Bruichladdich 22 Years Review

A Crowd Pleaser!

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Brand: Bruichladdich 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 22 Years

ABV: 46 %

Date: 08/02/2014

Colour: Light Golden

Nose: Soft and Pleasant, almost Subdued. I find nice Oak tones, Malt, Honey, 
Straw, Buttered Toast, Marzipan, Custard, Hazelnuts, Banana, Peach, very light Pepper, light Cinnamon, light Lemon Peel, Dried Herbs and a hint of Espresso. The ABV is spot on. Good balance between the Oak and the Distillery Character. Wouldn't have given it 22 years!

Taste: Certainly more Oak now. I also find Toffee/Butterscotch, Honey, Custard, Papaya Cream, Banana, Melon, Citrus Peel, Hazelnuts and Pepper.

Finish: Quite Long and Fruity with clear notes of Banana, Orange, Fruit Candies, and Lemon Drops, accompanied by Oak, light Pepper and a sprinkle of Salt.

Both neat and with a bit of Water this Bruichladdich is a pleasure to enjoy. I prefer it neat as I believe the ABV of 46% is the perfect hit.  

Rating: 86.5

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: The Bruichladdich distillery is located on the shore of Loch Indaal on the Rhinns of the isle of Islay. It was founded in 1881 by the Harvey Brothers and closed in 1994. In 2000 it was bought by a group of private investors (including Mark Reynier) and the whole distillery was dismantled and reassembled in 2001. It was sold in 2012 to Remy Cointreau. Bruichladdich is a distillery known for its many special expressions but lately they are also working on a core range that include a.o the Laddies 10, 16 and 22 years. The 22 Years I'm tasting today is non-peated, not Chill-Filtered and is naturally coloured. It was distilled around 1990, matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks and was bottled in 2012/2013. Prices may vary a lot from location to location but generally are in the 125-180 US Dollar range.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: If you only care for heavily peated Islays, you should leave the Bruichladdich 22 years alone. But for the rest of us I can safely recommend this Single Malt because it's difficult not to like this uncomplicated Whisky. The Nose is Soft and Pleasant and full of Fruit that interacts well with the Wood. More Oak on the palate but still enough Fruit, Honey and Custard to maintain an acceptable balance. And the Finish is like eating a bag of assorted Fruit Candies while drinking a glass of Orange Juice. A 22 year old Single Malt can't be cheap of course but it would make a great Birthday present that will certainly please both newbies and advanced Whisky drinkers.

Jan van den Ende                                                         February 2014