Bruichladdich 1990/27 HB '90

This unpeated Bruichladdich was distilled in 1990 and left to mature for 17 years in casks from ex-Bourbon and Tennesee whiskies. When the mothballs were removed from the distillery, the new owners grimaced at all the poorly managed whisky they had stewing in their warehouses and took a chance on seeing whether a further 10 years in Bordeaux wine casks from Chateau Haute Brion would turn a frog into a prince or merely smear lipstick on a pig. Decanted into 12,000 handsome bottles, they packaged it up as a travel retail exclusive and shipped an allotment to Heathrow, where it landed on the shelves last September just as I was passing through, with a price tag equivalent to $175. I did a double take - a 27-year-old whisky for less than $200? Surely a mistake. No, the sales clerk insisted, checking his computer, it’s just arrived and that’s the correct price. I bought as much as the law permitted: one measly bottle. Once home, I discovered that my cost was half the official retail price, which immediately presented a dilemma: was this was an asset that required flipping to fund the upcoming bills from the university where I had just dropped off the first born? Or a rare chance to drink an old whisky at a price that didn’t require me to ransom the aforementioned child? And so the bottle sat in my collection for several months, until a compromise opportunity arose: I split the contents at cost with a group of acquaintances and poured myself a couple of drams. This Laddie is the color of old engine oil, quite the dirtiest looking whisky I can recall. Notes of plums on the nose segue into a burst of ripe stone fruit on the palate, along with fizzy cola bottles, a delicate black tea and a dash of tannins. The finish is long, drying and pleasantly bitter, with an unexpected aftertaste of mint. Bruichladdich uses wine casks better than any other distillery, in my view, whether it’s to add a subtle fruity undertone to the new PC10 or to dazzle your senses in the mysterious Black Art series or some of the peat-busting Octomore releases. The wine influence here is halfway between those extremes - significant enough to be the star of the show but not so powerful as to overwhelm the base spirit. With the wine flavors dialed back to six (versus nine or higher on the recent and also delicious Bunnahabhain Moine Bordeaux), it’s one of the best integrated whiskies of its kind that I’ve had. It’s a prince, not a pig, but priced for the commoner - at least for that one day at Terminal 2.

On my long airplane trip to Scotland, there was a stop at Amsterdam's Airport, which is famous for its whisky shops. There, i found one that sells single malt samples, some fancy ones. I picked a rarity, that i have seen in auctions but was one of those whiskies i was never going to buy: a 27yo Bruichladdich HB 90. It says it was matured for 17 years in American Oak casks from ex-Bourbon and Tennesee whiskies followed by 10 years in casks from one of Bordeaux’s legendary Chateau. Matured for all of its life on the isle of Islay. Bottled at 49.5%abv, lovely reddish color. Only 12.000 bottles were ever released, from the "Rare Cask Series". On the nose, it is very interesting. Glazed pork, cloth softener. Very spicy on the nose. Greasy and spicy; Dr. pepper cola. After having a couple of sips, i got an aroma of cotton candy and sweet popcorn. The palate is very good. Cherry syrup, black pepper, red fruits. More sips really cleared a lots of sweet syrup and fruitiness. Very easy drinkable. Toffee. The spiciness hits after 3 seconds but it is manageable; the third sip was all about sweet popcorn! Amazing! Aftertaste is acid. Prunes, acid fruits; feels like old sherry. You get this feeling of sour like whiskies like some bourbons. Not bad, just odd. Overall, this was an interesting dram with some changing emotions on each sip. Even if it has some crazy good notes, it lacks a little soul. Aftertaste was nice, but it was the least good part of it. My score for it is 88 over 100.

Nose - (w/o water) Juicy red berries, hint of tannic fruity dryness, charcoal filtered apple juice (w/ water) Removes tannic dryness, light saline, red berries Taste - (w/o water) Rich dark apple juice backbone, light clean charcoal/coal smoke, salt smoked cherries, saline, dry tannic red berries, hint of dried apple rings (w/ water) Any trace of smoke is gone, more cherries, saline, red berries, dark apple juice, less tannic Finish - (w/o water) Lingering light smoke/charcoal, red berries, dried apple rings, light goji berry medicinal berry sweetness (w/ water) Any hint of smoke/charcoal/medicinal vibe is gone, goji berries, cherries, apple Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - This one is quite good and I'm a bit mixed as to whether or not this is better with or without water. Without water there's this odd smoky component like they took a few grains of smoked salt & dropped them into the bottle, which makes it quite interesting, but also adds this mineral aspect that's a bit distracting at the same time. I'm a huge fan of the nose but for some reason the palate just doesn't live up to the intensity of the nose. Finish is more interesting without water, but at the same time it has this weirdly medicinal/metallic vibe that goes away with some water. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Not at current prices NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Another wonderful old Bruichladdich with loads of berries, honey, raisins, chocolate, and nuts with hints of the classic bruichladdich funky blue cheese, Brie, and briney notes. Nose: Raisins, Dark Chocolate, Honey, Strawberries, Blueberries, Plums, Figs, Blood Oranges, Raspberries, Watermelons Palate: Blueberries, Raisins, Honey, Cranberries, Milk Chocolate, Walnuts, Hazlenuts, Brie, Salted Caramel, Brine Finish: Honey, Strawberries, Cranberries, Roses, Prunes, Almonds, Coconuts, Blue Cheese, Brine

Caramel, coffee, smoke, vanilla. Beautiful and complex.