Tom’s “Officially Unofficial” Bruichladdich Blog
A Whisky2.0© BlogArchive for Bruichladdich
WhiskyFest San Francisco 2009
I got to experience a few new-ish Bruichladdich expressions that I have written about but never tasted. I have to say that I really loved the Resurrection 2001 dram. It was a well-balanced expression and I find the range of whiskies that Bruichladdich produces to be a continual source of amazement. This is the first (I think) product since the new owners acquired the distillery in 2001. The Port Charlotte range also dates from that time frame, and I’m not sure which came first.
I also had the 16yr “First Growth” Series – A and B. They are very different! The effect of the wood on the whiskies is very unique. I believe that all these started out as 16yrs in ex-Bourbon barrels and then were migrated to the appropriate ex-burgundy casks. These were not as fruity or sweet as Sherried whiskies, but were wonderful nonetheless. Sadly, the First Growth Series is a bit out of my price range, but I think I’ll be having a Resurrection 2001 (and a Port Charlotte PC7) before the year is out.
Finally, it was a pleasure to meet Andrew Gray, one of the principals at BDC. I’ve exchanged many emails with him in the past and it was nice to personally welcome him to my home town.
More on Whisky Fringe and PC8
Whisky Fringe’s tasting in 2009 included 200 whiskies, and the winner was based on the public’s voting, not that of whisky “experts.” Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte 8-year-old (“Ar Dùthchas,” or “Land of Our Fathers”) won it all.
I love it that a major whisky tasting happened in a church. Only in Scotland, I guess. 
Come to that, I wonder if I could open a branch of that church here in California?
I was really impressed with PC5 and PC6, and based on Jim Murray’s ratings, I can’t wait to taste PC7, which he gave a very slightly better rating than the PC6. Bruichladdich has to be congratulated for executing so well on resurrecting Port Charlotte. It should be an excellent dram for years to come. For 40 ppm phenol content, it’s very drinkable and exceptionally well balanced (speaking of PC6, the oldest I’ve tasted).
It Seems Like Just Yesterday…
…that I tasted Port Charlotte “PC5″ 5-year-old whisky. For a not-quite-peat-freak, that was something else! And the PC6 was (to me) amazingly evolved after only one further year in wood (I wasn’t the only one that was impressed; Jim Murray loved it!). I haven’t had PC7 yet, but I hope to have a bottle soon.
Now I hear that PC8 has won the “Spirit of Whisky Fringe” award at Whisky Fringe 2009 in Edinburgh, and sadly, I’m hearing that PC8 will be the final annual bottling of Port Charlotte. Does this mean that the 8-year-old expression will be the first Official Bottling of Port Charlotte? Perhaps….
I’ll keep an eye out for more details and let you know as they happen. The PC8 won’t appear in the US retail market for a while — probably not until 2010 if past years are any indication.
Bruichladdich “DNA” – Maybe the Rarest Bruichladdich
A relatively new expression, and a very very rare one, consists of about 900 individually numbered bottles at cask strength (in this case, 41%…these are, or were, very old casks!). What makes this expression rare, besides the fact that this is some of the oldest Bruichladdich spirit in their warehouse? The DNA expression was finished in fine French oak barrels that previously contained some of the [sometimes] most expensive red wine in the world: Château Le Pin.
Very Very Rare
The finished product is approximately 40 years old. Before being finished in the Le Pin casks, 80% of the constituent whisky in this expression was aged in Bourbon casks, the remaining 20% in Sherry butts.
One reason that Bruichladdich is able to use wood in creative ways (their ACE process) is, I think, the fact that Jim McEwan has a background as a cooper, in addition to his subsequent distilling experience. He really knows what kinds of wood will bring out the best in a particular whisky. The Bruichladdich management team’s familiarity with the wine business is also strongly at play here (as it was with their Bordeaux “First Growth” series) because they knew that the Le Pin casks would be perfect for this particular, very old, Bruichladdich spirit.
Given the rarity, I was bowled over by the price: It’s under £500 — the Laddie Shop offers it for only £391.48 (at current exchange rates, that’s “only” $567.10). That’s about 3x my comfort level for a whisky, but given the rarity it sounds extremely reasonable. Bruichladdich only has 12 available for online ordering. If you do manage to try it, please taunt me with a description. Definitely don’t just buy it and keep it on the shelf, or to pass along on eBay. In my opinion, I am not in favor of people collecting whisky just to keep it — I think that does a disservice to the fine folks that made it when you don’t enjoy the fruit of their labors. Also, I never miss an opportunity to share really special whisky with my friends (and they do the same for me).
