Bruichladdich is one of those distilleries that I really, really like. However, I do recognize that the whisky distilled around its closing date in 1993. This must have been distilled in the last few months of it being open, before being mothballed.

Of course, in 2001 they reopened and have gone to great heights since, from almost all angles.

Anyway, back to this whisky. It’s drawn from a Bourbon Hogshead and bottled at cask strength. Not too strong at 25 years old, since it came from the cask at 49.3%.

I bought it some months ago when it was discounted. Somehow this one doesn’t sell well, even though it’s not overly expensive. Sure, € 170 is a lot of money, but for a 25 year old whisky from Islay it’s nothing to be surprised about.

Let’s see where this sits on the flavor spectrum.

Sniff:
Very malty, dusty. A bit of coastal salinity, with a minuscule whiff of smoke. Some vanilla, bread, shortbread. Very old fashioned, and a bit like a musty attic, or a granary.

Sip:
Consistently malty, and rather typical for Bruichladdich from this era, right before it closed down. Again, the granary at the beach. Some heat from the alcohol, more so than expected.

Swallow:
The finish has some of that old Bruuchladdich too, which reminds me of the lesser years from this distillery.

The malt focus is something I like a lot, and generally it works very well for Bruichladdich. However, we’re in the realms of a distillery in decline and like some others, the distillate from right before closing is not very good.

This is actually a tad boring and the maltiness is a bit stale. It tastes tired, if that is a thing. Compared to some Cadenhead’s Bruichladdichs from the late eighties, this is a whole different league, unfortunately.

84/100

Bruichladdich 25, 1993-2018, Bourbon Hogshead, 49.3%, Cadenhead’s for Bresser & Timmer (the Dutch importer of Cadenhead’s). Available from various retailers.