Batch 35

Heavy cream then wet hay/sweet draff. Bright and a little floral – this is Bruichladdich after all, but not as airy as Laddie can be. In time some crisp oak and vanilla. All the way through there’s this underpinning of pleasant earthy tones, dunnage warehouse and that wonderful sweet cowshed note. Water takes things right back to barley and makes everything sweeter. 

Lifted and acidic to start with, then deepens and thickens. Those two elements – zesty vibrancy and heavy sweetness are always playing off each other.

Fat and sweet.

A surprisingly big Laddie for its age. A travel retail exclusive. 

There’s some substance here. One of those spring days that the great Bill Callahan was inspired by. 

Typically Glencadam, which means springtime! Estery, green apple and pear drops, backed with butter(cups?) some cool cucumber and kiwi. Slightly nettley and acidic, which is no bad thing. Water calms thing down a little but without losing the intensity.

Texturally has the distillery’s tongue-clinging quality, backed with that green acidity which freshens and sharpens the back palate. It benefits from a drop of water.

Whistle clean and enlivening. A hint of elderflower.

A great lunchtime/aperitif dram which personifies springtime. Recommended and marked within its category. 

A walk on the riverbank in blossom time. So bright and lively you need some springtime disco.

Slightly pink. In fact, it’s hard initially to get off the pink tip. There’s strawberry, rhubarb crumble, then some blueberry syrup and that estery distillery drive. Water closes it down to begin with before some rose petals poke shyly out.

Lightly oxidised elements to start with alongside energetic acidity, spice and a little heat. Overall, well balanced and refined. Becomes slightly smoky/charred with water before some red hedgerow fruits. Decent length.

Baking fruits. Patisserie.

While it needs water it’s slightly hard to hit the perfect balance. Overall a rather lovely dram. 

There’s something slightly old fashioned about this, so here’s Sun Ra, in Chicago, in springtime.

Strangely for an oloroso finish things kick off with coconut – Lamingtons in fact (here’s the recipe)! Subtly Sherried in other words with the cask adding a little darker grunt but those fresh fruits are still showing. In time there’s marzipan and only in time do you get a more obvious Sherried bodega element which then drifts into hazelnut butter. Water makes things more brioche-like.

A soft, yielding start – again somewhat unexpected. The texture, also seen in Origin, is there but now with more sultana cake and dark chocolate.

Long and softly fruity.

As with the port, water is required but needs to be carefully handled. Very well balanced. At no point does the Sherry overtake the distillery character.

Lively, with hidden depths. You could almost be in the Appalachians, in springtime.

This is…odd. It opens with a slightly alarming note of ripe Manchego cheese which, when it leaves, reveals vestigial sulphur. The cheese returns before it suddenly opens into classic honeyed, sweet, gentle Glen Moray. Just as you think it was just a weird volatile opening note, the whole shebang starts again, so you never quite know what’s coming the next time you take a sniff. 

Light to medium-bodied and sadly a little thin on the palate, especially noticeable in the somewhat hollow mid-palate. Water helps to plump things up a little but not enough to save.

Light. Dries quickly.

Yes… odd.

Walking past a cheesemonger’s. Let’s brighten things up with some Bill Evans thinking about spring. 

The by now characteristic PC note of woodsmoke, green bonfire, wormwood, tepeztate agave, and background sweetness which then leads into a dampened peat fire. The cowshed returns, but it’s made of hot adobe. Has weight and real character. With water things become more sandy with a little hint of burnt wood. 

Dry and prickly to start with. Immediately smoky, balanced well with distillery sweetness and enough oiliness to coat the tongue and give extra depth. Balanced, with some light honey. The palate remains sweetly muscled.

Long, the smoke returns. 

Balanced, precocious and really rather good. Another travel retail exclusive.

Oaxaca in the Hebrides. In springtime of course.