Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2012 - 50%
The colour is very pale and a handsome grain gold.
The nose is complex, offering dusty sawmill, tobacco, lemon, sea breeze and a little of the classic Bruichladdich funk, which for me is best described as a rural smell of hay and stable.
The palate is powerful with honey, dark seeded bread, grapefruit, mint and hibiscus.
The finish is dry, simple and fitting. Black pepper appears alongside charred oak and stays for a good while after swallowing.
There is no doubt this whisky has plenty to offer, and it will satisfy the drinker who prefers clean craft with complex notes.
Bruichladdich The Organic 2011 - 50%
The next release was the organic expression from Bruichladdich, made from organic barley from Mid Coul Farm in the north of Scotland. This time it has spent a minimum of 11 years in bourbon casks.
The colour is very close to the Bere Barley, with the same handsome pale grain-gold sheen.
The nose heads in a different direction from its predecessor. This one is sweeter, more welcoming and more beginner-friendly, with cream caramel, barley malt, vanilla sugar and lemon mousse.
The palate is likewise sweeter and more beginner-friendly, carrying on in the style the nose suggested. Powerful malt sweetness, sweet mint, fresh oak and lemon dominate.
The finish is medium and brings browned butter and, again, vanilla and lemon.
This release reminds me an awful lot of their Classic Laddie series. It is sweet and beginner-friendly, but to my palate it lacks some of the funk and complexity I value Bruichladdich so highly for.
Black Arts 29YO - 45.1%
The last of the unpeated Bruichladdich bottlings is nothing less than 29 years old. The cask types used are not specified, so you have to nose and taste your way through it.
The colour is considerably darker than the two before it and carries a handsome, vinous, ruby-red glow. That points fairly clearly towards some form of fortified wine cask.
The nose is deep, dark and remarkably good. I would go so far as to say a powerful, active sherry cask was involved here. Raisin, cranberry, strawberry, dark chocolate, roasted nuts and leather make it an experience before the liquid has even reached the tongue.
The palate lives up to what the nose promised, and the age is clearly on show. The 45.1% is fully used, and the whisky still feels powerful and full despite the modest strength. The palate is both sweet and salty, with blackberry compote, black fruit tea, dark malt, chalk, tobacco and sea salt. Excellent.
The finish carries on in the maritime universe with a note of old weathered wood, more or less how I imagine a piece of driftwood would taste. On top of that, the tobacco and roasted nuts become clearer and hang around long after swallowing.
With Black Arts 29YO, Bruichladdich has delivered a whisky that appeals both to someone who has enjoyed whisky for 10 days and to someone who has enjoyed it for 10+ years. It is complex without being overwhelming and sweet without being dull. My absolute favourite of this run of Bruichladdich releases.
Now it is time to taste the two peated releases under the Port Charlotte name. Bruichladdich peats the Port Charlotte series to around 40-50 ppm, which puts a considerable distance between Port Charlotte and the Octomore series, peated to record-breaking levels.
Islay Barley 2014 - 50%
This Port Charlotte release is matured in three different cask types: 84% bourbon casks, 8% virgin oak and 8% Bordeaux red wine casks. Minimum 7 years, bottled at 50%.
The colour is very close to the first two Bruichladdich bottlings covered in this post. The pale grain gold is back.
The nose offers cocoa powder, vanilla sugar, green grapes, peat and a funky stable note.
It feels remarkably oily on the tongue and tastes of peppermint, gentle peat and vanilla sugar.
The peat smoke and peppermint stay long after swallowing, in the company of a maritime note of seaweed.
Islay Barley 2014 is a complex but also welcoming dram, at least if you like peated Islay whisky. The peat is not overwhelming and leaves the distillate plenty of room to spread out. A fine, classic Port Charlotte.
PMC: 01 2013 - 54.5%
The last release I had the pleasure of working through is also the most alternative one. It is bottled at full cask strength of 54.5%, matured 4 years in bourbon casks and a further 5 years in Pomerol casks from Bordeaux, France. Those 5 years in Pomerol have really taken hold of the whisky.
The colour is dark and amber gold. Clearly an active Pomerol cask.
The nose offers red berries, burnt hay, peat smoke, iron and again that funky stable note.
The palate builds on the nose with over-fermented fruit, walnut, bacon and venison.
Fruit acidity, wood and iron stay long after swallowing.
There is no question that the quality here is high, but it demands a particular taste. In my world the combination of active wine and fortified wine casks with heavy peat creates a metallic, meaty flavour I have not yet learned to love. I am certain this bottling will be a favourite for many, because the quality is there on every count. The palate is powerful, the distillate is clear despite the cask influence and the balance is good. It just needs a palate that suits it.
