OB 10yo 46% 2011 release - Bruichladdich

[C57]

The new 10 year old entirely from the Reynier/McEwan era

N: Sweet Lemon - rather lemon meringue pie-ish. Vanillla from the bourbon casks. Very fruity and quite malty. An appetising nose

P: Lots of malt straight up, followed with quite a bit of lemon again. Some apples in there too. The malt on the nose is subdued but stilll very much in evidence. Sweet. Juicy.

F: A touch of bitterness but fortunately it's not caramel. Nicely balanced with the sweetness in fact. Spicy too - a trace of cassia and a little more of what? White pepper?

C: At last Laddie have produced their own whisky, nothing from past eras; no strange finishes; no gimmicks. And what do you know? It's rather good! OK it's not up to the XVII (which used pre-McEwan distillate, obviously) but it's very good.
I think I read that it has some sherry casks in the mix. Personally I couldn't confirm that from this tasting.

[solera]

I feel a purchase coming on!!

[whiskytime]

I'm happy for them...I have not read/heard anything negative about this bottling. It sounds quite good & worth buying. I realize they had to do all those "gimmicks" to make it financially (I just looked the other way )- glad that's all done & they have simplified their bottlings. Slainte to them!

[Rogerdodger]

I pretty much agree with Nick on this one. The nose is maybe even slightly tart for me, lemony and interesting. There is a slight bitterness that creeps in towards the end and it is mouth-drying, something which I love but some may not. Perhaps a bit metallic, but it is somehow fits in with the overall impression. And, like Nick, I get no sherry here at all.

I think I am going to like this one a lot and will see how it develops as the bottle empties. For the price, a VERY good deal, I suggest. I'm glad the end of the manifold releases and juggling by JM is coming to and end. This is a great step forward for the distillery.

[gejpalmer]

I agree with a lot of the sentiment hear. I think there is a lot of potential.

I think it will make a better 12 or 14 year old than it does a 10, I felt there were touches of harshness that a couple of years will mellow

[solera]

I feel a purchase coming on!!

Tasted a sample of this last night and have immediately ordered a couple of bottles. A great unpeated addition from Islay and one that IMHO will quickly get quite a following.

[Gordon_H]

The Jury is still out for me on this one , still can't make my mind up , It's the thing that gejpalmer picked up on thats the stumbling block , a touch of harshness or youthfulness i'd call it .
My initial tasting notes.....

a honey-gold in colour , the nose is quite young to start with then it becomes quite fruity , Green fruits initially (Apples , pears) then Melon , at the end fudge and malt come through . The palate feels more robust (if that’s the word , there’s more of it…..) than previous 10yo’s , rich and silky , it’s sweet at first , very honeyed , fudge , a touch of lemon and a hint of maltiness . The finish is medium with a nice warmness and sweetness . I must admit when i first tried this i wasn’t impressed with it . i think the initial nose of youthfulness put me off .

[jsaliga]

Nose: At full stength I get powerfully dry fruit and tart citrus/lemon aromas. With water the dominant lemony nose is softened and this allows the sweet vanilla and soft woody aromas through. With the right amount of water and 10 to 15 minutes to rest the nose turns to fresh lemon pie.

Palate: Favors on the palate closely mirror the aromas on the nose. At full strength I get a pleasant lemony bite with sweet vanilla notes. On the palate the citrus isn't as dominant as it is one the nose, and more of the vanilla sweetness comes through. With water the flavor strikes a terrific balance between tart citrusy flavors, dry fruit, and sweet vanilla.

Finish: Not an especially long finsish but very balanced, with vanilla, spice, and some bittersweetness holding it up.

Comments: While this whisky has become a personal favorite it does take some work to get the most from it. I think another two years in the barrel would make a lot of difference. Finding the right amount of water to add will take some trial and error, but it is well worth it. I also think this whisky needs some time in the glass after adding water. I add water in very small amounts and wait a minute or two and then take a small sip. I will continue this until I feel that it is close to being about right. Then I let the glass sit with a cover on it for about 10 to 15 minutes. This is the point where I start to get something like lemon pie on the nose and the somewhat harsh citrusy bite is rounded and the dram has a better balance of flavors. I'm about half way through my first bottle and after figuring this whisky out I ordered another one. As much as I like the Bruichladdich 10 I would really like to see this whisky as a 12 YO or even a 16 YO when the time comes.

--Jerome

[mongo]

hmmm i opened a bottle of this last night. i tasted it with a large group of friends and many of us got pronounced butryic notes on the nose at first, which took a while to dissipate. later we got clear notes of gunpowder along with the fruits others mention. and on the palate, the sherry character seemed quite clear, with both dark, dried fruit but also gunpowder.

since none of the reviews i've read, here and elsewhere, mention these things (especially nick, who is very sulphur-sensitive) i can only conclude that my bottle is from an aberrant batch. nonetheless, i liked it fine

[mongo]

second go around. as i said, the bottle was opened last night with some friends, and went down to the halfway mark. i'd thought this would result in the butyric notes on the nose dissipating entirely, but, alas, they're still here, and oddly, hanging around longer than they did last night. still getting clear sherried notes on the palate. the lemon is present under that, and intensifies with water, but not getting much vanilla at all.

i checked my bottle code. the batch number is 11/228. unless i get to try a sample from another batch that is far closer to the malt described by others above, or unless this improves radically as the bottle sits, i will not be replacing this bottle. it's not bad by any means, but it also doesn't seem particularly distinctive in its own right. i'd much rather spend the money on a young bourbon-cask bladnoch.

[Rogerdodger]

Mongo, I'd be willing to bet you have a dodgy batch. I get none of the off-notes you refer to. In fact I have now had several bottles of this one and they have all been excellent. Sweet and salty - a wonderful though shortish finish. It is be of my regulars. Of course, maybe it just doesn't suit your palate!
Maybe you can get a sample. If not, PM me.

[Raymond S]

My bottle is a 2012 so not sure if my tasting notes should go here or not, but mongo asked me for my experience, so I will put it here. A little late in posting as I had a bit of a sinus issue and wanted to wait to give it a proper taste. Batch 12/038.
Color: Pale yellow. (I'm not quite up on the + and - rating yet.) I love seeing that, as no coloring added.
Nose: Sweet, citrus, slightly woody.
Palate: Honey, lemon, orange zest, plenty of malt, dry oak finish. The sweet arrival is followed quickly with the citrus/lemon giving the reminder of a lemon pudding or lemon pie. There is a slight bitterness after, but it passes quickly to a woody finish.
Each glass I drink leaves me with a better overall impression of this expression. This, along with OP 12, is becoming my favorite every-night dram.

[gote]

... what do you know? It's rather good! OK it's not up to the XVII (which used pre-McEwan distillate, obviously) but it's very good.

Pretty much my sentiments. I find it quite solid but not as compelling as some other 'old regime' distillate. Looking forward to this stuff getting older... hoping it can match the magnificent XVII at some point.

[Megawatt]

Strange: I get a lot of salty/peaty notes from this, especially on the palate and in the empty glass. I know it is an unpeated whisky, but it has picked up some real Islay character from either the water or the coastal air. Very interesting stuff.

[karlejnar]

Strange: I get a lot of salty/peaty notes from this, especially on the palate and in the empty glass. I know it is an unpeated whisky, but it has picked up some real Islay character from either the water or the coastal air. Very interesting stuff.

The first year after reopening (2001) the malt was actually peated to 10ppm. Then they went back to "unpeated" 2-3ppm.

It's difficult to know if the lightly peated malt has gone into the 2012 bottling or not. It would depend on how much stock they laid down the first year and how much of that stock has already been used in bottlings.