A Wonderful Tribute
Peat is all the rage these days in Scotch whisky. It seems that whisky lovers can’t get enough of it. Bruichladdich has produced Octomore, first made from malt peated at 80.5 ppm phenol, now made from malt peated at 131 ppm. Ardbeg just released their Supernova, peated at about 100 ppm. Both of these are significantly higher than Port Charlotte, peated at about 40 ppm. Peat is also prominent in the Bruichladdich 3D, 3rd Edition (3D3 for short), which first shipped in 2006. It was produced in tribute to Norrie Cambell, the last traditional peat cutter on Islay. Bruichladdich has this to say about 3D3:
Bruichladdich 3D3
3D3 is the third version of 3D – the peated Multi-Vintage Bruichladdich. This single malt selected from several vintages is even more peaty than the previous two releases due to the debut of the mighty Octomore – the heaviest peated whisky in the world at a whopping 80.5 ppm. Combined with other versions of the Bruichladdich it makes for an awesomely complex and layered version of Bruichladdich: peat without the medicine. Listen to Jim McEwan’s Podcast here. For more information click here. For a tasting note please click here.
I got this bottle today as an early Valentine’s Day present. I’m a very lucky man! This is one smooth malt. The peat is very well balanced and the fruit is not overshadowed. Yes, it’s complex, but not shockingly so. There isn’t overwhelming sweetness (the color might make you assume there would be a lot of sherry sweetness, but there is nothing approaching treacle), and the mouth feel is slightly oily, which I suppose is what helps leave such a nice finish.
I paid just over $60, and I think that’s a good price for such a well-executed product. Yes, there are peatier whiskies on the market, but speaking for myself, I don’t buy exclusively based on phenol ppm. When I am in the mood for whisky, peat is not the only thing that determines which I will select. The 3D3 is a good example of a whisky that uses peat as an ingredient to complement the rest of the product, not to dominate it. (Now, I’m not saying that Octomore or Ardbeg’s Supernova are just peat with no other flavor. In fact, I’ve heard that they aren’t as peaty as the numbers make it sound. I would like to be able to sample them and I’ll see what I think at that point.)
The 3D3 is peaty, but it’s a gentle peatiness compared to, for example the Port Charlotte PC5, which is quite a stormy beast! Despite the fact that they both rate around 40 ppm phenols (the 3D3 was a combination of several different malts, vatted together so the ppm value is approximate), there is a vast difference in flavor. The more different whiskies I try, the more I realize that they can’t be reduced to numbers. There are bad whiskies, to be sure, but I luckily haven’t purchased any to date. Among those that I own, or have tasted, there are so many nuances that I can’t imagine how hard it is for professionals to rank them. For me, I can just say that this is an interesting Bruichladdich because it’s a blend of old and new, and the peat aspect is very well executed, to my non-professional palate.
To Norrie, I say: Slainte!
Killer Deal at K&L on Award-Winning PC6
Looks like K&L is trying to make room for PC7: The price was $129.99, now it’s $89.99. The thing is, PC6 is AWESOME and is easily worth the higher price. You should probably consider using some of that Christmas money to get a bottle before they are gone.
Port Charlotte PC6
Standard disclaimer: I am not being compensated by K&L for relaying this information…I’m simply a satisfied customer of theirs. I was alerted to this offer earlier today by a friend in North Carolina!
Bruichladdich Sixteens: The Bordeaux First Growth Series
Bruichladdich has, since October 2008, been producing a very limited edition range of 16-year-old whisky. When I say “limited edition” I mean that there are 12,000 bottles; given that there are six related expressions, that probably means 2,000 bottles of each will be produced. Each of these expressions started as identical 16-year-old lightly peated bourbon-aged Bruichladdich spirit. Each of them is bottled at 46% ABV (standard Bruichladdich bottle strength). There the similarities end. From this picture, you can see that their additional cask evolution in French oak from distinct Bordeaux châteaux has really made a difference (note that each expression is clearly a different color!):
The six expressions in the First Growth Series.
Why is this range referred to as “First Growth?” That has to do with the classification of Bordeaux wines in 1855. I am not a wine person, but even I have heard some of these names: Château Lafite Rothschild is one that I have 1) definitely heard of, and 2) probably can’t afford. The list of the six expressions is below. The first five are literally from the “Premier Crus” (i.e., ”First Growths,” hence the name of this range of Bruichladdich expressions). The last one is from the Bordeaux region, but not from that 1855 “Premier Cru” designation. You can read all the details in the excellent wikipedia links I have provided. If you are a wine aficionado, you will get more out of the descriptions than I do.
