Bruichladdich Island Barley 2013

 

In the world of Scotch there are very few distilleries that deliver a "sure thing" year after year - a product whose quality doesn't diminish much, if at all, and sometimes exceeds itself. Many of the vaunted and much-hyped distilleries have faded - Glendronach, after their old stocks were expended; Ardbeg seems to be using tired casks, especially for the Uigeadail; everyone agrees Macallan and Balvenie and such are much diminished from yesteryear. It's such a common talking point that it's more or less a cliche.  

Yet I think it's a pretty popular opinion that Bruichladdich has kept things marvelously consistent.

I first started drinking single malt scotch about a decade after Bruichladdich reopened in 2001, and they were still experimenting to some degree back then - I remember a really unpleasant peated bottle they called "The Peat Project" that was intensely rubbery. 

But they've certainly nailed down the formula down now: their use of white wine casks and bottling at 50% are both hallmarks that are viewed very fondly by enthusiasts of every stripe. 

This particularly bottle is the Islay Barley from 2013 - eight years old in ex-bourbon and French wine casks. As the name implies, it's made from barley grown right on Islay; I seem to remember there is a way to look up which farms, specifically, but I didn't do that for this bottle. The bona fides proven, let's get right to it: 

Nose: White wine (green grapes), honeydew melon, hay and fresh cut grass, vanilla custard, apricot, baked apple, and honey. 

Mouthfeel: The 50% really helps here - big, viscous texture.  

Palate: Lovely, nuanced, delicate palate - melon, fresh grass, apple, honey, and baking spices (cinnamon, specifically). It's very easy to drink for 50% - there's no hit of alcohol here. 

After some time in the glass, some drier elements emerge - white wine, oak tannins, cloves, black pepper, and barley are added to the mix. 

Finish: The one downside to this bottle - the finish is very short. I get wood tannins, baking spices, some lingering melon, and old hay, all over in a flash. 

Verdict: This is another really great bottle from Bruichladdich. I got this for a song - $65 or $70 at a liquor store up in Maryland - and at that price it's a steal and you shouldn't think twice. 

I seem to remember the 2011 Islay Barley being more expensive - more like $90-110 - and at that price it's still acceptable but there's a lot more competition. 

The notes I'm getting here are very similar to the 2011 according to the old review in my archives, and they are very pleasant: farmy, sweet, gentle, and almost too easy to drink glass after glass. If you like unpeated Islays, they don't get a lot better than this.