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

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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.
  • Phil Dwyer is a whisky enthusiast, YouTuber, and manager of The Whisky Shop Manchester, UK.
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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.

Who Will Enjoy Bruichladdich End of Message 16 Year Old?

If you’re drawn to the legendary early releases from the reopened Bruichladdich, marked by its extraordinary cask maturation, then the Bruichladdich End of Message 16 Year Old deserves a spot on your list.

This bottle captures the essence of Bruichladdich as many enthusiasts imagine it: a bold cask-strength whisky with an unusual label, a balance of salt and sweetness, and an unparalleled cask maturation. Unlike typical Sauternes finishes, this expression has been fully matured in a Château d’Yquem cask—a rare and memorable experience for those lucky enough to try it.

The Bruichladdich End of Message 16 Year Old is a bottle I’ll cherish and share over time. Truly unique.

What Makes The Maturation Special?

Château d’Yquem is a famed wine estate in Bordeaux’s Sauternes region, known for producing one of the world’s finest dessert wines.

Château d’Yquem Sauternes is highly sought after—and with good reason. This rarity of the wine is driven by the ‘noble rot,’ a process that intensifies the grape’s sugars, sometimes reducing the weight of the grape by up to 60%, resulting in an extraordinary concentration of flavors.

Finding the perfect harvest can require up to thirteen rounds of grape picking, followed by a meticulous process of triple pressing and then three years of aging in oak barrels.

Such demand for this wine makes its empty casks difficult to obtain, adding to the uniqueness of the maturation.

Final Thoughs On Bruichladdich End of Message 16 Year Old?

Unbelievably brilliant in everything it does, you would be hard-pressed to find anything that evolves and changes in a glass like this does.

To begin with those huge sweet notes of the wine, but then the Bruichladdich house style comes through to provide a huge, salty, briny side of this whisky that takes it to some incredible heights.

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With water added, the liquid becomes a lot drier with oak and salt becoming prominent. But even with this, it’s so special – possibly a favorite ever bottle of Bruichladdich for me.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer's passion for whisky is undeniable. 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 manages The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curates an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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