For our original tasting group, we kicked off our Bruichladdich Peat Progress evening with The Laddie Eight. We tasted blind, with the reveal only after all were sampled.. enabling us to focus only on what was in our glass.

What did the original group think of the The Laddie Eight 50%?

• Nose – A sweet beginning, lemon citrus, blue cheese, a little sharp then became creamy, hay and grains, oily, complex yet fresh, a fruit basket then soft vanilla, then perfume, flower honey, mint chocolate, basil… from herbs to light salty baguette
• Palate – Sweet tangy salty spice, very clean and fresh, bringing together all the aromas in a way that initially seemed very light yet as you kept sipping, revealed substance and depth too
• Finish – Initially bitter, for some they thought it ‘short yet fulfilling’ then realized an echo remained and remained and remained…

The most remarkable feature was how the nose slowly unfolded… we took our time to wrap our senses around all the different elements… it was a wonderful whisky to ease our way into our evening… sniffing and discussing as we watched the sun set over the Arabian sea.

We also found this was one of the rare whiskies where the promise on the nose completely carried through on the palate. Those citrus, fruity, lightly floral aromas continued in a fresh way – like springtime, yet with a solid base.

We set this whisky aside, covered it, and returned to find the glass sweaty with condensation. Opening after initially a waft of sour curd, it revealed sweet jaggery, green apples, and pears, grated fresh coconut, old fruits… completely delightful! We came back to it even later and discovered overripe bananas… clearly a whisky to sip and enjoy at a leisurely pace.

One remarked it was like what they would imagine an unpeated Kilchoman could possibly taste like – a clear compliment as it came from a huge Kilchoman fan!

While it was not possible to side-by-side compare The Classic Laddie with The Laddie Eight – both had a vibrant freshness, were completely approachable, neither gave a hint of being 50%, and most important – either would be welcome anytime.

What do the folks over at Bruichladdich have to say?

• Character – An elegant expression of Bruichladdich style. Super fruity and full of Atlantic freshness.
• Colour – Lemon marmalade.
• Nose – The opening notes are of fresh fruit, typical apple and pear slightly under ripe so characteristic of our spirit. Then pear drops apricot and pineapple in fruit syrup rise in the next wave. Vanilla oak is not far behind rolled in malted barley sugar and with a hint of straw. After a moment of warming the glass in your hand the floral tones of gorse and honeysuckle come through. The longer the whisky has to breathe the more you will find on the nose.
• Palate – Spice gives way to sweetness as a pepperiness on the lips becomes mango and peach. Layer upon layer of oak from the variation of casks used to create this dram gives vanilla, lemon, honey, toffee and a creamy buttery texture and mouth feel. A second taste will bring hints of fruit, raspberry and strawberry for sure and a touch of citrus and orange marmalade. the complexity is a joy to taste as each style of toasting or charring of the barrels plays its part in bringing a depth of flavour you will be eager to explore. This dram has vitality, depth and mellow-ness all at once as the classic Bruichladdich DNA of soft fruit and floral elegance mix with exotic fruit from such a variety of amazing oak. The quality of our Scottish malted barley is evident as the sweet malt sugar holds all the fruit and oak together in wondrous harmony.
• Finish – Fresh sea breeze, sweet floral heather honey and citrus bring this dram to a close, but like a typical island good-bye it’s not cheerio straight away, there is still a word or two to be had as the finish extends into the night with a long lasting vanilla note that doesn’t seem to end.

Our Bruichladdich Peat Progression evenings also featured:

• No Peat – The Classic Laddie 50%
• No Peat – Bere Barley 2008 50%
• Heavy Peat – Port Charlotte 2007 CC:01 8 years 57.8%
• Heavy Peat – Port Charlotte 12 Oileanach Furachail 58.7%
• Insanely Heavy Peat – Octomore 07.2 5 years 208 PPM 58.5%
• Insanely Heavy Peat – Octomore 07.1 5 years 208 PPM 59.5%

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