Sydney has been fortunate to play host to some incredible whisky tastings over the years. The Ultimate Ardbeg Dinner (2007) and the Ultimate Glenfarclas Tasting (2015) being two examples. This month, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society curated and hosted what must go close to being the Ultimate Bruichladdich Tasting.
Before recounting the joys of that tasty evening, it is worth re-acquainting ourselves with the distillery’s story, as its story puts the evening’s line-up in context. Bruichladdich’s recent history has been just as fascinating and dramatic as its early history. Founded in 1881, the distillery has had numerous owners over the years, but the second half of the 20th century saw a series of owners that focussed chiefly on bulk supply for their own blends, with little regard to maintenance or plant upgrades. By the time it fell into the lap of Whyte & Mackay in 1993, it was deemed surplus to requirements and was promptly closed. (Mothballed is too kind a term for a distillery that was in such need of refurbishment).
After seven years of silence, a new consortium acquired the distillery for £6.5M in late 2000, with a view to bringing the old girl back to life. Led by Mark Reynier and with industry legend Jim McEwan onboard – coaxed to jump ship from his beloved Bowmore – the distillery embarked on an incredible phoenix-like resurrection. Making a virtue out of a necessity, much of the original 1881 equipment was retained and restored. More critically, it was the distillery’s inventory of maturing spirit – much of which, it must be said, was sitting in tired or poor quality casks – that put Bruichladdich in the spotlight. Needing an injection of revenue, Bruichladdich released a seemingly endless procession of random whiskies throughout the mid-to-late 2000’s. Most were no-age-statement releases that were finished or re-racked into exotic wine casks in an attempt to add some sparkle to what might otherwise have been fairly unremarkable whisky. (Not dissimilar to the situation and strategy adopted by Billy Walker and co. when they acquired Benriach).
Following a template that was well established by the likes of Springbank, Bruichladdich began producing three different styles of whisky, each to be released under a different name. Bruichladdich thus became the brand for the traditional, unpeated whisky made at the site. Heavily peated spirit (with the malt peated to 40ppm phenols – that’s higher than Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Caol Ila) was bottled as Port Charlotte, and super-peated spirit was bottled as Octomore. The names came from long-gone nearby distilleries, just as Springbank does with its Longrow and Hazelburn variants.
The distillery was sold to Remy Cointreau for £58M in 2012, ending what is now referred to as the Reynier/McEwan era. And whilst many look back with bemusement and – occasionally – less than fond memories towards some of the eclectic releases from that era, there’s no denying that the distillery also released some truly spectacular whisky. It was some of those whiskies that found their way on to the table at the Society’s recent “Bruichladdich Gathering” event.
Held at the Royal Automobile Club behind Circular Quay in the heart of Sydney, attendees were welcomed with a dram of “Classic Laddie” to set the scene. Once formalities commenced, attention turned to the stars of the show. The tasting kicked off with a review of the three “Still” series whiskies that – collectively – are some of the most sought after Bruichladdich bottlings, followed by some more recent releases. The line up was as follows:
* Bruichladdich “Golder Still” – Distilled in 1984, bottled as a 23yo at 51.0% ABV. (Originally 4,866 bottles).
* Bruichladdich “Redder Still” – Distilled in 1984, bottled as a 23yo at 50.4% ABV, matured in ex-bourbon casks before being finished in Lafleur Troncais wine casks. (Originally 4,080 bottles).
* Bruichladdich “Blacker Still” – Distilled in 1986, bottled as a 20yo at 50.7% ABV and matured in ex-sherry casks. (Originally 2,840 bottles).
* SMWS 23.75 “Whisky of a bygone era” – Distilled in 1991, bottled as a 27yo at 54.7%; it came from a single refill ex-bourbon cask with a total yield of just 88 bottles – of which only one found its way to Australia.
* Octomore “Event Horizon” – The Feis Ile 2019 release and distilled in 2007, it was bottled as a 12yo, having been matured in ex-sherry casks. (1,980 bottles).
* SMWS 127.44 “Cantina Mexicana” – A Port Charlotte whisky, this was distilled in 2003 and bottled by the Society as a 12yo in 2016 for Feis Ile that year. 588 bottles at a whopping 65.9%, it was matured in a 2nd-fill ex-Oloroso sherry butt.
Needless to say, the whiskies were all incredible, and the opportunity to try the “Still” series in one sitting was a wonderful experience. Votes for the favourite of those three varied around the room, with each attracting its fair share of fans. For this individual, the Golder Still was the pick.
However, the overall clear winner on the night with a near-unanimous majority was the SMWS 23.75. This was an exceptional whisky and easily in the Top Five whiskies I’ve tried in the last five years. Unadorned and unadulterated by wine or peat, this was just a perfect, textbook example of bourbon cask maturation done right. 27 years is a long time in the wood, and we’ll never know if this was a 2nd-fill or 3rd-fill, but the result made the whisky’s name even more apt: This truly is whisky of a bygone era. It demonstrated a style and quality of whisky we rarely get to encounter these days, given the industry’s current pursuit of finishes or putting out older releases that are priced beyond the means of most drinkers.
The evening delivered great whisky and great conviviality. It is precisely what The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is all about.
Cheers,
AD
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