In 2026 Bruichladdich is celebrating its 25th anniversary since the reopening in 2001. For the occasion they released a series of three bottlings. Inspired by retro Bruichladdich labels of the 1980s, the 10 year old single malt Scotch whisky has been distilled using malting barley grown on Islay.
Bruichladdich Old Skool 10 yo (50%, OB 2026, first-fill bourbon + first-fill Sauternes casks)
Nose: the typical semi-sweet and slightly flat fruitiness (melons) with mild coastal notes and rich gristy elements. Hints of apples and a bit of grape must. Tart lemony notes along with some meadow flowers. Hints of clotted cream and vanilla. Subtle herbal notes and fennel too. Then some hay and muddy notes in the background, which makes it a little old-school indeed.
Mouth: a nice oily texture. Still some orchard fruit but they are overtaken by biscuity notes and white bread, along with lemon zest, dried apples and hints of ginger. Bittersweet notes (grapefruit) with more grassiness and fennel. Then mid-palate the chalky minerality appears, with spearmint, almonds and growing oak spice (mainly white pepper).
Finish: medium to long, on peppery oak, hints of salted pear and mineral notes.
Yes, it’s a little old skool in the sense that it’s very distillate-driven, with more minerality than you get in modern fruit-vanilla-driven whiskies. Maybe not for beginners, but well made and characterful. A solid release, though maybe not particularly unmissable if you already own other expressions. Still available from the distillery shop.