Bruichladdich 15 yo Islay Single Malt

For my 125th scotch review I decided to do something people could actually find and buy.

Bruichladdich 15 yo Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 750ml, metal tube packaging, short dumpy bottle, 92 proof, about $65-75, available nationwide.



Bruichladdich (pronounced Brook-laddie) is not the best known of the Islay malts but it is making itself more known here in the US. Not a heavily peated malt along the lines of Bowmore they have put out some heavily peated versions as of late.

Built in 1881 Bruichladdich only closed for eight years (1929-1937) in it's first incarnation (1881-1994) before being shuttered in 1994. It was bought in 2000 by the independent bottler Murray McDavid and completely redone. It can now output 1.2 million liters and is one of the few distilleries to wooden wash tuns and the only one to bottle on site. This dram was made under the old ownership and won a silver medal in the 2001 San Francisco Spirits Competition.

Bruichladdich is a light amber in the bottle and even lighter in the glass giving away it's bourbon cask history. The nose is very clean with a touch of lemon flowers in the distance and a hint of the sea coast. The taste is fresh with notes of malt, sweetness and a very nice lemon-orange tingle. The finish is long sweet and with a touch of saltiness.

A very easy drinking dram that approaches the best in it's price range. Not quite an ACE but very, very close and I can easily recommend it.

Sad to see that nobody has had this brand. It would be nice to read some others thoughts. Oh well.

I've had the 10yr old. It was too subtle for my tastes.

Doc.

My problem with the Laddie is that I can't find it at a bar where I could buy it by the glass. I'm a little gun shy spending $75 for a bottle of something I have never tried, especially an Islay which I am just beginning to enjoy.

As always thanks for taking the time to write this review.

I agree with Zealot. I am a bit gun shy on Scotch when it gets to about $50. I have a B&M in Kentucky that I regularly visit. It has a massive cigar selection with a massive liquor store. I am sure that I can get one of the guys at the store there to pull a bottle for tasting at the next herf. They have brought more expensive bottles than this one.

Thanks for the review, AVB. You will be happy to know that I picked up some Ancient Age to take with me to the beach and picked up some Four Roses Single Barrel today. I will let you know my thoughts!

I had a glass of this tonight at my buddy's (JayDee) place. The stuff is good. It had a very sweet honey flavor backed by a very light smoke and peat flavor. I will definitely be getting a bottle to add to the collection. :thumbs:

edit for grammar

I have the 10 years too, but I really like it. I guess it's a sweeter scotch than Doc is used too.

If you like the 10, you'll like the 15 (a guy on another forum told me).

If I could afford it, I would get one now.

I too have had the 10. Don't worry about not liking Islay whisky, this is nothing like the heavily peated Islays (Laphroaig, Ardbeg, etc.). It wasn't my cup of tea (or glass of whisky, rather), but I can certainly see how a person could like it. Light, sweet flavor, without the intensity that I tend to prefer in a scotch. Maybe it's just that I have a poor palate, but I like a whisky that knocks me over the head with its flavors and aromas.

Any word on how different the 2nd edition is from this one?

I can't answer from experience but one almost has to assume they would be close. Of course, I could be wrong too.

I have a few bottles of this in the arsenal and I tend to agree with your assessment. I actually find it to be a bit too light for my tastes, and I generally prefer more peat to my scotch. That said, given this light, almost fruity nature of this scotch, I do find it goes very well mid-day, with a nice lunch of something lighter, say fish or chicken based. I have also paired this scotch well with a good mid-bodied smoke - actually recall a nice lunch with this scotch and a Sancho Panza ISOM.

All said though, it's a damn good scotch and one can certainly do far worse for the price range.

AVB said:

I can't answer from experience but one almost has to assume they would be close. Of course, I could be wrong too.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Bruichladdich is one of my two or three favorites lines of scotch. I currently have (and have tried) the Links "Turnberry", the Full Strength, the Infinity Cask, the Barolo Finished (part of the Italian collection), and the new Port Charlotte PC6 (not really a Laddie, but made by them). I have also tried the 15 YO, 17 YO, the WMD-II Yellow Submarine, and 12 YO (or was it 10??). Anyway, the Infinity Cask is easily my favorite, followed by the 17 YO. The Laddie pretty much unpeated (I think around 3-4 ppm for the usual line) and I find it very smooth and easy to drink. The Infinity and the 17 YO, however, are very complex with great mouthfeels and long finishes.

If you want something with "in your face" peat, try the PC6. A young scotch peated at around 35 ppm...raw and tasty.