Bruichladdich began distilling again on October 23rd, 2001 after being silent for most of a decade. Seven years later, the distillery released a bottling from that very first run, appropriately named The Resurrection Dram.
The whisky was from a single batch of lightly peated (10 ppm) barley and had been aged for seven years exclusively in ex-bourbon casks, then bottled at 46% without coloring or chill-filtration.
Thanks to Ian of PDXWhisky for the sample.
Bruichladdich 2001 - The Resurrection Dram
Nose: rather light, gentle and well-integrated vegetal peat, some maritime notes, light oak and a touch of wood smoke, vanilla sugar, malt, slightly floral. After adding a few drops of water, the malt becomes dominate and more vanilla comes out, giving a fresher feel to the whisky, the peat and wood are still present but act more as accents, and a bit of dark chocolate pops out.
Taste: woody - but not overwhelmingly so - throughout, underlying malt, grows sweeter towards the back, gently bitter peat and wood smoke at the back. After dilution, it becomes much sweeter and maltier, with the wood and peat providing a nice balance, alongside some fruity/floral bourbon barrel esters near the back.
Finish: peat and wood smoke, gentle maltiness, light bitterness
This feels like a more refined version of Bruichladdich Waves. Peat is present, but not a dominant flavor, especially after adding a bit of water. While there isn't a whole lot going on (though this was literally the last dram of the bottle, so it may be oxidized), it's quite a nice drink and would have presaged good things to come when it was released in 2008.
In some ways I find this whisky frustrating after the bizarre ride of Laddie 10. If the quality of the Resurrection Dram had been carried forward, I would have a lot more respect and hope for Bruichladdich in the future. It's not a complex whisky, but it was enjoyable and could have gotten better with time and maybe a few sherry casks. But this appears to have been a one-off, so I think we're stuck with funky Laddies instead.
In and Around Mangwon Market (Seoul, March 2024)
11 hours ago
I'm lucky enough to have been able to buy this dram. It cost me a good deal of money, but I intend to enjoy it in the years to come. Did you get your hands on a bottle?
ReplyDeleteI was at a whisky tasting and the host brought out a bunch of almost empty bottles that we helped him kill, so I grabbed a sample of this at that point.
DeleteDid you try the 10 or the resurrection?
DeleteI've had both. There's a link to my review of Laddie 10 in the post.
DeleteI just got the edition_01 of the classic laddie ! I look forward to exploring it! http://iladdie.blogspot.nl/2016/01/hunting-for-bruichladdich-laddie.html?m=1
Delete