Strength: 46 by volume
Appearance: Pale Straw
Nose (straight): Seaweed, salt, hay, green apple
(diluted): Brine, fruit, orange
Mouth feel: Light, simple,
Primary taste: Sugar cane, salt, toasted malt.
After taste: Citrus (orange/tangerine), light peat, later chocolate
Finish: sweet, light smoke, lingering
Verdict: This is my “evangelical” Scotch. When I meet a novice or non-Scotch drinker or one who thinks their first Scotch should be Lagavulin because someone told them “it’s the best one”, this is the one I lay out. The Bruichladdich ("brook-laddie") 10 yr is the first of the “Mood Malts” single malts created by Master Distiller Jim McEwan, an Islay native, to reflect the lifestyle around the drink, and at 46 abv, one of the lightest in Islay, which gives it a young, zesty quality that is not typical of that island. That’s what makes it special. At the Festival tasting where it was featured, everyone at the table was surprised and excited about discovering this accessible, fruity and friendly expression. The right touch of peat in the finish was the only clue that it shared an island with big, bad Lagavulin or Laphroig.
Drink it: with water instead of a gin and tonic, it’s that refreshing. This could even take a single ice cube (heresy for most Scotch) on a summer day. Versatile enough to drink alone or before dinner, undiluted, a true “aperitif”. Its simple and uncomplicated, so don't muck it up by taking it to the opera in a stretch limo. Head over to the tailgate party at Giants Stadium.
Another reason to like it: tall, narrow-necked stills are what’s behind the sophistication and smoothness of all Bruichladdichs, whether it’s the 10yr or the Moine Mohr. Combined with water from 3 separate sources for 3 separate phases of the distillation, it brings an iodine-free, medicine-free character to all its expressions, without sacrificing the peatiness that most adherents love about the island and its whiskies.