Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie

Soo much salt. So fresh. Almost white wine. Grass, peaches, green apple, very crisp.

Very nice profiled whisky, first smell is with alcohol hints, bit iodine, but after little breathing it smells still powerful but nicer, little peat and smoke even if it's stated as not peated. Taste is well ballanced, tasteful, vanilla, beautiful acidity in middle and overall fruit sweetness (apples/pears). Nice but not needed in my sipper collection.

Backstory: I participated in a Distiller W.O.W. (whiskies of the world) Zoom call having received 10 drams of different whiskies, actually 9 as they snuck one rum in with the mix. See my review on Diplomatico Reserva. I am so glad to have been introduced to a rum that put my love of bourbon to the test! This tasting event was a gift for my finance for his 50th so I got each of us a sample box and we joined in the Zoom call together one evening. It was a blast and I am glad we had two boxes as by the time we got to the last few drams my tasting notes got a little suspect as I had a pretty good buzz going! Plus, even with clearing my palette, and sniffing on coffee beans I am sure that my tasting was not as great as it was on those first few drams. We were smart to just share in the first box and save the second back for tasting over a period of a week just to be sure our notes were correct. REVIEW: Appearance: Very light straw blond to pale cream, slightly hazy, medium thick, slightly oily. Nose: Very light alcohol aroma which is not bothersome at all, salt, straw, sea spray, very light iodine and bandaid scent but again, not bothersome. peaches, lemon candy and light wildflower honey. Mouthfeel: Creamy, thick, oily, tangy. Surprised at the thickness and richness of the mouth feel considering the light color. The haze, or heft however in the appearance did elude to this thicker feeling. Its surprisingly awesome. Flavor: Salt, vanilla, cream, up front. Mellow iodine with the flavor or fresh baked bread brushed with a slight bit of caramel dust. Apricot marmalade presents on tongue followed by an herbaceous zest. Finish: Lingering with a slight smokey sweetness and sea spray saltiness. Overall thoughts: So I am a hella noob when it comes to scotch. Some I have liked, some I have hated. This one gives me hope that I could learn to love scotch. It may not be as sophisticated as others but it is a good starting point for me. All of the flavor notes that I love are here, and those I am not a fan of, I'm looking at you bandaid!, are very mild. I would like if the flavors I enjoy had a little more oomph to them but for now, I am happy to have tried this and would buy if I did not have others I wanted to try more on my list. Until I try more scotch I will hold off on a purchase but I feel this is a good one to get newbies started with. I really appreciate the mouthfeel on this one - its heavier and oily and for some reason that feels pleasant to me.

Long sustained light leather. Good alone, no need to make part of collection

Very pale in the glass. Honey water. Mostly thin but a little tacky on the glencairn when swirled. The nose is restrained but a tad sharp. Simmered marmalade, cereal grain, and crushed lemongrass. Unusually prominent barley notes. A pervasive floral undercurrent. Oatmeal and blackberries. Uncommon, but neither a plus or minus. Tart and acidic. Flashes sweet but ends more saccharine with a touch of minerality. Somewhere between apricot and tangerine. Granite. Salty in the way only scotch can be. Maybe too salty? Earthy and yeasty barley returns prominently. Lemon curd. Strong vein of flowers again. Coriander. Honey. Allspice. Some cream at the end with echoes of the tangy, saccharine sweetness returning. While I appreciate the 100 proof, I think it’s a little heavy handed when neat. Admittedly can proof down but not up. Reverberates impressively without any ethanol presence, but is just a touch too sharp. Metallic - but, more stainless steel than copper. Verdict is an unusual and tangy malt. Interesting and a bit challenging, but unfortunately not captivating. It feels like it has the backbone of some of my favorite assertive/musty/yeasty distillates, like Glenfarclas or Craigellachie, but hasn’t rounded off that prickliness with age and/or sherry in the way I have come to love. Quality product, no doubt, and iconic if unconventional packaging, but a close miss for my preferences. I understand there is very intentional batch variation, but reviewing my notes vs the critic reviews and distillery tasting notes I think they align pretty solidly. Batch 21/015, dominated by 1st or 2nd fill bourbon casks. I am surprised that this particular profile appears to be so universally appealing (3.8 @ 2k reviews), although the mystique of Islay may yield a slight bias (or my taste buds are 3rd rate - Occam’s razor suggests this may be the case). Continuing through the bottle I'll note it has grown on me, but not enough to rewrite the narrative. Appreciate the concept, distiller philosophy, and transparency. Would drink again, but probably won’t buy of my own accord.