Overview
My favourite wine? Amarone. My favourite whisky distillery? Bruichladdich. So before I tasted this my expectations were high, to say the least.
Bruichladdich may have become a little more corporate in the last couple of years after their sale to Rémy Martin, but this “exploration into cask evolution” shows that a “punk” heart still beats strongly within the distillery. Just to be clear, this hasn’t been “finished” in an Amarone cask, it’s spent the whole of its 9-year life, being imbued with all that lovely curranty goodness.
Amarone is unusual in wine production, in that the grapes are harvested ripe and left for around 120 days to dry out before beginning their 5-year journey into finished wine. This results in a very powerful (15%+) raisiny, full-bodied wine with very little acid or sweetness.
Let the tasting begin before I get too excited…
| Colour | Nose | Palate | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood orange, henna, Vimto. | Old wood, leather, Eccles cakes, Soreen and lots and lots of port, Armagnac and sherry notes. | Fresh dried fruits (if that’s not an oxymoron), blackberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, currants, currants, currants! Background flavours of coffee, vanilla, chocolate and hints of BBQ’d steak. | More old musty wood, pepper, rich red fruits, long viscose mouth-feel. |
Conclusion
This release was limited to 501 bottles, and I bought 3 of them. One for me, one for my mum, and then another for me after I’d tasted the first one… It was only available through their website and shop, so I have no idea what it’d be worth now, as I doubt anyone will ever part with the bottles they own. So in many ways, this review is less of an “analysis” and more of a “gloating boast”.
All reviews are subjective, and if you’re not a fan of Islay whisky or rich red wine you could think this is an abomination, however, this is the most sexy, voluptuous, lustful whisky I have ever tasted. Unlike most great whiskies, it doesn’t want to be drunk whilst sat in a wing-backed armchair in front of an open, smoky, fire but wrestled playfully onto a sheepskin rug in front of that same fire.
I think the only whisky that may ever surpass it, ironically, is our own Loch Indaal Kelpie. With 5 years still to go (at the time of this review) it’s hard to be sure, but what it lacks so far in richness, it’s making up for by being stored high up in the warehouse roof. As a result of this warm environment, it already tastes like 10-year-old. Crosses fingers
99%
Rating
