Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie

Really smooth almost buttery. Almost 4 stars.

Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain, along with being the hardest-to-spell distilleries on Islay, are also the only two distilleries on the island that focus on unpeated single malts. Classic Laddie is one of the basic expressions offered by the distillery, and comes in at a healthy ABV and in a non-chill filtered state, both of which are a plus for purists. Now if only they would own up to its actual age, which I'm assuming is under 10 years given the lack of an age statement. I find Bruichladdich's distillate pulls a lot of unusual flavors out of their barrels, and this scotch is no different. The signature brine and mineral scents of an Islay single malt swirl out of the glass, accompanied by some heather or floral musk, incense, and sweet honey. The palate appears at times to have a mild smokiness that belies its unpeated nature. The core notes are chalk, iodine, grapefruit, and brine, reminding me of a very lightly peated Talisker or Ardbeg. The finish has some hints of youth but remains pleasant, with flavors of grapefruit, ginger, and pepper. At $50-60, this is one of the better values in the Bruichladdich range.

easy. nice.

Boath House 9.12.2017 Gylden, gul. Skarp, kryddersktig, smal. Relativ beskjeden ettersmak.

Rather ambivalent about this. Somehow, my nose has been programmed to detect peat smoke/baby vomit whenever I see the baby blue bottle. But they were totally non-existent. Not my top choice when in the mood for a Laddie, but very nicely balanced.