Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2008

The nose starts with an effervescent mix of lemon lime soda, gooseberries and tangerine orange then slightly charred hay, vanilla custard and a seaside rocky minerality followed by cinnamon apple streusel, kiwi and caramelized peaches that transitions to light baking spices, candied ginger and driftwood with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a moderate spice that slowly fades to caramelized peaches, gooseberries and lemon lime zests then lightly charred hay, orange custard and a seaside rocky minerality followed by sour apple candy, cherries jubilee and red grapefruit that transitions to light baking spices, candied ginger, leather and polished oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sweet creamy orchard fruit, charred hay, mild pepper spice, seaside rocky minerality, leather and polished oak. This is an easy sipping and refreshing dram that the flavors are subtle with a mix of sweet and sour citrus, light smoke, seaside minerality and oak spice that are incredibly well-balanced but suffers from a slight astringency and moderate spice. I’d be interested in tasting this in a few years with some additional age to hopefully polish out those sour fruits and intensify the flavors, as this is already very tasty at just 8 years and could be incredible with just some additional time. Thanks @ContemplativeFox for the generous sample.

Rating: 17/23 N: There's a rich, grainy earthiness. I can smell the terroir coming through here. It's really nice. There's a touch of that sweet sort of tangerine peel is brushed against slightly light caramel scent that I associate with Buffalo Trace, but not much of it. Floral hints turn into mild vanilla, which turns into dry wood. A little citrus goes in and out. Some nice, restrained herbal and vegetal whiffs come out of the terroir. A pretty interesting nose. Not the most decadent and it takes a bit of work to get all of what is there, but there's a lot happening and it all fits together. It doesn't come across as super old, but the balance is nice. P: Surprisingly bold. Fruity (apricot, tangerine, citron, lemon, a hint of grapefruit) with that classic Buffalo Trace dry caramel sweetness. Some herbal bitter funk with a bit of richness and kind of chocolate makes me think of peat, which is interesting since this is unpeated. A bit nutty and certainly toasty at times. It isn't that in-your-face buckwheat nuttiness, but it does blend nicely into the maltiness. An interesting waxy flavor comes in here too. Actually, it's stronger than Clynelish in that regard. There's also a sort of youthful yet full malty character that I associate with Copperworks. I'm not describing that well, but something just rings a small bell there. Maybe there's a faint sort of sherry-cherry note that's doing that. There's more heat (though not harshness) than I'd expected and also a bit of alcohol flavor. Glancing at the label, I now realize that this is 50% ABV, so that all seems reasonable. There is a little sharpness in places that suggests youth, but there really isn't much. The complexity, depth, and balance here are all quite good. This is kind of making me think of Buffalo Trace, Clynelish, and Copperworks all mixed together with some terroir flair. It's fascinating and really good. F: The Buffalo Trace flavor hits first, then some of that unaggressive herbal, lightly vegetal, somewhat chocolate peat-ish flavor comes in. Very nice; a good hedonistic ending. - Conclusion - This blows Bruichladdich Organic Barley 2009 (14) out of the water and I think it even takes Loch Lomond 12 (16) to task with its greater complexity. This is at least on the level of Loch Lomond 12. I'm looking at a 16 or 17 here. It's very impressive, especially for such a young spirit. Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2010 (16) gets close with its fascinating peat flavor, but I think that this is my favorite of the Bruichladdich barley experiments. I think I'm going to land on a 17 here. This is incredibly impressive for its age. And, really, it's quite impressive overall. I'd love to try an older version of this. OK, I'm actually considering an 18 now. This is really good. For a last-second comparison, I pulled out Glen Grant 18 and Cárn Mór's Glen Grant 26 (1992). This was highly competitive with both of them. Right now, I'd probably take this over either of them, suggesting an 18, but I recall this being a little rough, so I think that a 17 is still the most appropriate score.

"In honor of Robert Burns day I would be remiss if I didn’t enjoy a few drams tonight, and what better way then to review 3 offerings from Bruichladdich. I received a 3x200ml gift pack for Xmas with 2008/09/10 barley expressions. Let’s get to it. The nose on this ‘08 bottling is refreshing and bright. Stone fruits and lemon zest and orange peel are the dominate smells here, but dance around my olfactory as if I had just dropped an alka-seltzer in the glass. Quite whimsical indeed. Palate plays far more serious than the nose, slapping me around with gobs of malt and spice reminiscent of a high proof American rye. We are skipping first and second base here clearly. The spice subsides to reveal some more char and salty, briny almost meaty flavors. Finish is medium long, with the oil from the rich mouthfeel hanging on and keeping you warm for far longer then you expect. This is what should be in those St Bernard neck casks in the Alps if it isn’t already. Exploring these 3 barley expressions was a great way to spend Burns’ night. Typically I expect age to mellow out a whisky but with this, the oldest sibling clearly still is the most rough and tumble. A great whisky indeed if you can find it.

Light, oaky, bit of citrus beautiful aroma

Bottle half empty: gets better and better.

Sharp, rich. Can taste the teeniest bit of sherry influence.