Bruichladdich Port Charlotte/First Cut

I hope the sight of this old git filling a bottle of Whisky doesn't put you off too much. This is something special - a cask strength bottling from the first distillation after the reopening of the distillery. I can guarantee it is cask strength as I filled the bottle from the barrel myself. For the record it is bottle 654 of 950 of cask number 007, distilled on 28th May 2001 and bottled in May 2007. Well, actually it was bottled in early June 2007. Bruichladdich put it on for the Islay Whisky Festival the week before.

It has a rich brown colour, which I find surprising as it has had only six years in a bourbon cask. The strength is 61.5%.
Nosing it I sense a nectar like sweetness with a strong woody smell.

This is one for gentle sipping at this strength. Tasting it, the power of the spirit is marked but not overpowering. There is a strong wood taste and there is also a strange combination of dryness and marzipan sweetness. I am not sure how it works but I can think of no other way to describe it. It seems amazing to me that this can be so good after only six years in the cask. It's character is such that it is thoroughly enjoyable without watering despite the alcohol content. If this is what the new regime at Bruichladdich are capable of then we are in for an interesting time as more of their handywork becomes available in the coming years. Adding a drop of water allows the marzipan to come through more along with a mellowness that defies the youth of the dram. To me this is a well made and thoroughly enjoyable malt whisky that makes me look forward to future specialities from this distillery. If you get the chance, take a trip to Bruichladdich and grab a bottle while you still can.

Bruichladdich Rocks

Here's another one from the Laddie stable I am afraid. Rocks has started appearing in our local supermarkets in place of the ten year old. I speculate that this because we are now into the gap when the distillery wasn't working so the stock for making a consistent ten year old expression isn't there. Rocks has been put together to plug the gap.

The colour is interesting being a light brown, with what looks like a hint of pink. On the nose there is warm fruitiness overlaying the spirit. Coming to the taste there is a hint of the marzipan of the ten year old but with a bit of peat as well. However the whole is not as mellow as the ten year old with harshness about it. It's pleasant enough but to me it is a bit of a fence sitter. It doesn't have the mellow simplicity of the ten year old but it is not a peat monster either.

Bruichladdich Infinity Second Edition

This is one of the bottles that came back with us from Islay. I gather that rioja casks played a part in its creation. At 52.5% there should be a good kick at least. It has a good brown colour with just a hint of red about it. There is a mustiness in the nose that makes me think of old fashioned sweet shops. Whew, it is a strong one. This is drier that most with a lot of wood. A touch of water helps the flavour develop but it was much better with Ronnie's water from the burn. It's making me think of the scent of a freshly pulled cork from a bottle of red wine.

The bottle is just half full as we opened it one night with Ronnie and Marie. The picture shows Marie, Ronnie and Dot on the steps of the front door to the Monachs. It is said whisky that is in the glasses held by Ronnie and Dot.

During the evening we ran out of water from the Burn so I was dispatched by Marie with an empty whisky bottle to get some more. She pointed out the general direction of the burn over a barbed wire fence. Well I managed to negotiate a second fence and fill the bottle without getting my feet too wet. On the way back I spotted that Ronnie had installed a stile over the fence higher up. I don't think Marie could have known about it as she was quite surprised when I returned with no search party required.

When we caught up with Ronnie in the morning he was feeling bad as he had an empty bottle of Infinity in the kitchen. He cheered up when I assured him that we hadn't actually drunk the whole lot the night before and pointed out that it was an empty bottle of the first edition, which was sherry casked. Happy days.

Islay in the Summertime and a bit of Bruichladdich Peat Ale

Way back in February I was enthusing about our planned trip to Islay. At the time we were told we would actually be there during the Whisky festival. It turned out that we missed it by a week. That wasn't a bad ploy as the distilleries still had the festival specials available without the crowds. I had meant to post to the blog every night while we were there but I am afraid good intentions went by the board in a malt induced haze. How does anyone manage to blog from Islay? So here I am a full fortnight after our return.

