here! Though famous for peated whiskys like Octomore (which is the MOST peated whisky you can buy at phenol levels measuring up to 309 ppm) , Bruichladdich also offers an un-peated line that is just as good. Also, if you find yourself a little drunk at WhiskyFest and butcher this name (bruukh-LAD-ee), you may get some weird looks. Let's face it, Scotish words are tough for Americans. I don't know all of them either. I'm glad we are at worth it for our scotch market.

If you are looking for a peated scotch and want to go the Octomore route. We considered this our 2019 scotch of the year! You can check it out on episode 5 of our whiskey podcast Po It Up here.

Whisky Review:

Nose: salted caramel, salted honey, sea salt and brine, red apples, toffee lingering in the background with a floral notes and lemon zest

Palate: creamy oak saturated vanilla with a burst of pear and apples that coat the tongue and mouth.  Potent honey jabs the palate with a juicy sensation mixed with spice and a savory brine.

Finish: crackling light pepper fades into tingling St. Germain.  Mellow cinnamon and oak are amplified by long lingering tannins that dry out the mouth. Tongue becomes lightly numb a few minutes after tasting.

Score: 8.5

Notes: I thoroughly enjoyed this pour and it was better than I expected. I am also a big fan of the Classic Laddie and Heavily Peated Port Charlotte - I will get around to writing reviews on those soon. If you're wondering the Octomore is a 6.1 (paid $119 - might be my favorite Scotch period). The Octomore inspired me to try Bruichladdich's core lineup and I was not disappointed.

Scale:

S+ Sensational - The Pinnacle (9.5+)

A - AXEceptional (astounding) (9-9.5)

B - bravo (step aBove average) (8-8.9)

C - competent (7-7.9)

D - disappointing (6-6.9)

F - flush it down the toilet (fail) (5.9 below)

Notes: Availability? Common-Uncommon. Any store that carries this line will typically have this.