Tastes

Bruichladdich Masterclass, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 19 February 2018, Whisky #4 Nose: Softly smoky at first, like all Octomore, but a little more ashy than usual. Gentle old oak and a definite iodine note with some lemon zest and barley sugar, but no maritime brine. Resin or eucalyptus - something sharply oily and aromatic. With water there's a solvent and nutty aroma but it remains an oddly cold and austere nose. Palate: Spicy, oaky and astringent out of the gate. Grassy, but not herbal - just grassy. There's also a lemon-drop lolly flavour, almost like synthetic lemon. Big smoke starts to evolve with each sip and the essential watering brings out some more lemon and nuts. Good texture. Finish: A long, dry and slightly nutty end with the predictable smoke. Predictable - that's the word. What a terrible thing to have to say about any whisky, but that's how I call it. Not one of the most interesting I've tasted - almost as spirit driven as a can of gasoline. I prefer Port Charlotte to Octomore and that may be the issue here, because I tasted this immediately after the lovely Port Charlotte Islay Barley. It would be interesting to sample this in isolation, but I'm not buying a bottle just to do that. Anyway, the bride of Frankenstein always appealed to me more than the monster himself. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Bruichladdich Masterclass, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 19 February 2018, Whisky #3 Nose: The characteristic Bruichladdich distillery musky, dusky, floral character just peeps through. There are some maritime qualities as well but more than anything it's the aroma of freshly peat-smoked barley that hits you. A strongly smoky and waxy/oily cereal nose. Palate: A crisp but not aggressive arrival mainly featuring peat smoke and malt. The development brings out more of an oily maritime character, lemon zest and licorice. There's also a sweet nutty quality that I don't think I've noticed before in a Port Charlotte. The palate becomes sweeter over time, but adding water brings out pickles and pepper spice. Finish: Long and smoky with some invigorating hot spicy notes (cinnamon? ginger?) and a seashore mineral quality, like wet sand or rocks, and a touch of tannin (but no bitterness). There is an interesting comparison to be made with Port Charlotte 10 Year Old Second Edition and with Bruichladdich Islay Barley (which is the direct unpeated equivalent from this distillery). There are many similarities but this expression shares a bright, spicy and definitely nutty profile with the BIB that is not in the PC10. The PC10 is more rounded and has delightful honey and fruit notes that don't appear here or in the BIB. Whether these differences are due to different barley - who knows? The nuttiness may well be due to the Islay barley, but I'd think the other differences are more to do with maturation and a greater cask influence on the PC10/2nd. An enjoyable whisky, which I'm rating slightly higher than the Bruichladdich Rockside Farm Islay Barley 2007, but lower than the Port Charlotte 10YO Second Edition. At the asking price this is a very good dram. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Bruichladdich Masterclass, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 19 February 2018, Whisky #2 Nose: At first a retiring nose, but with a little time it blooms. Dusky, earthy and floral, backed by a confident but gentle peat smoke that builds and builds as it develops in the glass. Herbal aromas (mint, anise, rosemary) and sea-spray, with a light iodine medicinal quality. A tiny hint of oak. Palate: Beautifully lush and soft arrival and delivery. A lightly salty but predominantly malted cereal palate with unexpectedly firm peat smoke overlaying everything. A floral-herbal-smoky character with some spicy overtones (ginger, white pepper). Finish: Long, smoky, and earthy. A sweetly lingering aftertaste. A delightful and most unexpected profile - Bruichladdich as I've never tasted it before. The light peating is very deft and successful. The nose is much smokier than most Bruichladdich - it's almost like a gentle Port Charlotte. The smoke on the palate is more subtle but still definitely there. In comparison to the Classic Laddie this is more earthy and leathery, and the light peating adds just the right heft to the palate to bring it up in line with the nose. According to the brand ambassador, who was working at the distillery at the time, this was an accident due to the wrong peating level having been specified to Port Ellen maltings for the initial delivery of malt. However having tasted this I'm surprised that Jim McEwan decided to stay with a vertually unpeated profile for the new Bruichladdich instead of running with this level of smoke. I guess they already had plans for Port Charlotte as the peated expression and wanted to keep the two product lines distinct. It's pretty much unobtanium now, I was fortunate enough to sample this at a Sydney whisky shop tasting last night. The bottle we tasted was from the first distillation run after the distillery came out of silence and was donated by a friend of the shop manager. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

