New from Bruichladdich and Kilchoman; 30 Y.O from Isle of Arran; Black Art Goes GTR Only & More Industry Woes

Hello everyone

A couple of recent items to nose and taste this last week which I am pleased to share here.

Just early this week came my eagerly awaited sample of Bruichladdich X4+18 Edition 01 – the 18 year old created from the quadruple distillation experiment in 2006. It‘s the first ever quadruple distilled Scotch whisky. Years ago when it was first done by Jim McEwan, he gave me a sample to bring home and I thought he said it was 88% abv. We‘re told this was put into cask at 85%. I thought that sample might still be lurking in my whisky stores as I took out a small sample back then and carefully decanted the rest into a clean glass bottle with no air gap but I couldn‘t find it thus far. I was hoping to compare it with this well-matured bottling. If I do come across it, I‘ll do a comparison between the new spirit and the actual bottling.

Anyway, a quadruple distilled spirit created and set to mature by Jim McEwan then watched over and finally curated by Adam Hannett. Who wouldn‘t be keen to try this? Well, it‘s a beauty, bottled at 63.5% abv and matured in bourbon wood and former Rivesaltes (sweet wine) casks.

Appearance: Rich medium amber, orange marmalade highlights. Tears slow in descending and quite widely spaced once it settles.

Nose: Quite intense fruit initially – pear and ripe melon [they say dried apricot and mango], floral with a sea air freshness despite its eighteen years in cask. Touch of damp, sweet oak and earthen floor. Spices including vanilla. Brown sugar sweetness and caramel. Cooked honey – rich and almost smoky. With water, a bit more oak and earthiness. Tiniest touch of char/toasted oak. Still very fruity and honeyed.

Palate: Quite a full mouth feel but not oily. Baked fruits with honey and warm spices. Oak, vanilla and some saltiness like roasted, salted nuts.

Finish: Long, fruity, spicy with a delightful salt kick.

This expression is a limited run of 2,400 bottles and the first of a four-part series. You can find it online on the Bruichladdich website for £225 and through very select specialist whisky stores. Sadly, somewhat out of my budget but such a lovely dram.

Arriving before the Bruichladdich was Kilchoman Machir Bay Cask Strength, bottled at 58.1% abv.

Appearance: Tawny with brass highlights. Tears very slow to form – sticky and oily. Quite close at first then much wider apart.

Nose: Sweaty wool sock at a peat fire; smoky, barbecued citrus and somewhat medicinal. Melon and wine gums. Some oak char. Chocolate malted barley. Smoky caramel. With water, a bit less fruit and more charred wood sweetness. A touch of vanilla, lanolin and slightly creamy notes.

Palate: Slightly oily mouth feel. Richly malty, smoky char and peat. Sea salt, vanilla and tingly spice. Slight burnt caramel/treacle toffee.

Finish: Long with peat smoke and char and rich malted barley. The finish has the char bitterness rather than the wood sweetness.

As usual, there is no chill-filtration and no added colour. An enjoyable dram and a very good one for a cold winter night.

A media release arrived in the last couple of days announcing release of Isle of Arran 30 Year Old to celebrate 30 years since the Lochranza distillery started production. It was quite widely trailed in the summer so we were expecting the launch info at some point before the year end. Maturation was in an ex-sherry hogshead, bottled at 46% abv with no chill-filtration and no added colour. Only 300 bottles are available to purchase in person at Lochranza Distillery, and a small number of bottles have been made exclusively available to purchase by members of their White Stag Community. The price shown on the website is £795.

No sample of one so rare but their notes are, „The dram opens with bold notes of burnt orange, star anise, and cinnamon, balanced by toasted oak on the nose. The palate is rich and layered, offering honey, ripe orchard fruits, vanilla, and cloves. The finish is long and sweet, with hints of toffee apple and orange zest.“ Another one pandering to my preferred flavour profile but, again, well beyond budget though the price is not at all bad compared to others of this age.

A bit of gloom going into the festive season as news of distilleries closing, or in trouble, here and overseas trickles in. A brighter note was that Eden Mill has been bought over so is safe for now but until that news came out, I didn‘t know they were teetering on the brink. Even the big guys aren‘t immune. Diageo is closing Roseisle maltings until at least next summer due to downturn in demand but aren‘t shedding people as they‘ve been allocated to other Diageo facilities. However, other places are still ploughing on or ready to launch their first or new expressions and for some annual numbers aren‘t as bad as expected. Here in the UK, the Chancellor‘s budget hasn‘t helped by increasing alcohol duty – a real slap in the face for Scotch Whisky.

Ending on a slightly more positive note, Bruichladdich‘s latest Black Art expression, Sapero, is out but the range is seemingly a GTR exclusive from now. As a marketeer, I get the need for a premium and, maybe, exclusive GTR offering but think it‘s a pity for devotees of Black Art that it‘s not more widely available. This first version debuts at Changi airport in Singapore and spreads out further from December. Purchasers who acquire the Black Art Passport makes them eligible for other exclusive experiences related to the whisky. Two further expressions in this range will emerge in late 2026 and 2027.

That‘s all from me for this month. Back in December with more.

Meantime, happy dramming!

Slainte mhath,

Caroline