Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2008 Islay Grown: Dunlossit Estate

First opened No water Nose - pears, molasses, grain, applesauce Taste - grain, sweetness, slight burn Overall - it succeeds in highlighting the barley used, straight-forward in flavor, not as oily as other Bruichladdich scotches.

This is a weird one for me. I have a 200ml taster bottle from a sample pack that came with an Islay Barley and an Organic. As soon as I poured this one, the initial smell I was picking up in the nose was a big, dusty bag of grains. It honestly smelled like if you’ve ever opened up a burlap sack of barley or lentils. It took me right back to the farm. Dusty and earthy. Initially, on the palate that earthiness came through strong. It reminded me, dare I say, of dry manure in a field; but not in a gross way...but also not in an enjoyable way. More of a, “Huh...never tasted that before.” I scoured the internet for a review that had the same tasting notes, but couldn’t find one, so it may be just me. After 10 minutes in the glass, those dusty, farmyard notes fade dramatically to the background and a sweeter dram emerges. Barley sugar and orange in the nose. Little bit of dust remains. On the palate, sweet citrus, some cereals, and custard. Like others have mentioned; it’s a bit rough around the edges. It does do a pretty good job of changing with time in the glass, but, I’d take the Classic Laddie over this. I’m a big Bruichladdich fanboy, but I’m glad that I have a 200ml sample bottle of this and didn’t sink $100 CAD into a full bottle. I’m glad I tried it; to me, it was engaging because of those weird farmyard notes, but it’s not a Bruichladdich limited release that I will miss when it’s gone like the Laddie 10 or the Organic 2003. I’d still say to grab a dram if you can. 3.5 stars - 84/100 Edit: after a few weeks in the bottle it really came into its own. Nice complexity now. Rough edges gone. Changes character so much with time in the glass. 4 stars 88/100

Mash tun, grain concassé, attaque sèche qui continue sur le goût de céréales

Slightly firy whiskey with an oily/nutty feel. Hard to feel a taste. Lovely finish on the palate.

Nice flavour.