Bruichladdich 18 Year Re/Define

Number 8 in the countdown to 300 and we are heading into the territory of some older offerings. Leading the charge is the relatively newly released Bruichladdich 18 re/define. Matured on Islay, the whisky was aged predominantly in bourbon casks, alongside a smaller number of Sauternes and Port casks, vatted and married for nine months before bottling at a robust 50% ABV, without added colour or chill filtration. I’m excited for this dram, I think Bruichladdich is probably in my top four favourite distilleries, and this offering seems to have been lightly touched by two of my favourite cask profiles. I’m ready. N: A little bit aggressive straight out the bottle. Give me five minutes and I’ll come back to this… O.K. where were we? Thats better, all the harsh ABV is gone. This is wonderfully light and fragrant. Lightly honied malt, fresh hay, peach, vanilla, coconut (like Malibu Rum), a slight minerality joins some subtle pencil shavings. The longer I spend with this the more convinced I am of creme brûlée and the firm crunch of brown sugar. P: Decadently velvety, creamy and slightly waxy at the same time. Subtle peach underlies honied malt, and a tropical feeling that is bright, juicy and vibrant. Oak influence turns slightly buttery with a warm and sumptuous porridgy characteristic. ‘Green’ winey flavours of honeysuckle, gooseberry, and melon add to a lovely crispness. The influence of the port casks is just noticeable as an enveloping leatheriness that suggests opulence under the oh so right and light summer profile. F: Deceptively long. It seems short perhaps, green winey notes dissipate, brighter tropical notes flourish and fade. But then a surprise left turn with stoney minerality, a flash of cracked pepper and a little jasmine(?) tea. At 50% perhaps there is more to discover. I have taken a chance and added a single drop of water to the half dram that remains… it married quickly. The nose unravels to tropical fruits, guava and lychee perhaps, the palate lifts a solid toasty pastry flair, and the finish builds on stoney pebbles in the hot sun. I needn’t say anymore really? Bruichladdich are masters at their craft. If i could find this locally $330 would be worth every penny. What a fantastic treat this evening. My only real criticism is the slight intrusiveness of the alcohol; is it possible to have a young 18 year old; that’s perhaps what this feels like. Distiller whisky taste #293 [Pictured here with a piece of Preseli Bluestone from the Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire in West Wales. Bluestone is a catch all term used to describe all of the ‘foreign’ and ‘exotic’ rocks at the prehistoric monument Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. Although there are around twenty seperate rock types represented at Stonehenge, one of the most common is the ‘Preseli Spotted Dolerite’ or Preseli Bluestone. Dolerites are igneous rocks, essentially identical to basalt but with slightly larger crystals. The Preseli Spotted Dolerite is characterised by clusters of secondary minerals that have replaced the original plagioclase feldspar. The slightly greyish-green-blue colour of the rock is a result of low grade metamorphism in that partly altered the original mineralogy to chlorite and epidote.] Bruichladdich running scores Classic Laddie: 4/5 Bruichladdich 18 re/define: 4.75/5 Black Art 10.1 29 y/o: 5/5 Port Charlotte 10: 4.5/5 Port Charlotte CC:01: 5/5

Body in the glass hints to the age - left to rest there are very fine pearls climbing ever so slightly up the side of the glass, and a good swirl leaves thick, ropey tendrils that last for minutes. Looks good, now how does it smell? The nose is deceiving. I'm usually pretty good about picking a Bruichladdich out of the crowd, but this could be any number of nice malts, to include its Irish cousins just across the straight. I get hay, honeysuckle, and the inside of an empty box of Milk Duds. Return trips don't yield much more, and the anticipated lemon oil is conspicuous by its absence. Palate is warm and rich, with the honey from the nose briefly taking point before being overrun by a small army of semi-sweet fruit. Pear, white grapes, and dragon fruit abound, driving the middle to the close where minor barrel spice and a slight brininess pops in to tame the almost-sweet and righting the ship for the next wave of incoming. And it is here I finally find a Bruichladdich trait - that marvelous balance. Overall a nice, comfortable, unassuming drink that can be enjoyed by most anyone who likes whisky. Two minor issues, and one less minor issue bear further discussion. First, the two nits to pick; 1) The honey on the nose and on the palate open is the best part of this, and in both, it doesn't last very long. 2) For an 18, there is a surprising amount of heat. I know it's 50% ABV, but in my experience the alcohol heat is usually tamed around 12-14 years, and this has had far longer. One big bone of contention: This is a fine dram, but that can be said about a lot of Scotch, across a wide variety of age and cost. And I think that's ultimately where this falls down a little - there's nothing to differentiate this from the pack of 'good' Scotch, and there's no clear link to the distillery where you can see the progression up the range. This could just as easily be Arran or Dalwhinnie or Cardhu. And if I was a distillery manager, pleasing taste be damned, I would be worried about losing that connection, especially in a core-range product.

Nose: Sharp Vanilla, Light Honey, Light Malt, Pumpkin Spice, Maraschino Cherry, Salinity, Toasted Sweet Bread, Green Apple Peel, Hints of Butterscotch, Sharp Spirity note. Palate: Rich Honey,Vanilla, Barley Sugar, Malt, Clove, Cinnamon, Mild Barrel Char Smoke, Umami, White Fruits, Musty Floral Notes, Full Oily Body, Long Finish. If im being honest I am a little disappointed with this one. I was hoping for a bit more of a complex whisky here. Influence from the Sauternes and port cask is almost unnoticeable on the palate, which for me is upsetting because I was really excited for the Influence from those barrels to be more present. It feels like a much more mature classic laddie. Full, Malty, Vanillas, and some Salinity. This is only my first pour though, hopefully with time this will open up more and improve.

Funky, malty, all sorts of ripe fruits from tropical to darker berries, spice, vanilla, powdered sugar, some dark caramel, a bit tannic on the finish. The wine casks were not overused as they often are in Scotch. They add subtle layers of complexity on top of the already delicious bourbon-aged spirit. While I've enjoyed Classic Laddie, I've always thought it was missing something. This is the the full Laddie. A great 18 year old Islay single malt bottled at 50% for $149 USD. Well done, Bruichladdich! If they keep this as a core bottling at this price, it will become one of the few OB's I always keep around.

This new Bruichladdich offers an almost perfect harmony of woody vanilla and spice notes. The barrels were carefully selected to highlight these combined flavours. At 50% ABV, it feels smooth and savoury because of the limousine cask malts used. Adding just a few drops of water and allowing it to rest at room temperature, brings out and truly enhances the malt's flavours. The port spice notes are subtle, appearing towards the end to provide a satisfying finish. While not overly complex, it achieves an ideal balance and harmony for an 18-year-old single malt. One of the best in its age group, I've tasted.

Treated myself. Nose: sweet, some vanilla and honey, very inviting with good maltiness and fruitiness Palate: more honey, mix of spices such as clove, good mix of light fruit like pear and apple. Good mouth feel overall Finish: more maltiness with nuttiness, surprisingly smooth for a 100 proof Overall, very good as I expected with Bruichladdich but not convinced it's worth the price