Bruichladdich Warehouse Tasting
Nicola had a family holiday on Islay in the middle of August for a week. Staying at the fantastic Temperance House, situated directly opposite the Port Charlotte Hotel.
One of Nicola’s highlights was a warehouse tasting in the Bruichladdich Distillery. I was delighted when Nicola returned home as she had brought me a few samples from her Bruichladdich Warehouse tasting.
The three samples were:-
Bruichladdich 2009 Bere Barley – 61.8 % Alc/vol
Octomore 2010 169 ppm – 61.6 % Alc/vol
Port Charlotte – Single Caask
The warehouse tasting Nicola had and the samples she brought back are drawn from casks in the warehouse and will never be bottled. They will be used exclusively for the Distilleries warehouse tastings. This makes it quite a special tasting indeed.
Now comes the time for me to have a wee taste.
Up first is:-
Bruichladdich 2009 Bere Barley – 61.8 % Alc/vol
Colour…Pale varnished pine
Nose…A very ripe fruit bowl full of apple, peach, cherry and tangerine, with a floral scent from a flower shop.
Taste…Sangria fruit, vanilla iced party biscuits, baked apples with runny toffee sauce, ideal for sipping on a warm sunny afternoon.
Finish…Elegant and sweet, just lay back in the sun, job done.
Up next is:-
Octomore 2010 – 169 ppm, 61.6% Alc/vol
Colour…Golden trombones
Nose…Very earthy on the nose is first, a very fresh peaty nose, sweetness from an apple pie moves in.
Taste…A lot of sweet peat, a puff of white pepper, earthiness and smokiness of a peat hearth mixed with the spiciness of cinnamon and nutmeg, warming like the engine room of a puffer, a slight saltiness, a very interesting dram with a lot happening in my glass.
Finish…It is like a day at the beach with a BBQ fire on the go with only shellfish sizzling.
Last but not least:-
Port Charlotte – Single Cask
Colour…Rich Amber
Nose…Unmistakable smoke, it is not quite full on smokiness, the aroma of a just-opened first aid box, some sweet heather honey, it has a touch of a signature Bruichladdich.
Taste…It’s got peat, it’s sweet, a puff of white pepper, the charred sugary topping of a creme brulee, toffee on the stokers shovel on a Clyde Puffer.
Finish…Smoke and pepper heat is in charge, and the finish lingers long enough to leave an imprint of Islay.
Three very different drams a tough one to pick a winner, so they were all winners in there own way. But as many of our readers know, I am a lover of all things Islay and a big lover of peated Whisky, so, by a short head, the Octomore wins for me.