We had a tremendous time staying with Ronnie and Marie at the Monachs. There was a lot of catching up to do as they are old friends of my wife's parents. On the first night Ronnie whipped out a bottle of ten year old Jura, which he said was on special offer in the Coop! I recall it was a warming drink with a hint of butterscotch. For watering he had a bottle of peaty water from the burn near the house. I don't usually water my malt but using Ronnie's water was a completely different experience as it brought out the flavours magnificently.

During our stay we borrowed bicycles from Ronnie so that we didn't have to worry about who was driving when it came to sampling time. Hence the picture at the top of the page of Dot cycling past a local landmark. This picture was taken after our tour of the distillery so I must have been very controlled with the tastings. Maybe it was something to do with it being 11 o'clock in the morning. We did buy a couple of very interesting offerings from the shop, which I will say more about on another occasion.

On one of our trips we called in at the Islay Ales brewery. It is a great wee place and well worth a visit. The tour was reminiscent of home brewing on a big scale. As I write this I am actually drinking the strangest beer I think I have ever had, Bruichladdich Peat Ale. It has been brewed using the same peaty malt that Bruichladdich use for Octamore. At first taste it was a bit of a surprise but it is certainly growing on me. There is a strong medicinal taste which reminds me of Caol Ila. I have never had the chance to try Octamore to see if it carries through into that whisky. Unfortunately my chances of trying it are slim as we found out at Bruichladdich that the last batch is already fully sold although it is still in the barrels. The hop varieties used in the beer have matched up with the peat smoke flavours well to give a harmonious if strange result. As an aside, the other guests at the Monachs couldn't get over the fact that our brewery purchases were waiting in our room when we returned from our day's cycling. That's Islay for you.

Glenmorangie Ten Years Old

A couple of years ago I thought I was concentrating too much on Islay malts and should consider spreading my net wider. This Glenmorangie was on offer in the local supermarket so I bought it to try in view of the distillery's fame and reputation. It says a lot that I still have some left so that I can do a tasting for the blog.

It is bottled at 40% with a pale straw colour. The nose is a pleasant floral and honey sweetness. On the palate all I get is that typical mainland butteryness and not a lot else. If you like a straightforward easy malt this is for you, but I must say I prefer something a bit more complex and interesting myself.

Lagavulin Aged 16 Years

Whoops, I have been neglecting this log. It is always difficult balancing the action when you have two mistresses. Shortly after the last entry we had a trip to Porto. As a result the last few weeks have been dedicated to that delightful beverage. However, in less than a month's time we are off to the Hebrides with Islay on the itinerary so I had better start preparing the taste buds.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Bruichladdich and Bowmore, I decided to investigate the products of Islay in more detail. To this end I bought a bottle of Lagavulin 16 year old at a branch of Oddbins in London. The bottle looks interesting with an old fashioned looking label. I see it has been bottled at 43% too, so not too much adulteration I hope. In the glass it has a golden mid-brown colour. On the nose I am definitely sensing seaweed and wood. The former is not surprising considering how near to the waters edge the distillery is. As for the taste, wow, this is a big powerful one. The intial impression is oil as in trawler bilges, then there is peat and smoke in spadefuls. As it goes down a fruity citrus medicinal after taste comes through. There's something in here that I can't place but it reminds of some cough linctus I had in my childhood. Deary me, after all I said about whisky not tasting like grapefruit I have gone and described the after taste as fruity citrus.

Well that's three Islay distilleries visited in taste if not in person. Perhaps a tour of the others is called for. Then with all the expressions that Bruichladdich are turning out, they could keep me busy for a while. At the rate at which new distilleries are opening up on Islay I wonder if the journey will ever end. Of course, a bit of Port Ellen history won't go amiss either.

Bowmore Legend and a little Darkest

All at sea?


I must have been rather enthusiastic about Islay malts in conversations with my work colleagues following my discovery of Bruichladdich because the next Islay product I had the pleasure of sampling was a bottle of Bowmore Legend that they gave me for Christmas a while back. Now this is a workaday drink compared with some of the heavier after dinner malts that I have had since. However, it certainly has its place. I find it ideal for the hip flask when out for a walk on a mizzly day in the Hebrides. The most memorable occasion that I have had it was on just such a mizzly day on Coll last summer, when we went to visit Marie in the house that she was having built. She poured me a shot of Legend into a plastic cup that had been on the unglazed windowsill. It was wonderful sipping the golden liquid through the drops of Scotch dampness that were round the rim of the cup.

