Here’s another one that’s long overdue. This is one of Bruichladdich’s two flagship bottlings. This is the unpeated option, and the more popular of the two. It’s a notch below the Laphroaigs, Ardbegs, Lagavulins of the world in terms of notoriety, but it truly is one of the classics. Looking forward to this one. Nose: Big time custard, toffee, malt, butterscotch, honey, and vanilla. Almond and walnut. Orange and lemon citrus. Sugar cookie. Pear. Palate: Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Plum. White grape. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Vanilla, caramel, honey, toffee, and butterscotch. Finish: Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Orange citrus. Black pepper. Almond and walnut. Cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Moderate length. Solid pour. Of all the unpeated Islay malts, this reads the closest to a Speyside as anything I’ve had before. It has a very fruit forward and floral profile. It’s very well done, and punches nicely at 50% ABV without the drawbacks of a true cask strength, where the cinnamon heat burns out the finer details of the flavor profile. At $56, this is easily worth the price of admission. Far and away. The price has remained very stable over the years, and unlike a lot of Scotches, it’s been relatively inflation proof. That alone wouldn’t make it a tremendous value though. It would have to deliver in terms of quality, and it does this flawlessly. 4.0 kicked up to 4.5 with consideration to VFM. Awesome.