This Bruichladdich Mayflower ‘80 refers to The Mayflower, the English merchant ship that transported the first English Separatists (Pilgrims) from Plymouth to the New World in 1620.
The whisky is 15 years old and was distilled in 1965 or before. Maybe even in the late 1950s as it seems to be lightly peated – a practice that Bruichladdich lost in the early 1960s. It was bottled in the Samaroli Collection.
There’s also a higher strength edition at 52% by the way (white box vs. brown box).
Bruichladdich 15 yo ‘Mayflower ‘80’ (43%, OB for Samaroli 1980, ceramic decanter, 1000 btl.)
Bruichladdich 15 yo ‘Mayflower ‘80’ (43%, OB for Samaroli 1980, ceramic decanter, 1000 btl.)Nose: lovely old-style sherry, with a few sweet elements (cooked strawberries, pear syrup) but rather more savoury and herbal notes. Lots of leather and pipe tobacco, cigar boxes, smoked hams and parsley. Nutmeg. Wine sauce. Some furniture wax and antique books.
Mouth: again very savoury, dry sherry in the foreground. Pipe tobacco and more pipe tobacco. Plenty of dark chocolate. Roasted coffee beans and praline. Prune jam. Very waxy. Hints of herbal syrups and soft traces of peat. Like an authentic Oloroso sherry, it displays all kinds of sweet things while being perfectly dry – if that makes sense to you.
Finish: long, dry and slightly peppery, still keeping a perfect balance between drier and sweeter notes.
Rather spectacular whisky for pipe smokers, book lovers, chocolate lovers… and all others. Awesome Bruichladdich. Rarely seen in auctions and prices don’t seem outrageous, but maybe that’s because it’s hard to know whether a ceramic decanter is in perfect condition. Thank you, Johan (so long ago that you may not even remember).
Score: 93/100