In time honoured fashion I have a glass of Legend beside me now. At 40% one has to think that a bit of filtration and colouring has been involved in its production. In the nose I am just finding a hint of peat in amongst what I can only describe as the smell of old wood. To me the taste is of peaty smoke on top of a honey sweetness. This was the first peaty Islay whisky that I tasted. Although the flavour is not as full and complex as some, the smokiness is very distinctive. It is a great introduction to the types of whisky most commonly associated with Islay.

The little Darkest comes in here because my wife picked up a gift set of three Bowmore minitures as a supermarket special offer in the run up to last Christmas. I think the were in my stocking from Father Christmas this year! The label says that it has been sherry casked; it certainly seems that way from the deep nutty brown colour. At 43% I anticipate a fuller flavour than from the legend. Giving it a sniff I detect a warm gentle spirit smell with sweetness and even floral hints. Yes, the taste is fuller than the Legend. Leather and wood predominate along with sweetness, mild peatiness and a slight medicinal quality.

Well I guess I'll just have to settle down and relax with what is left in the glass - such hardship. Before I do though I will have to update on our plans for our forthcoming trip to Islay in June. We have now discovered that the good folk who run the B&B we will be staying at are long lost friends of the family. It looks like we are in for a big reunion as well as enjoying the last couple of days of the Whisky Festival.

Now somewhere I have a picture of Bowmore that I quite like. I wonder if I can work out how to add it to this posting before my brain gets too addled.

Aberlour 1989, Bottle 144/360

At last it is time to get down to the Aberlour.

My younger daughter is studying to be a vet at London University. During the five year course the students are expected to spend a lot of time in between their time at college on work experience placements. Kathryn arranged to spend several weeks on Coll helping Sheila and Martin with their Eriskay ponies a couple of summers ago. As a thank you they presented her with this bottle of whisky. Kathryn doesn't drink whisky but she made me wait until the following Christmas before presenting the bottle to me.

It is from a single cask bottling. This has been made at 40% so this is bottle number 144 out of a batch of 360. It was distilled in 1989 and bottled at either 12 or 14 years; it is not obvious from the label. It is clear at 40% so was probably chill filtered. The colour is a mid brown so it is difficult to say whether or not caramel has been added.

The nose is sweet and sherry like with a distinct hint of wood, so the colour may be natural if it was a sherry cask. The first sip carries a mellow marzipan butteriness. It is easy drinking but lacking in complexity. Most single malts are actually a blend of several casks enabling a consistentcy of the expression. The lack of fullness in this single cask bottling is apparent. Never the less it is a lovely smooth malt, which would be a wonderful introduction for a whisky neophile.

Something to look forward to

One of the disadvantages of being a biomedical scientist is on-call. I work in the Microbiology Department at the Conquest Hospital, Hastings and this is my weekend on. As a result the Aberlour will have to wait a few days as I have to be ready to drive into the hospital at a moment's notice. Never mind, I can while away some time recording a good thing that happened last week related to my whisky travels.

I mentioned the Isle of Coll in my introduction. My in laws bought a ruined cottage there about 50 years ago and the family have been doing it up ever since. You can read the story of its resurrection in "House in the Hebrides" by John Ogg (ISBN 0-954-80630-1). It was an ideal place for family holidays while the children were growing up. My eldest daughter decided she would like to take her boyfriend there during the May half term week. This all fixed up now and we are going to be there with them.

While we are up there we thought a few days on Islay would be fun too. We have an interest in a barrel of Bruichladdich so like to be able to pay our respects from time to time. Last time we went it was all a bit rushed as we accidentally went during the week of the Islay Show, but I will write more on that later. We decided it would be good to try and have a more leisurely visit during the week after we are in Coll. I looked up suitable accomodation on the internet and started phoning up to make a booking. I thought surely February is early enough to secure something in June. But no, place after place that I called was fully booked. What was going on? To my amazement I discovered that we had plumped on the very week of the Islay Whisky Festival! Well the good news is that we have managed to book ourselves a bed, so we will be there. Now that's something to look forward to on a grey February Sunday afternoon.

