I had this before lunch with my colleagues the other day. It was my first encounter with Bruichladdich and it was one to remember.
The nose is very fruity with tones of oranges, rather clean and with oak. Not a lot of peat. Actually, almost none. Very fresh. And mouthwatering - take that litteraly!
In your (watered) mouth, you first encounter oak and sweet caramel, followed by more oranges. Very nice and inviting. By the time you've had your second sip, you'll even get some pineapple. Surprisingly well balanced dram.
The oak in the finish, which is surprisingly short, doesn't leave a lot of room for other tastes to come out and play.
Good dram for the novice (like me!) and ideal as an aperitif.
I was having this conversation with my brother the other day, whisky does make a wonderful aperitif, though its not an obvious choice.
After a meal you often have food or perhaps wine flavours still lingering (not always a bad thing), but a nice fresh whisky like this is a good way to start the evening.
Roll on Christmas, thats what I say..