A quadruple-distilled (hence the ‘X4’) Laddie made using Oxbridge barley as part of a limited edition run under the supervision of Jim McEwan. It’s a doozie.
Whisky: Bruichladdich 5 Year (2006), X4 Futures
Country/Region: Scotland/Islay
Cask: Bourbon
ABV: 64.6%
Age: 5 Years (Distilled January 2006, Bottled April 2011)
Nose: Milky and lactic. Floral. Mineral. Fresh wood. Dry.
Palate: Big, hot. Baking spices. Essential oils, concentrated florals. Motor oil.
Finish: Vanilla. Citrus. Caramel.
Score: 8
Mental Image: That ain’t a Bruichladdich.
Wild. Save for the milky/lactic note, I would never have guessed this a Bruichladdich. While hot, well let’s call it ‘youthful’, this was damn good. I generally like a well-integrated dram, but this was a total shift from nose to palate in a really interesting way. This was big and bold, bright but dirtied with those motor oil and lubricant notes. Mouthwatering. Obviously, this is one to add a bit of water to, which opened up the citrus notes and increased the pepper a bit. Very cool dram.
This was tasted as part of a Bruichladdich/Octomore tasting put on by Dramfool.