My bottle: Cask #9153, Bottle #170 Nose: Licorice, cherries, bubblegum, pine-resin, apple cider, pears, vanilla blossoms, marshmallows, barley sugar, sweet melon and mint. Palate: Delicate honeysuckle nectar arrival. In the development it gains texture and there are orchard fruits, malted barley, honey, sweetened vanilla yoghurt, caramel pudding and baked apples, all sprinkled with delicate sweet ginger and a dusting of white pepper. Finish: Long, a fruity spiced-mead flavour dwindles away joyously. Oh, a brilliant, bracing nose. Top stuff! Tasting this whisky is like stepping out into a mild spring day. The palate is a masterclass of how to handle a sweet profile without allowing it to descend into syrup - a stunning example of how first-fill bourbon barrels can sympathize with the right distillate. I had to force myself to add water to this, I was enjoying it so much neat, but I'm so glad I did. The nose softens and swells with gentle oak that was previously obscured. The palate develops more spice (ginger and cinnamon) and more honey. The finish is rounder and longer lasting. It's excellent both neat and with a few drops of water - do try it both ways but water is definitely not needed simply for dilution - this is super smooth at 47.8%. It's expensive for a 12 year old but worth every cent. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Nose: Sherry soaked pipe tobacco with a golden-syrup background. A waft of citrus. A fleeting hint of oak cask and black coffee. Palate: Winey syrup turning spicy-dry in the arrival. The development brings out cloves and dry, woody sherry notes. A little earthy and leathery, with sherry-soaked raisins and cherries. A touch of star anise and quite a lot of astringency on the back of the tongue. Finish: Medium-short. Dark chocolate, licorice, tannin. A smoky hint around the edges, but it's almost certainly just barrel-char from the long maturation. This whisky, whilst certainly very mellow and well balanced, seemed oddly washed-out to me. Tasting it was like viewing a beautiful but faded tapestry that I knew would have been stunningly vibrant 300 years ago. There was nothing I actively disliked, but so much seemed to be lacking. Rather than majestic and mature it was just old and tired. This costs $225-285 in Australia and for that money I'd rather buy three bottles of the very good GlenDronach 12 year old, or a bottle of the 18 year old Allardice (which currently contains barrels that are way more than 18 years old) and have change left for a good pub lunch and a pint. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Nose: Cherry Danish! Berries and buttery pastry. Butterscotch praline, a little vanilla (but not much), cedarwood cigar box, orange marmalade. The woody notes are prominent but very light - more pencil-shavings than cask. Overall it's a very round, warm and inviting nose. Water opens it up but keeps the profile intact, with a little loss of impact. Palate: At first very soft and sweet, then becoming as hot and dry as dust on the palate - you can almost feel it sucking the moisture from your tongue, it's so dry and oily-spicy. Like clove oil and walnut oil poured over tobacco leaves and seasoned with freshly grated ginger and pine-tree resin. A taste of over-brewed tea. It borders on unpleasant, but then it backs off and softens into a creamy and full-bodied flavour with honey and a touch of anise. For pity's sake - add water! (see below). Finish: An evolving, complex and sweet finish, like the calm after the storm. Rye bread spices fade into a soft finale, but without any trace of bitterness or sourness. I found this to be an "interesting" experience neat, but frankly it tasted unfinished and hot. The addition of water initially brought out a spiky spiciness (to be expected) but as the dilution increased everything started to fall into place, and eventually the penny dropped. This needs man-sized dilution - not just a dash of water, a really good pour - have no fear, this stuff could swim through a hurricane. In fact, it's actually one of the rare whiskies that I'd suggest trying neat over a few rocks. Taken down to under 40% everything starts to knit together to produce a cohesive and subtle experience that is a real surprise and delight. As the abv is taken down the aromas and flavours carried on the alcohol are released and allowed to perform as the stars they are. Tropical fruits are encountered on the palate along with delicate spiced honeysuckle. Complexity is apparent that was previously obscured, and the finish becomes long, smooth as silk, and extremely seductive. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Vanilla, oak, spices, citrus zest, cereal, brown sugar, leather, roasted nuts. It's a sweet nose with an almost barley-sugar aroma in the background. Water emphasizes the oak. Palate: A full, rich oaked arrival that develops deep fruity flavours - red berries, sour cherries, melon, raisins - along with a bowlful of roasted mixed nuts. Milk chocolate tempers the experience, which is very palatable even at the moderately high abv. Water brings out oak tannins and makes the palate drier. Finish: Long, fruity, spicy, toffee, chocolate and minty. There's a fresh herbal quality to the finish which is very nice. Water adds a prickly, gingery and peppermint spice note that is unexpected but very agreeable. I've tasted this three times in the last two months from two different bottles and I've been surprised at the difference in character between them. The first bottle had an overall raisin/orange character - fruity, rich and enveloping with the focus on dark fruit. The second bottle, whilst just as good in its own way, was much more "lean" in character - more cereal-forward and with heftier floral and spicy rye characteristics. This is to be expected in a single barrel batch expression, of course. I've tried to give my overall impression of both bottles in the tasting notes above. The nose is less overtly woody than the 10 Year Old, but is also more layered and aromatic. It's a NAS whiskey (I believe around 6 years old) but it tastes more like a 10. A fine whiskey - intense, complex and interesting. