Br4. Wouldn’t that be Brrrr? A wintry dram you might expect…

Br4 is the 4th release in the Br range from Elements of Islay. The only B-distillery not covered in Bn and Bw is Bruichladdich, so the choice if easily made. Bruichladdich seems to be finding it’s own over the last couple of years after toying around with massive amounts of ridiculous finishings. ACE-ing they called it. Additional Cask Enhancement.

To be honest, and I think I have said it before, I hate most of those finishes. It took me years to really find a real Bruichladdich character since it was always hidden behind some demented wine cask that shouldn’t have been used unless it was aging more wine, or as a garden decoration.

Anyway, last year saw the Laddie 10, which was an absolute stunner. Especially if you took into account it only set you back some € 35. I tried an SMWS bottling this year and I think that covers almost all Bruichladdich imbibements of the last two years.

Sniff:
Grainy and sharp with apple crumble without the apple. Crumble that is. A heap of alcohol on the nose while the ABV at 54.7% isn’t that remarkable. Sharp grassy notes with old bandaids and something like wholemeal bread. Stale bread at that.

Sip:
Very lightly peaty in an Islay, heathery sea weed kind of way. Grass and marram grass. Again, quite some alcohol and a touch of vanilla. Breadcrumb, crumble, and a dry sharpness that almost hides the slight sweetness in the background.

Swallow:
The finish is sweet and grassy with a touch of wood. Not as sharp as expected and therefore a tad more sweet. The dryness remains.

Well, I like this one better than I liked the SMWS one. And I think it really shows the distillery character that is emerging from those cask strenght bourbon casks. I prefer the Bw1 in the Elements range, but this is a pretty fine dram too!

Br4 is available at The Whisky Exchange, and comes at 54.7% ABV. Not too expensive at £ 54.95!

Sample supplied for review by The Whisky Exchange/Speciality Drinks Ltd.