Bruichladdich 1990 24 YO Valinch - 05 Mary McGregor Shop Manager
Bruichladdich 1990 24 YO Valinch - 05 Mary McGregor Shop Manager, 51,1 %
Ever since 2001 Bruichladdich have released something they call the Valinch bottlings. These are the DIY bottlings available exclusively to visitors to the distillery. The way Mark Reynier explains it in an old post to their official website, it is their view that if you as a visitor have made the effort to get here to Islay then you deserve something just a little extra special. The Valinch bottlings are by definition only ever at cask strength, from a single barrel, strategically placed in the Visitors Center. Each Valinch released has it’s own label and title, usually to commemorate a specific event.
When I visited Bruichladdich a few weeks back, they had the Bruichladdich 1990 24 YO Valinch - 05 Mary McGregor Shop Manager available. Quite a handful, that title. We were lucky enough to have the whisky served to us by Mary McGregor herself. Quite an honor, I would say.
This particular Valinch bottling was matured in cask #34, a bourbon cask, before being 'enhanced in premium French oak'. Distilled in 1990, and bottled throughout 2014.
Nose (23/25): Soft, and sweet. Caramel, vanilla and mild fruit notes. This is a mature and mild mannered whisky. Everything here is soft and delicate. Nose tickling!
Taste (22/25): Again quite sweet, and delicate. Almost sugary, with soft caramel notes mixed with swirls of vanilla and mild spices. One might expect more oakiness from a 24 YO, but not so here.
Finish (23/25): Warm, super smooth, and lingering. Continues on much as it started, but that is just fine by me. Sometimes I can comment that a whisky that does not develop and take you on a sensory ride might tend towards boring, but in this case, it just hits all the right notes, lifts you up and carries you all the way to the end.
Balance (22/25): I am reminded of an old Ice-T classic, from the movie Tank Girl; "She walks softly, but she carries a big gun." A lovely dram that sneaks up on you with it's mild mannered sweetness, and then hits with you a big and powerful sense of fulfillment. This review might be a bit thin on the specifics, but this is how I experienced it. Bordering on ethereal...
Score (90/100)
Sláinte! - Thomas
