Bruichladdich 2001: The Resurrection Dram

Bruichladdich Masterclass, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 19 February 2018, Whisky #2 Nose: At first a retiring nose, but with a little time it blooms. Dusky, earthy and floral, backed by a confident but gentle peat smoke that builds and builds as it develops in the glass. Herbal aromas (mint, anise, rosemary) and sea-spray, with a light iodine medicinal quality. A tiny hint of oak. Palate: Beautifully lush and soft arrival and delivery. A lightly salty but predominantly malted cereal palate with unexpectedly firm peat smoke overlaying everything. A floral-herbal-smoky character with some spicy overtones (ginger, white pepper). Finish: Long, smoky, and earthy. A sweetly lingering aftertaste. A delightful and most unexpected profile - Bruichladdich as I've never tasted it before. The light peating is very deft and successful. The nose is much smokier than most Bruichladdich - it's almost like a gentle Port Charlotte. The smoke on the palate is more subtle but still definitely there. In comparison to the Classic Laddie this is more earthy and leathery, and the light peating adds just the right heft to the palate to bring it up in line with the nose. According to the brand ambassador, who was working at the distillery at the time, this was an accident due to the wrong peating level having been specified to Port Ellen maltings for the initial delivery of malt. However having tasted this I'm surprised that Jim McEwan decided to stay with a vertually unpeated profile for the new Bruichladdich instead of running with this level of smoke. I guess they already had plans for Port Charlotte as the peated expression and wanted to keep the two product lines distinct. It's pretty much unobtanium now, I was fortunate enough to sample this at a Sydney whisky shop tasting last night. The bottle we tasted was from the first distillation run after the distillery came out of silence and was donated by a friend of the shop manager. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)