Tasting notes from Jim McEwan;
Colour - September Sunset.
Aromas - Brilliant opening on the oak, the malt and the wine all in harmony. The aromas are fresh & vibrant as one would expect from a young Hebridean spirit. The gentle mellowness of the oak provides the perfect stage on which the quality of the distillation shines through and highlights the skills of the men who have followed in the footsteps of their forefathers. It’s all there, the mellow oak, the crisp toasted barley, the skills of the Distillers and time = Pure magic!
Taste - It’s a fresh & vibrant spirit that works well with the fruit overtures from the cask. The sweetness of the malted barley is crisp & dry and together with the oak they allow the spirit to develop into a beautiful young whisky matured on the coastal heart of Islay. The oak malt & fruit and the art of slow distillation are as one, highlighting the quality of the Madeira casks gently sleeping on Islays’ Atlantic shores!
The 56th Dramfool release is some what of an oddity, a true survivor of many cold nights (other drams did not survive) and what we can only call a ‘Barn Find’. Those of you familiar with classic car shows finding Ferraris, Bugatti’s and long lost Rolls Royce’s in sorry states in barns will get our meaning.
Thankfully this has been a well looked after ‘Barn Find’ and has led a sleepy life for the last ten years. When we realised we were offering a 2002 10 year old it took a little moment to realise it has waited the same time in the bottle as the cask to be enjoyed!
A 2002 distilled, 2012 bottled, 10 year old Bruichladdich whisky fully matured in a madeira barrique - now that is RARE! Perhaps we can now debate bottle maturation as well as cask maturation – is that a thing? People seem to wonder, we don’t know, but lets find out!.
Originally a private cask purchase by a West Coast farming family, they were not just taken by the reinvention of Bruichladdich, but more importantly the impact it had on the island, the community and the farmers who all went on the journey together. Not just a sherry cask, but specifically a Madeira Barrique as the family have personal connections there. This purchase was one of passion and support, as so many early cask buyers would attest.
This is the first Dramfool release not offered at cask strength, but at a reduced 46%. Initially we thought this could be a shame, but hearing from the owners that this was the advice of the Bruichladdich team in when they initially discussed bottling (could only have been Jim McEwan or Duncan McGillivray we think) who are we to disagree. And wow it’s a belter (technical term) and we don’t think they got it wrong. Spread the bottles and the Bruichladdich story further and wider and enjoy the dram. From field, still, cask, warehouse, bottle, barn to us its been a long time coming to the world!!!!
Distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2012 at 10 years old.
