Today’s review of the Classic Laddie started as the companion to the Bunnahabhain 12 review in the unpeated Islay pair. While that is indeed the case, while working on it I ended up going down a bunny hole. I ended up geeking out on batch variations and so this post is also an opportunity to do a little data-based exploration of how batch identity for this whisky has changed from 2021 until 2023. Read ahead for the review, or, if you are more interested in the batch data, you can jump ahead.
TL:DR: proof that Islay can do elegant, unpeated bourbon forward well.
Vote*: 6.5 Good stuff verging to very good stuff depending on mood.
As I mentioned in my about me page, my whisky passion is not new, it started about 15 years back. At that time you couldn’t talk to a whisky botherere/geek without Bruichladdich being mentioned. I purchased a fair few Laddie Ten bottles at the time and got excited at the first Octomore releases, being whacked in the face by an assault of funky peat with my first sample (of either the 4 or 5 series, any notes I had, have been long lost). In the years following that, my interest in whisky waned for a while and once I dived back into this wonderful world, Bruichladdich was not the first, or even the tenth distillery that grabbed my attention. With so many new distilleries, older ones being revamped, and with the sale to Remy Cointreau, it superficially looked like this once favourite had lost its spot in the limelight.
Still a whisky geek favourite
The reality is that Bruichladdich as a distillery is very much still a favourite. Just check Dramface’s top 40 distilleries to see how Bruichladdich remains in the top 5 most loved distilleries by whisky aficionados (currently holding the 4. Spot). The Port Charlotte line is entrenched as a whisky geek favourite and the Ocotmore retains a loyal following, some among drinkers and some, unfortunately, among collectors. If anything, it is the Bruichladdich line that has taken a step back. The move of discontinuing the Laddie Ten in favour of the current Classic Laddie, certainly drew its share of critique.
After that, the brand seemed to be less of a focus for the new owners for a while picking back up with the “barley” series releases and the recent 15 and 30 year old bottlings. Not to say these haven’t created some kerfuffle, especially due to the price and the “Luxury Redefined” packaging, which has raised concerns on the future direction of the brand. In any case, before I get myself too worked up, I need to remind myself that I am writing this blog to share my exploration of whisky as a “born again dram lover”. And right now my goal is to look for good entry-level drams and in the mean time, rebuild and expand the library of whisky experiences. So time to stop the yabbering and get on with the review of the Classic Laddie.
Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie
Specs
Price paid: 54.95€
Lot/bottled date: 22/119 2022/05/10
ABV: 50%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Casks Used: A mix of 77% ex-Bourbon and 33% ex-wine cask finished sprit (see below for details, click on the image to enlarge)
Tasting Notes
Colour: Pale gold, this could pass for a white wine.
Nose: The first impression is fruity and elegant. There is a clear ex-bourbon imprint from intense pear, apple, white flowers and vanilla aromas. Some sea spray notes provide a maritime character and there is a good dose of malt notes (breakfast cereals, malt grist).
The wine-driven aromatic accents drive additional complexity. Most noticeable are maraschino cherry and marzipan, which remind me of the Arran Amarone cask, hint of currents and raisins, some clove and anis. pine nut, lemon peel, slightly earthy/dusty, Seaspray, white flowers, parma violet, malted breakfast cereal. Anis and clove. As the whisky opens there is also some fresh lemony citrus, a slight earthy character and some parma violets.
Taste: Surprisingly smooth, even verging on slightly thin at 50%. Sure, the alcohol heat is there (although well integrated) but the texture is light. The palate notes are very malt-forward, with notes of porridge, malted biscuits, breakfast cereal, and ovaltine. There is apple and pear, a noticeable maritime saltiness, with a touch of currants and some spice, cloves and pepper. It is just a shame that the complexity and richness on the nose are not matched on the palate.
Finish: Medium finish. The lingering notes recall both palate and nose. Again, the first impression is malt dirven (cheerios and biscuits)then vanilla, pear, marzipan, raisins, sea spray, and lemon oil. The aftertaste is of vanilla and pear with a noticeable hint of clove spice.
Vote: 6.5 Good stuff verging to very good stuff The nose promises more than the palate delivers and it is a shame. If it did the vote would be significantly higher. This is an elegant dram, not one I would maybe reach for every day, but the right dram when the mood strikes.
* Votes are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Conclusions
Going back and revisiting Bruichladdich’s “Laddie” after over a decade of distance is somewhat bittersweet. I do remember the Classic Laddie 10 year old very fondly and this NAS version, is good, but leaves a much lesser impression. It could be a case of rose-tinted glasses, or Proust’s madeleines. I don’t seem to be alone in this though. Be as it may, the old Laddie 10 is a decade gone and what we are left with is an enjoyable and elegant dram which could do with a bit more oomph on the palate to provide a better drinking experience. What I like a bit less is the price I got this for. In the EU, you can find it for just under 50 €, which is a price that seems right.
Classic Laddie and batch variation
While I was preparing this review something happened that made me want to dig more into the make up of Classic Laddie. I was talking to another wine lover on First Phil Whisky’s Discord and while some of our notes matched there was one in particular (the cherries) we very much disagreed on. Since Bruichladdich luckily makes most of the batch info available online, what a better opportunity to understand how much batch variation there might be in the recipe?
Looking at the casks, a few elements are pretty constant. The overall volume of ex Bourbon spirit is around 80%, though occasionally some refill Sherry pops into the mix. About 20% of the blend is finished in wine and, sometimes, virgin oak casks. This wine-finished component changes quite a bit. There is a base mix of casks that Bruichladdich uses for months and then suddenly this changes pretty dramatically with a new wine cask mix that evolves over the next few batches. There seems to be a pretty consistent core of French Bordeaux Casks, while others change. Chilean Cabernet, Amarone, Tempranillo, virgin oak and Rivesaltes VDN have all been employed at some point in the 2021-2023 period. Occasionally there are batches with a quite different wine finished cask makeup like 21/016
If you are curious and want even more detail I have collected the individual batch info in the pdf below.
I hope you enjoyed this review and geek-out on batches. The next round of reviews will be on Peated entry level single malts. But before that, we’ll take a little detour to the Wee Toon.
I always find it interesting, after writing my tasting notes, to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of the Classic Laddie I enjoyed:
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