This Bruichladdich 2006 was bottled in the Rest & Be Thankful series. I believe it was exclusive to Kirsch Import so you may only find it on the German market. The series includes several of these casks though (different vintages) – they seem to have good connections to the distillery.
Bruichladdich 16 yo 2006 (60,6%, Rest & Be Thankful 2022, wine hogshead #534, 250 btl.)
Nose: pretty winey, with hints of tart (black)berries, moist wood, mulching leaves and loads of pipe tobacco. Then walnuts, poached pears, red apples and soft dried herbs. Hints of rosehip tea. Whiffs of blood oranges seem to come and go. Plenty of character, in the funky way that we expect from Bruichladdich.
Mouth: now toffee sweetness, chocolate and wood spice take the lead. This reminds us of some of the Black Art bottlings. Toasted wood and faint smoke in the distance. Then herbal notes, clove and menthol. Back to sour berries (cranberries), red wine and Seville oranges. Maybe a little buteric acid as well. Quite gritty, with some tannins. The winey sourness side is a bit too much for my taste.
Finish: long, on roasted notes, tart berries and warming spice.
This Bruichladdich leaves quite an impression. The wine, the sourness, the gritty spice… all very entertaining but I’m not sure I could empty a whole bottle. This kind of cask is at the backbone of many a Laddie composition, but on its own it may not be for everyone. Still available from several German stores.