Bruichladdich 10 Year Old The Laddie Ten

"Only a lad," You really can't blame him, "Only a lad," Society made him "Only a lad," He's our responsibility, "Only a lad," He really couldn't help it, "Only a lad," He didn't want to do it, "Only a lad," He's underprivileged and abused, Perhaps a little bit confused. --Oingo Boingo

This scotch is over-rated. Yes, it's buttery, salty, and a little savory (in a good way), but it's "only a lad," meaning, a ten year old scotch still tastes like a ten year old scotch, and I'm not terribly impressed, considering the price, which is the same as a bottle of Glengoyn 17 Year in Oregon. The Laddie Ten is overhyped, over priced and over rated.

Here are my tasting notes: Nose: malt, blood orange, coconut, with a hint of banana, which was a nice surprise.

Palate: more "edgy" without water, with half a table spoon in two ounces, the flavors open up a bit more: some ginger, honey, vanilla, ocean breeze (salt/brine).

Finish: Not terribly long but pleasant with more of the palette exhibited.

For $50, this one is worth buying. Anything much over that, nah. I don't think so. Get something better, like Glengoyne 17. Or save yourself twenty bucks and pick up a bottle of Glenfarclas 12. That one is underrated, rather than overrated. Old Pulteney 12 is always a good snag, and it only costs $42 in Oregon. It's pretty much in the same category, even though the Goyne is a sweeter scotch due to the sherry casking.

So . . . I must report that the Laddie Ten is "Only A Lad," as Danny Elfman once sung. By the way, I saw Oingo Boingo sing that song in 1992 (twenty one years ago) in New York City on the "Dead Man's Party" tour. It was one of the best nights of my life. My girlfriend led me into a storage closet and made my whole year. The excitement was the fact that she'd thought of it. That made all the difference.

Oh, and she'd paid for the concert tickets, my birthday present. She was an awesome girlfriend. Too bad she wasn't nearly as cool of a fiance. Ya win some, and ya lose some.

The Laddie Ten is not a "loser," per se, just overprice and overrated. I will enjoy the bottle, and I don't regret trying new things. I might even buy another bottle if it cost $45 and not $65.

Whisky is getting really overpriced these days, and overhyped. I'm noticing the problem, believe me.

Bruichladdich would do well to make fewer gimmicky types of whisky and just focus on price and quality control with fewer offerings. Along with the bottle of Laddie Ten came a fancy insert that had all sorts of other bottles advertised with all sorts of info about them. I would have enjoyed reading about the bottle that I purchased instead. The insert didn't say squat about the Laddie Ten. I felt cheated somehow.

So much for advertising. How about sticking with classy "craft presentations" instead, guys? I don't care about the bright baby blue bottle or the hype about it. I care about the whisky inside. And it's nothing to write home about, but it's certainly a nice easy drinking bottle of scotch. No, it's not terribly challenging, but that's okay.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for a nice buttery, easy dram that won't bite back. I'm looking forward to getting to know this bottle better. So far, I've drunk four drams out of the bottle. They seem to be getting better rather than worse. That's certainly a very good sign.

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