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Whisky Review: Bruichladdich End of Message 16 Year Old Cask No: 526

The Bruichladdich End of Message 16 Year Old is a bottle I'll cherish and share over time. Truly unique. Sample it if you can.

OVERALL RATING

9
  • Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant with over a decade of experience in whisky retail and online whisky education. Best known for hosting Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, he is dedicated to making whisky accessible and enjoyable by cutting through jargon and complexity.
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Tasting Notes

About:

A single cask bottling by a father for his two children. Fully aged for sixteen years in a Chateau d’Yquem cask, bottled at cask strength.
Appearance:
Sesame Oil
Nose:
Raw honey, golden syrup, apricots, marzipan, sea salt, coastal spray, wet sand, oyster shells, white chocolate, lime zest, orange juice, there is a smokiness to this, it isn’t peat, more like heavily charred wood.

We’ve emailed Bruichladdich to ask what the spirit is, but they were as oblivious as we were. So let’s assume this is standard Bruichladdich distillate with no peat.

There’s that classic cheese note that I always get from Bruichladdich. A cross over between tangy cheddar and aged parmesan. The final note on top is this sharp/zingy smell of preserved fruit, it’s almost like quince.
Palate:
It’s so heavy and rich! You get those huge Sauternes notes upfront of apricots and sweet syrups, but then comes the house style, marching through the middle of the sweetness with robust, salty, spicy notes of peppercorn, sea salt, parmesan, dark chocolate, bitter notes of gentian root and cassia bark, woody notes from the cask maturation which bring greater bitterness that is counterbalanced by pine, sage, rosemary, then a little flourish of white chocolate and more rainbow peppercorns.
Finish:
Drying and so salty! There’s a touch of sweetness left to it, a little touch of apricots, but outside of that this is a salty and long finish that just keeps on going and going. There’s salted caramel notes and more of those pine driven and culinary herb notes, but the strength and barrel intensity keeps pulling out moisture and then bringing it back with very subtle sweetness.
Comments:
I love this thing. This is everything I want in a Bruichladdich single cask.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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