Bruichladdich 7 Year Old 2003 Inspiration

Robin Laing is the Whisky Bard, a musician that released a cd in 2011, called Inspiration. The songs are inspired by Bruichladdich with tracks like ‘Black Art’, ‘Bruichladdich’, ‘A Turquoise Frame of Mind’ and the hilarious ‘We Can’t Let Al Qaeda Get Their Hands On This’. I have not yet listened to the cd, but thanks to my friend Dersou, I am able to taste the whisky. This young Laddie was finished on a port pipe.

What a strange nose! On the one hand I get the typical Laddie traits like stable, sea breeze and hints of leather; on the other hand the port cask clearly put its foot down with red berries, rum raisins and caramel. But underneath is a strange scent that I can only describe as chewing tobacco mixed with beef jerky and some licorice. Takes some getting used to, but after a few moments, I find myself liking it.

It is wonderfully creamy on the palate, softly spiced (nutmeg, cloves, black pepper) and smoky sweet. The beef jerky returns, mildly salted. Yes, it works. Despite its young age, it is anything but sharp and does not need any water either.

The warm, sweet and smoky finish lingers fiercely.

It was a bit of a scare at first whiff, but in the end everything fell into place, making this is special and good Laddie.

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