55,5°
Distillery : Bruichladdich - Islay
Refill Bourbon Barrel
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Single Cask
Bottled in 2005
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Totally Unpeated
The Valinch is the instrument used by professionals to take whisky samples from the casks. When Mark Reynier and Simon Coughlin reopened the distillery in 2001, the only way they could make a profit was to sell off the old stock. Over a million litres of whisky were waiting to be bottled. They started in 2002 by launching a series of limited editions under the name Valinch. This one was released in 2005, and takes its name from a scientific study which claimed that Bruichladdich whisky was the purest in Scotland. This is undoubtedly due to the water used, but above all to the stills in which the distillation takes place. This Valinch matured for 15 years and three months in a single Refill Bourbon Barrel, and 350 bottles were produced.
Let's Taste It :
Semi-salted butter, a good layer on a slice of rye bread. Also peanuts, a dash of vanilla, a hint of iodine. Toasted cereals, corn, wheat, barley, puffed rice. Mirabelle plums. A few lemony whiffs. Well-balanced. Dry bark, with a bit of moss on top. Litchi. A little medicinal touch. On the palate, very liquid honey, silky, with just the right amount of pepper. White fruit and vanilla. Then it becomes woody, varnished wood. The finish is strong, very peppery, cumin, cloves, roots, damp earth, tinder, almonds with their pods. Nuts.
In Short,
It's an old-school Bruichladdich. This is what Bruichladdich used to look like. And quite honestly, it hasn't changed much. So much the better. You can still find it if you look hard enough, or at auction - you'll have to pay a high price, of course - but die-hard fans of the distillery might find there something to their liking.
Score : 88
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Death Cab for Cutie - What Sarah Said
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