Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2009

My first Bruichladdich whisky. Surprised by the initial heat on the tongue. Reminded me of tasting something with a high rye mashbill. The nose was sugar cookies with hints of citrus. Unpeated, but the classic Islay smoke and brine is present, yet not too overpowering. My favorite thing was the full, oily texture. Loved that the barley used was locally grown. You don't get any closer to a place than tasting it.

Complex notes. Heavy on the nose.

Smokey but gentle nose / smooth palate with slight late heat , slightly smokey forward palate and slightly sweet mid palate.

Toffee and vanilla aroma. Unique spiciness right off the bat. Quick diminish, not lingering. Faint apple or apple rind in the tail.

Part two of the Wee Laddie tasting set review. *Note this is not the same as the whisky listed as this was bottled specifically for the tasting set and does not have a vintage or farm of origin. I didn’t feel it was worth creating a new entry. The second whisky in this set is the Bruichladdich Islay Barley. This is different from the Classic Laddie in that all of the barley is grown specifically on Islay, the idea being that the terroir really does make an impact on the final product. Like the Classic Laddie, this is bottled at 50% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of yellow gold, and is also unpeated. The nose has lots of strong barely notes, honey and lemon citrus. Damp, musty and earthy. Like it’s unpeated brother, this too has a very peated feel to it right off the bat. Lemon squares, faint golden apples, peaches, pineapple and grilled plums. A touch mineral with some wheat bread. Vanilla and oak, maple, toffee, butterscotch and buttery pecans. Very light raspberries as well. The palate is quite spicy, very malty with lots of honey, hay, lemons and salty. Oak and heat, very green and slightly vegetal. Apricots and ginger. Young, vibrant, and spirit forward, but not very complex. A medium to full bodied mouthfeel that is oily and mouthwatering. The finish is medium long, spicy, oaky and salty. I’m not impressed with this whisky. Yes it is presented with pride as it is NCF and NC and at 50%, but it doesn’t have enough going for it taste wise and is a bit too intense to really enjoy. It does show that terroir does matter (or more to the point that the barley varietal matters) and shows that (presumably) changing nothing but the barley can make a huge difference on the intrinsic properties of the spirit. I did not try adding water, which may have helped. As it stands I’m giving it a 3.5. Cheers