Bruichladdich 10 year old

Taste is a subjective thing so it is unlikely that others will like what I like and agree with my descriptions of taste. However I am keeping this record so that I will be able to look back on my travels, seeing how my perceptions change with time. I have seen tasting notes talking about citrus notes. I have a grapefruit for breakfast every day and I don't think I have ever experienced a whisky that tastes anything similar. When people describe a whisky as chocolatey, what sort of chocolate are they talking about?

Ever out for a bargain Dot, my wife, bought a box of fine chocolate bars at quarter price in the post Christmas sales. It really is lovely stuff and comes with a leaflet of tasting notes. Would you believe it? One of them is described as "complex notes of tobacco, whisky and smoke". It's bad enough being told that whisky tastes like chocolate, but the other way round, no way.

Now I must get on with the matter in hand and the first whisky that I really enjoyed, Bruichladdich 10 year old in its squat bottle, blue label, and posh tin. It's bottled at 46% alcohol so no chill filtering has removed those subtle flavour enhancing components that precipitate out with further dilution of the cask strength liquid. Judging from the pale yellow colour, it is all the natural result of putting clear spirit into ex bourbon oak barrels for a few years.

It's easy on the eye and easy on the nose too. There is nothing powerful here, just an almost imperceptable floral scent on top of the spirit. Moving on to the taste there is a straightforward oakiness in the strong spirit. It is approachable and enjoyable in its simplicity. A couple more sips and the alcohol begins to warm the spirit and calm the nerves. When the family assembled the day after my father in law died, we all started to pick up after emptying a bottle of this. It was a healing dram indeed.

The next instalment on my journey concerns a single barrel bottling of Aberlour, but that is for another day.

The Beginning

My father in law was of Scottish extraction and was quite partial to a wee dram. In fact it was sometimes a good bit more than a wee dram. I can recall him downing three quarters of a bottle of scotch on his own of an evening. Now, if I drank that much I would at the very least be waking up in ITU if not six feet under. However, John would just stand up out of his arm chair at the end of the evening, wish us all a good night's sleep, and walk steadily across the room on his way to retiring. The next day there wouldn't be the slightest hint of a hang over. Sadly, we lost John a couple of years' ago at the well preserved age of 83.

John's tipple was a good blend. He never really appreciated all this single malt stuff. Over the years his favourites varied. I recall Bells and The Famous Grouse on the table beside his chair. Another was a special blend available only through the Wine Society. I have to be honest and say that at I have yet to find a widely available blend that I enjoy. On one of our visits to the Hebridean island of Coll we were visiting Alec and Flora, God rest their souls, when the offer of drinks was made. I owned up to Alec about my not appreciating whisky so he said he would fix a dram that I would enjoy. You may consider it sacrilege, but he mixed it with lemonade and I did enjoy it.

My downfall was whiskey rather than whisky. A few years ago I won a bottle of Jamieson's as second prize in a competition. I immediately fell in love with the mellow smoothness of it. The slippery slope continued due to Harvey's brewery shop in Lewes, East Sussex. Now Harvey's is where I obtained my management qualification as I organised a tour of the brewery for the local branch of my professional association. I am now the proud owner of a certificate which attests to the fact that I can organise a piss up in a brewery, so no one can say I can't. On one of my visits to the brewery shop to top up my crate, I saw a fascinating looking tin containing a dumpy little bottle with the name Bruichladdich on it. I had never seen anything so unpronouncable so I bought a bottle of the ten year old. This must have been about the time that the distillery reopened so I am grateful to the marketing guys at the time for getting it right to attract my attention.

This is the end of the beginning because next I must go to the trouble of charging a glass with a drop of said ten year old Bruichladdich and let you know my thoughts on it. In case you a wondering, I gather the pronounciation is "brookladdy" or thereabouts.