Bruichladdich 17 Year Old Rum Cask

I’ve rambled on about the Bruichladdich distillery many times before. I consider myself fully signed up to whatever they produce, as more often than not you’re going to get something unusual.

They’re by far the most interesting distillery in the world, let alone Islay, both in what they produce (trying lots of different finishes and so on), as well as their progressive attitude. There are few marketing gimmicks around those guys: no twee pictures of glens, no claims that age always makes a better single malt (it doesn’t always, ignore the age statements). So, this weekend I acquired a bottle of their experimental 17 Year Old Rum Cask from the local whisky shop in Nottingham, to expand my Bruichladdich collection.

Colour: pale gold, autumn sunlight. Surprisingly light for something that’s been sitting in wood for 17 years. On the nose: it’s pretty unusual for a whisky. Tropical notes above the malted barley, fruity – mango, blood orange, the waft of some Caribbean cocktail by the beach.

In the mouth: I don’t know how Bruichladdich consistently get this wonderful, full, velvety mouth feel, but it’s here again. Delightful balance between the gentle flavours of the cask (oak and, of course, rum) and the headiness of the malted barley, but this isn’t something as heavily sweet as a sherry finish; there’s a wonderful dry edge, not dissimilar to a good red wine. Everything about the flavours is subtle and mellow; the grape-like fruits, the interaction with the barely. The finish is exclusively an encore from the barley.

I tell you what though: most definitely an everyday dram for the summer, something I didn’t think I’d find. Most whiskies, especially the peaty ones, generally make you want to curl up by a wood burning stove while you stare out the windows at a roaring gale, but this is a different dram entirely.

All in all, another fascinating and successful experiment from the guys at Bruichladdich. A bottle of this will set you back about £60.

While we’re on the subject of whisky, my latest blog is up at the Huffington Post – Matching Books with Whisky. It was only a matter of time really…

Keyword related posts:

1. Bruichladdich Peat & Waves
2. Bruichladdich The Organic & The Macallan Fine Oak 10
3. Bruichladdich First Growth Cuvée Château Margaux 16 Year Old