29/09/2026 Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich 25yo 2010/2026 The Laddie (61%, OB Valinch Limited Edition for UK Academy April 2026, 2nd Fill Bourbon Cask, 7b, b#007): nose: supremely fresh, in pure Laddie fashion. Sea spray, kitchen cleaning products (though not bleach), lily-of-the-valley in a vase covered in morning dew. But that is not all: it also entertains pastry -- choux dough and custard, i.e. éclair sans chocolat or boule de Berlin. That, in turn, moves towards woodier notes, at first an untreated birch shelf, then a stained desk. Said desk has a leather desk pad on it. The second nose is warmer. It offers a spoonful of Marmite diluted in a litre of boiling water, beef stock and hot cross buns. Soon, it goes back to the bakery, with custard, butterscotch and fudge. This time, however, it completes the picture with a rusty dish and dusty, oxidised zinc plates. Mouth: strong for the onset, it sprays wood stain and creosote in all directions. It then turns quiet to focus solely on heat; heated needles pricking the tongue, acupuncture style. Chewing gives us wood (not that way!), with butterscotch, wood stain, carbonyl, turpentine and pencil wood before the lead is inserted. Dry and bitter, if not unpleasant. The second sip brings crushed freshwater mollusc shells -- until one chews, at which stage salt water comes rushing in. Finally, we have a pot of custard simmering on the hob -- a hob with a metal top, not enamel nor ceramic. Finish: strangely, much of the bitterness from the mouth disappears. We find softer wood notes, custard, toffee, caramel. It is not very long before coffee enters the scene, sweetened, yet bitter nonetheless. Unless it is hot water in which Mokatines have soaked. The second gulp continues the caramel-y journey, and the soft bitterness of Mokatine water (if we can call it that) now also points at a hot-metal hob. Soon enough, sweetened coffee returns that could well be mocha. Competent dram. And quite the rarity, to boot! 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, JL)