Remember how I said I like Bruichladdich? Well we have two expressions in a row for the blog this week from the same distillery and the same style. When the distillery produces three styles of whisky and I have two bottles open of the same style I wonder if my stock rotation procedures are really working for me?

The Distillery

Bruichladdich has to be the most covered distillery on this page. For information on them you can look at Octomore OBA Concept or Bruichladdich #LaddieMP6 Roundup

The Dram

This second edition of the 10 year old Bruichladdich was released in March 2016 with 18,000 bottles produced. It is a vatting of three types of barrels, first fill bourbon, sherry and French red wine with a bottling strength of a very healthy 50%ABV. If you bought the Bruichladdich MP4 set of small bottles a couple of years back you would have gotten 3 single cask bottles of the same types of casks which is used for the Classic Laddie expression and ultimately this recipe isn’t a million miles away just slightly older.

Bottles of these were around the £50-£60 market where a classic Laddie bottle will cost you around £40. Like I said the Classic is the same strength, similar recipe but some of the casks will be slightly younger.

Tasting Notes

Colour – copper orange

Nose – Lots of fruity notes of tinned pears, appletizer and pink grapefruit. A darker note of slightly burnt caramel before a younger note of fresh pastries.

Palate – Usual Bruichladdich texture (you know what I am talking about). Some burnt toast, charred wood and some more pastries but this time with icing on them and milk chocolate bars. There is some dark fruit notes and red fruits in there as well.

Finish – A nice long peppery finish with some heat from chilli’s with just a final twist of bitterness at the end.

Final Thoughts

The three expressions of unpeated Bruichladdich I have made in the last couple of years has been the Classic, 8 Year old and 10 Year Old. I like them all and they are all recommended to buy and enjoy. The only thing I will say though is that they are awfully similar in there construction. You would have to be really on your game to know which is which in a 3 dram line up. Less so perhaps with the 8 year old which is definitely a grassier and earthier affair but most certainly with the other two.

With the Port Charlotte and Octomores there is a decent amount of variation in the flavours in each expression. For the moment at least this isn’t being replicated much in the unpeated lineup.

The above statements are made only in relation to the Bruichladdich’s most people can a) afford b) afford to open and c) drink without having to split the bottle many many ways.