Review #341 - Bruichladdich 18 Year

At last, we get a Bruichladdich with a good age statement, which was distilled after the revitalization of the distillery in the early 2000s (this has a 2004 vintage). The distillery released both this unpeated 18 year old and a heavily peated Port Charlotte 18 year old in 2024, though the PC was a more limited bottling in terms of volume.

We know that we'll get good stats from Bruichladdich - it's not chill filtered, there's no added caramel coloring, and we get a solid bottling strength of 50% ABV, like many of their other unpeated whiskies. The cask makeup is mostly ex-bourbon, although we do get a bit of sweet wine influence as well: both Sauternes and Port casks were utilized to add that sweetness and fruit. In order to allow the flavors to combine and become cohesive, the casks were vatted together 9 months before bottling.

Older whiskies, often starting at the 18 year mark, have traditionally come with a premium level of packaging to match the premium status of the liquid. Bruichladdich continues that tradition, but with a new twist: they created a nicely fitting sleeve for the bottle. This sleeve is composed of recycled paper pulp, making it more sustainable, and it's packed with information about the whisky inside; we also get a fancy glass topper, something found more often on a decanter.

Bruichladdich 18 Year

Scotland/Islay - Single Malt

Price Paid: USD 167 (2024)

Current Locally Available Price: USD 175 (2024)

Age Statement: 18 Years

Strength: 50% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon, ex-Sauternes, and ex-Port casks

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled 2004, bottled 2023

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 5 times over 4 months; bottles at 100%, 90%, 80%, 70% (blind tasting), and 70% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: A light complexion: hay, softly herbal, drying oak, malt, and vanilla. There's a soft vegetal character here, and while the oak isn't too strong, it does have a polished character with time, as well as wood chips. Ginger and sour stone fruit or citrus add some sharp notes, and we get hints of caramel and chocolate, which bring a sweet side.

Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness; it reflects the nose well, but brings some stronger fruit flavors. Hay, butterscotch, white pepper, and fizzy soda start us out, but then it turns to peaches, pineapple, plum, limes, even guava. While the fruits are stronger now, they're still subtle overall; cinnamon and malt flavors increase with time.

Finish: Medium length, with apples, honey, oats, and tangy white fruits: nectarine and guava. Chalky, grassy malt increased with time, the oak was mild and drying, but it started to lean more sweet in the aftertaste.

Final Note: This benefited quite a bit from a long time to open up in the glass - we found it improved after 30 to 60 minutes, showing more of its fruity side. We did not get much oak influence for an 18 year old whisky - given it blind, we would have guessed maybe 10 to 12 years of maturation. A nice mix of sensations, somewhat complex, but quite subtle overall.

While Bruichladdich is known for their fair pricing on many of their core range bottlings, this 18 year old is a bit expensive. It's a good whisky, but we think it's a little overpriced - value is mediocre for us.

Our Average Rating: 7.6 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 5.46

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.