Bruichladdich First Growth Cuvée Pessac Léognan

Bought this on a bit of a whim although i am a lifelong (as it seems anyways) fan of the Bruichladdich style. As we know, wine finishes have a great deal of risks that aren't always mentioned, which is why i have great respect for Glenmorangie who started the latest trend and did so very well, as a fan of their old port-wine finished single malt.

However this single-malt is 16 years old and has been finished in wine casks having previously held some wine from the illustrious Bourdeaux wine from Pessac-Leognan, let's see then.

Nose: Very herbal on first impression. Thyme is the first to greet the nose, but doesn't greet as much as clobber it a bit, it's not overwhelming but it's a bit rough, interesting but slightly uncomfortable. This is then backed up by some sage. The Bruichladdich malt comes through with some salty & honeyed trademark sirupy malt . The nose ends on this delightful note with some subtleties from a subdued grape, glazed chicken and dusty, damp casks (not to sure about that one, interesting as it is).

Palate: Semi-ripe nectarines and white peaches. That Bruichladdich honey/barley-sugar-syrup/malt note comes forth. French oak, cayenne peppers and coriander. All tasty but a bit fussy

Finish: Angelica and sage. A sweet violet note with finally some dragon fruit (white kiwi). French oak returns for a final encore accompanied by the honey.

So a charming, tasty but badly composed malt from the folks at Bruichladdich. I will give this a reasonable, but not to high a mark because although it is delightful and has that interesting general balance between the herbal-spiciness and the laddie malt-notes, that is also the only balance you will find. It has a lot of interesting flavors as well as that familiar, tasty Laddie style to cling back on, but ultimately fails to deliver on high ground. Decent overall as it's at least interesting enough and quite tasty, but a bit of a mess.

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