Bruichladdich 1988/30 Rare Cask Series, 30 years old / 46.2%/ 0.7l

In 2017, Bruichladdich Distillery announced the release of the Rare Cask Series, which was to consist of three rare and old whiskies.

The Untouchable on display here dates back to 1988, when the distillery was owned by Invergordon Distillers and was struggling to survive. It spent 30 years in refill bourbon casks and American oak hogsheads and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, was never rebottled. Current Master Distiller Adam Hannett described it as “a testament to the potential of Bruichladdich’s extended maturation, where the fruity and floral tones defy the dominance of the oak.” Bruichladdich’s Untouchable was bottled at cask strength (46.2% abv) and unchill-filtered in a limited edition of 6,000 bottles.

Nose: strongly floral, summer meadow, hay barn, vanilla pudding, honey, caramel, golden syrup, pineapples, apricots, lemon peel and toasted oak.

Taste : fruity-malty, pink grapefruit, orange, mango, pineapple, coconut flakes, honey, caramel, traces of eucalyptus drops, mint and tobacco.

Finish: long, with notes of tropical fruits, vanilla, toffee, a touch of anise, oak and a hint of sea breeze.