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Nose: The initial impression is oak. Next there's a pleasant compote of warm spices (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg) that interweave with the wood tannins. Behind that there are cereal notes, vanilla and pale sultana fruit cake. When first poured there is a volatile wisp of ethanol, but thankfully that goes away as it opens to reveal a creamy foundation. Palate: Soft at first but developing into a very dry, almost astringent, palate that is again all about oak tannins. There's a dark chocolate note as well and some restrained spiciness but overall the palate is fairly simple with a sweet/dulcet quality balancing the dryness of the tannins. Finish: Long (very long) once again with a focus on oak and spice, but gaining sweetness and depth as it tails off. Some light orange and sugar syrup. The final note is vanillin from the cask, a hint of wintergreen, and a tiny bitter/sour tang. Very much a cask-driven experience, fundamentally "woody", but both complex and subtle. Let this one rest for a few minutes before nosing - it's worth it. The palate is basically a continuation of the nose and is what I think of as a "fast" palate, by which I mean it develops strong flavours fairly quickly and then stops just as quickly. However these flavours linger to produce a very long and satisfying finish (much longer than you might think at first) that highlights the rye component. A splash of water does this whiskey no harm at all, and is recommended. It leaves the profile intact but broadens the palate, emphasizing the rye slightly and adding a mellowness to the whole proceedings. Water also produces an almost floral note on the nose and adds integration throughout. A good whisky - if only the palate was just a little more complex and extended it would be a great one. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Nose: Peach, orange zest, cereal, almonds, a rather fine sherry note and a little bit of vanilla. In the background a hint of spicy oak. Palate: The arrival is sweet and spicy, a combination of white grapes and barley sugar. More spicy notes appear in the development - mild ginger and sweet chili - together with sultanas and almonds. Malty cereal flavours build up supported by a clean oak presence. The body is light but creamy and very enjoyable. Finish: Fairly short, but satisfying. Malty and honey sweet. The slightest hint of bitter cacao right at the end accompanying lingering oak flavours, but this is countered by sweet sherry notes and a fresh minty presence. Crisp and clean, this is a nicely balanced and well-structured whisky. I was expecting something much more oak-heavy but instead the casks play a subtle supporting role. There is a definite oak foundation but the multiple casks are mainly providing balance and complexity of spice for the dominant character, which is cereal and fruit. Very pleasant, but just a little over-priced. If you can find it on special it's worth trying, but note that if it's the sherried profile of traditional Macallan that you like then this might not be to your taste. "Above Average" : 81/100 (3 stars)

Nose: Figs, dates, malt, vanilla, sherry, cinnamon, caramel toffee. After developing for a while in the glass an oak aroma arises. There's a hint of sulphur but it's not too intrusive. Palate: A luscious and sweet arrival with a deliciously creamy mouthfeel. In the development there are dried fruits soaked in sherry - plums, dates and figs again, this time drizzled with mild honey. Dark and hefty Christmas pudding, rancio, toasted almonds, hazelnuts, mild spices, baked apples, orange, cinnamon. Finish: Long, slowly fading into a sweet memory. The single fault I find is right at the finale where there is a sulphur note (stronger than that on the nose) and it spoils the party by staying too long after everyone else has left. While the nose is fruity right from the start with a background of good sherry emerging later, the palate is the opposite. First there is a wave of sweet sherry which then expands into fruitiness on the palate. The texture is the crowning jewel of this whisky - creamy, almost oily rich. It swims well, with a little water opening up the nose and palate. This emphasizes both the sweet and spice characteristics and dispels some of the sulphur that you notice throughout this whisky. It does, however, undermine the texture. It's a pity that the trace of sulphur in the finish leaves a lingering musty, faintly sour taint in the mouth. Otherwise I'd rate this as 4 stars, but regardless I don't consider it value for money. "Above Average" : 81/100 (3 stars)