Bruichladdich (Nickolls & Perks)
2005/18 Year |Inaugural Casks|
Fresh Bourbon Barrel 518 - 54.7%
I've already touched on these N&P "Inaugural Casks" back in my Springbank post from the same series, so I'll get right into this lil' Laddie. They've specifically went with the term "fresh" here instead of just saying "first fill," which similar to the way Springbank uses it, usually means it was a pretty "wet" cask that was filled.
Side note...this bares a striking resemblance to a really tasty valinch I poured at the distillery back in 2019. Let's see how it compares with a little more age behind it.
Appearance: Deep copper/brown.
First Whiff: Limonata with an orange scone...Italian breakfast?
Nose: The dark yellowish hue was a dead giveaway on this one as the wood-heavy notes show up right away with some sweet, musty old dunnage notes...or like walking into a barn on a cool, crisp morning. Not as farmy as a typical Laddie though. I get more vanilla wafers, bergamot, and some ginger spice with an underlying zest. With water: Thickens things up a bit...like nosing a warm slice of flan.
Palate: Tart, juicy citrus at first...takes a bit of time for the ethanol to chill out. The middle brings some, not overly sweet, subtle hints of guava, lychee...really refreshing grapefruit juice. With water: Surprisingly, more sour...a bit oily, salty, and distillate driven. Salty citrus and ripe orchard fruits...lemons/pears mostly.
Finish: Medium-long. It's interesting how the saltiness seems to carry the bittersweet grapefruit, guava, pithy-orange type notes through the finish and even hangs around a while on the backend.
Summary: There's some really wonderful parts here which unfortunately, just never seemed to come together into a great cohesiveness. The nose favors the cask influence, surely while the mouthfeel is clearly distillate driven. It's as if this cask was disgorged in the midst of a turning point, like those classic orchard fruit (red apple especially) notes were just starting to turn a bit tropical. I'd also note, I gave this sample a substantial amount of air time in the glass, but it has that complexity where you can imagine it developing even more over time.
IDS SCORE: 89
Bruichladdich (Archives)
2001/18 Year |The Fishes of Samoa|
FFSHH 310 - 56.3%
One from the "early days" of the McEwan/Reynier era at Bruichladdich. A lot of the casks that were filled during this time were pre-sold to private groups/individuals and subsequently bottled perhaps a bit prematurely for various reasons. This one managed to last long enough to go to college...or in this case, get bottled by one of the foremost bottlers around.
Appearance: Deep tawny, mahogany
First Whiff: For the baseball players...that good whiff of sweet smoke you get off the bat after clipping a ball foul.
Nose: Now, for the less sporty...sharp and tannic with some prickly, burnt maple wood chips. Tart cranberries, Cella's dark chocolate cherries, and pine tar (sorry, still thinking about baseball). There's a slightly smoky touch of sulphur, reminiscent of those old toy cap guns...the ones that use those red ring cap things filled with something strangely similar to gunpowder as ammo. With water: Some caramel/milk chocolate and liquorice are awoken.
Palate: Creamy, and intensely tart raspberry juice which coats the mouth and hangs on for days. There's a fiery, charred oak type of smoke that sort of settles in like freshly extinguished coal. With water: Sooty, like a wood burning fireplace after it's been going for a few hours.
Finish: Long, lingering with an almost a peat reek/coal embers type finish with a bit of a bite on the back.
Summary: One of those rare instances where I feel like just the right amount of sulphur is able to bring out some really superb elements. In what I would otherwise classify as a straightforward, over-casked, sherry bomb...that slight touch of sulphur sparks the cask enough to engage the senses, all the while, remaining just palatable enough as to not combust on arrival.
IDS SCORE: 89
Bruichladdich N&P Inaugural & Archives
