Thompson Bros Bruichladdich (Rhinns) 13yo & Bruichladdich Valinch 09 - James McColl

Thompson Bros Bruichladdich (Rhinns) 13yo

Region: Islay

ABV: 54.9%

Price: £110.00

This single cask Rhinns, bottled by Thompson Brothers, was distilled on 2nd November 2011 and matured for 13 years in a first-fill bourbon barrel. A total of 208 bottles were released.

Nose

The palate opens with a pleasantly creamy texture, moving into sweet bourbon notes, then dirty, earthy peat flavours, following onto some lighter fruit notes and finishing on roasted walnuts and dark chocolate coated wafers.. What a journey. Going back, we're also finding caster sugar, pineapple juice, runny honey, sour cream and salted caramel. The finish lingers on for a good length with more of those roasted nuts and some wood spice, as well as a hint of lime leaf. There's also hints of smoked pork coated in brown sugar. 

Palate

This is initially tight and leaning towards the drier side, though there is a touch of sugar cube sweetness, but not much. A solid punch of smoke arrives on the mid palate, accompanied by warming cinnamon and pepper spice that lingers through the finish. With time, lemonade, dirty water, marshmallows, seafood bisque, and banana starts to appear. The whisky drinks hotter than its 46% ABV. though that might be down to the spice. The mouthfeel is good given its dilution level, and there’s still enough flavour and texture to enjoy this.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose doesn't change too much, still maintaining lots of the sour milk notes, with the tropical fruit notes becoming a little more pronounced and the peat smoke falling into the background somewhat. It feels slightly more balanced, not alcohol-wise, but all of the notes seem to have melded into one single, lovely aroma. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate feels slightly thinner texture-wise, but the tropical fruit notes, all of those pineapples, mangoes and papaya now, come to the forefront. There's also more saltwater coming through, with the peat falling into the background in a similar vein to the reduced nose. We don't think that water has helped the palate too much, it was fine without it. 

Conclusion

We're self-confessed Bruichladdich fans and Rhinns is one of the spirit types we've had the least exposure to, but this dram makes us want to seek more of this spirit type out! The cask works well with the whisky - not overpowering, but offering a balanced sweetness to the dram that compliments the butyric, earthy and salty flavours and aromas from the whisky itself. It's a pretty cracking dram, we're nit-picking but an oilier mouthfeel and longer finish would propel this higher on our scale, but it's an easy 8/10.

Score: 8/10

Value

A little pricey, but sadly, most Bruichladdich bottlings are these days.

Bruichladdich Valinch 09 - James McColl

Region: Islay

ABV: 50.7%

Price: £200.00 / 500ml (Auction)

This distillery exclusive release was distilled in 1992 and spent 22 years in Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask #11 R10/130 before being bottled in 2014. A total of 880 bottles were released, available only at the Laddie shop.

Nose

On the nose, it's syrupy and rich. We’re getting melted brown sugar, limeade, Turkish delight, toffee fudge, caramel, and crème brûlée. There’s a hint of warehouse funk, alongside sea spray and kelp washing up on an Islay beach. A faint charred, burnt note sits in the background, but there’s very little alcohol spice to speak of.

Palate

A definite punch of PX sherry right from the start. Toffee apples, raisin reduction, a touch of dark chocolate, and a little coffee bitterness all come through. On the mid-palate, cloves and cinnamon spice, enough to give it a pleasant warmth without being off putting. The mouthfeel is good, with a medium to long finish, but it’s the spice that hangs around the longest, This is a big bold sherry bomb, with very little of the distillery character showing through. Saying that, it’s undeniably tasty.

Nose (with water)

Water intensifies the sherry notes. Now we’re getting prunes, strawberry fondant, raisins, chocolate coins, treacle, golden syrup, cloves, aniseed, and lime cordial dominating the nose. Still not much in the way of spice. Overall the feels a little more one dimensional.

Palate (with water)

Adding water brings out honey and really sweetens the palate. The mouthfeel takes a slight hit but isn’t drastically affected. The spice has tapered off now, and we’re getting lots of brown sugar and a note that reminds us of a coffee latte. The finish is more or less the same.

Conclusion

For us, we’d skip the water—it doesn’t really add much to the experience and actually takes away some of the complexity on the nose. That said, if you’re chasing a sherry hit, you might feel differently. A tasty dram, but one that doesn’t really showcase the distillery’s spirit character.

Score: 8/10

Value

This would have been a steal at the original distillery price. Whether or not the current auction price feels reasonable is going to come down to personal preference.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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