Single Malt Review #3: Bruichladdich - The Classic Laddie

Welcome back for another single malt review! The Bruichladdich Classic Laddie is an Islay whisky like Ardbeg (our previous single malt review), but it's one of the few un-peated Islay whiskies.

Here's the rundown:

Region: Islay
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Style: single malt Scotch
Age: not given
ABV: 50%

Steven's notes:

Nose:
Honey, vanilla, barley, baked zucchini, smoke but not peat, sea air
Taste:
Honey, barley, baked green apples, bread
Finish:
Warm and coats your throat, cinnamon, iron, edamame, apple peel, oak
Verdict:
This is really good! I had read before that both Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain had unpeated whiskies in their core line-ups despite being Islay distilleries, but I'd never known whether that meant truly not peaty or just not very peaty relative to their neighbors. As it turns out, at least for The Classic Laddie, it really isn't the least bit peaty. I've also never included things like iron, zucchini, or edamame in my tasting notes. The simplicity of the bottle design is just a disguise for a surprisingly complex whisky. It also has hints of apple, but not at all in the same way that Glenlivet 12* tastes like apple. The Classic Laddie is worth every cent of its price tag, but being in the $50-60 range puts it right on (maybe slightly above) the upper limit of what I can consider a "budget" Scotch. It's approachable enough that you could hand a glass to someone who's never tried Scotch but also complex enough to please a Scotch enthusiast. I highly recommend buying a bottle sometime, but if your budget looks like mine, this might not be your daily dram.

*We'll have Glenlivet 12 as a future review.

Rebecca's notes:

Nose:
Slightly smokey but not peaty, baked pears
Taste:
Slightly tart and stringent, reminiscent of fresh Granny Smith apples, slight taste of creamy caramel, wood, toasted almonds
Finish:
Creamy, spice cake, butternut squash, radish, toasted almonds
Verdict:
This is an interesting Scotch. I'm not sure I would call it smooth, but certainly wouldn't call it bracing either. It's got a complex flavor if you're paying attention, but a non-descript "toasty baked goods" flavor if you're not. Basically it's a contradiction. I feel like the flavor would make this one a good one to have on hand for everyday drinking, for visiting Scotch newbies, and for mixing (although we have yet to make a cocktail with this one - If we get around to it, we'll be sure to update this review). However, this one is at the top of the "budget" price range, so for those of us where the budget part is of utmost importance, we may need to keep looking for the elusive everyday drinker/complex flavor/good for newbies workhorse of a budget Scotch.
Bottle Design:
8/10 - The shape of the bottle isn't really anything to write home about, but I really enjoy the modern design of the bottle and how the bottle designs create a cohesive look across all the bottles in production at the distillery. I also enjoyed seeing how the bottle re-designs hearken back to the old designs. From what we can tell, the distillery re-branded all the bottle designs when they were bought by Remy Cointreau in 2012, but the re-branded bottles are clearly connected to the older bottle designs and colors.