To mark 25 years since its resurrection, Bruichladdich is releasing a brand new whisky, Yellow Submarine III, a companion to its equally honorific Bruichladdich Outdated Skool (which we’ve got not seen, sadly) and a follow-up, after all, to Yellow Submarines I and II (which we additionally haven’t reviewed).
Bruichladdich’s Yellow Submarine collection start in 2005 with its Whisky of Mass Distinction: Yellow Submarine and continued with Yellow Submarine II: The Legend Resurfaces. The collection “pays tribute to the distillery’s irreverent early years when a wayward Ministry of Defence submarine was found off Islay’s coast in 2005, with an actual duplicate of the misplaced submersible nonetheless standing proudly within the distillery grounds right now.” The story goes that U.S. Navy Intelligence mistakenly flagged Bruichladdich as a possible website for weapons of mass destruction on the time, resulting in additional comedy — and now three whiskies.
For Yellow Submarine III, the whisky is an unpeated 14 yr previous single malt created from 100% Scottish barley, matured in a mix of first fill bourbon barrels (75%) and first and second fill French crimson wine casks (25%). It’s bottled at 54.2% abv.
Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III Overview
The system for this whisky is hardly distinctive for Bruichladdich, apart from the inclusion of these crimson wine barrels within the combine. I didn’t count on an enormous departure from the home fashion on the nostril, and certain sufficient, the aromatics listed here are consistent with a lot of Bruichladdich’s current output. The upper abv stands out from the beginning, nonetheless, giving the nostril an unusual raciness that finds tempering within the type of substantial florals, blood orange peel, sesame oil, and a few gently spicy notes of white pepper. It’s a busy little whisky, however in the end there’s nothing that feels overwhelmingly out of the bizarre, and all the weather come throughout as well-balanced.
Issues warmth up on the palate, once more abetted by the upper than traditional abv. A base of shortbread and gingerbread will get a dosing of sweeter, candied orange, a touch of heady incense, and ample notes of vanilla, pushed by the bourbon barrels. Peppery and spicy in equal proportions because it develops, the whisky finally settles right into a groove that Bruichladdich followers will seemingly discover to be acquainted. Light notes of lemon, tea leaf, and loads of biscuity notes give the whisky a soothing high quality that just about comes throughout as healing because the end approaches. Whereas much less creamy than your typical Bruichladdich launch, it makes up for this shift in physique with a late-game deal with mint and anise.
108.4 proof.
A- / $135
Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III
USD135