Finally, we have:
It’s pretty clear that the Bruichladdich folks know their wine: Mark Reynier came out of that business. It’s literally in his blood. This is most definitely a very cool experiment. I wish I had $1500 (that’s my guess…$250/bottle) so I could compare all six. As a Scotch person, what my eyes tell me is that each of these expressions is visually different, so I expect nosing and tasting differences as well. Another thing that’s different about these casks is that they are made of French oak, which is similar but not identical to American oak. Mark Reynier expounded on the differences between various types of oak on John Hansell’s blog recently. John Hansell is the editor of Malt Advocate magazine.
Kudos to the Bruichladdich team for acquiring comparable wine casks for this experiment and for continuing to make very interesting whiskies. And again, thanks to the wikipedia for providing an invaluable and accurate resource.
Bruichladdich Links: Carnoustie
http://whisky2dot0.wordpress.com/2008/12/28/bruichladdich-links-14-carnoustie/
Three Recently Announced Bruichladdich Expressions
Golder Still: Aged in rare “squat-hogsheads,” innovative casks tested in the late 1970s by US coopers who were trying to create the optimum cask shape. (The idea was to create a barrel shape that has more surface area enclosing a given volume of whisky, to increase the barrel’s ability to impart wood notes to the contents.) According to Mark Reynier (one of Bruichladdich’s executives): “There’s not much and it’s unrepeatable – but it’s a glorious, old-style whisky; a classic Laddie, all barley-sugar flavours with a golder hue.”
Sounds yummy. This expression is aged 23 years and is cask strength (bottled at 51% ABV). This is a limited edition; there are only 4,900 bottles (each is numbered) and should be on sale now, at least in the UK. If it makes it to the USA, expect to pay around $300 for a bottle.
Sherry 21: This also comes from the last of a line, but despite this it is a larger scale bottling which replaces the successful Twenty series of Bourbon-matured Bruichladdichs. The stocks of Sherry 21 are scheduled to last until 2010.
A bit of history on Sherry: The UK historically consumed a lot of it. Most Sherry, until about 1980, was shipped in bulk transport casks to be bottled closer to the consumer, e.g, in the UK. This practice was gradually phased out in the early 1980s and today virtually all Sherry is bottled in Spain, so it’s now much harder to get Sherry butts.
Think about it: Prior to the 1970s, empty Sherry butts almost literally littered the landscape in the UK. Storing aging whisky in them was a no-brainer (when distillers wanted to produce a Sherry-influenced dram). The reason that this Sherry 21 expression is the “end of the line” is that it’s much more difficult to get fresh Sherry butts today. I suppose that the real point about Sherry butts is that they used to be trash, thus cheap, and now they are still available much more expensive.
Again, quoting Mark Reynier: “Decent condition, authentic Oloroso butts are now almost as rare as hens’ teeth. [...] This is the natural, real deal – rich, mellow, and warming whisky; an ideal winter night-cap with it’s hints of orange, apricot, plum, fig, and dates. For connoisseurs, these are two delicious extremes of Bruichladdich. For us, they are the end of a run. For both, they represent the end of an era.”
Sherry 21 replaces the Twenty series. So if you liked the 20, make sure to run out and get some while you still can! The Sherry 21 is bottle-strength, which for Bruichladdich is 46% ABV, and it will retail for around $175.
2001 Resurrection: Besides Port Charlotte, which was also first distilled in 2001 by the re-commissioned Bruichladdich, that is peated at ~40 ppm, another whisky was distilled in 2001, and it’s being bottled now as the 2001 Resurrection expression.
A very brief [recent] history of Bruichladdich: Bruichladdich was closed down In 1994. Stocks were still aging in warehouses, but the rest of the distillery (which had stood since 1881) was no longer producing new make spirit. Luckily for Bruichladdich, it was acquired by new, private ownership that re-awakened it in 2001 and spent six months refurbishing the Victorian-era machinery. All the many Bruichladdich expressions on sale by the new ownership since 2001 have been constructed from the stocks that were distilled prior to 1994 (with the exception of the “Sherry pair” that I wrote about a few months back here and here that was distilled in 1998; regardless, all spirit before 2001 was not made by the current owners).
The 2001 Resurrection expression is the first spirit that was distilled in the new/old distillery. Now this 2001 Resurrection expression takes its place alongside the other new spirits: Port Charlotte, Octomore, X4, and presumably many others to come.
Port Charlotte News
PC7 has been bottled! I’m counting down to its arrival in my corner of California at Beltramo’s. BTW, the name of this expression is “sin an doigh Ileach“ which is Gaelic for: ‘it’s the Islay way.’ Sales of PC7 will probably be boosted by the fact that PC6 just won two awards in Jim Murray’s 2009 Whisky Bible. Presumably, PC6 sales will also be boosted by the awards. 
In other Bruichladdich news, Octomore and X4 are available if you act soon.
