Welcome back to another entry in my fascinating journey with whisky. Today I take a detour from the regularly scheduled programming [where I usually try two different whiskies side by side] and instead call out an intermission, in which I’ll play with blending whiskies on my own. I’ve been interested in doing this for a couple of weeks now [maybe even a couple of months!] ever since I decided that I couldn’t drink a particular whisky on its own, and blending it with another one produced much better results (for both!). In this case, it’s the Bruichladdich 1992, 26-year-old single cask, which is just too woodsy for my taste. Last time I mixed it with a bit of a young Caol Ila, and it definitely lifted up the spirit with some pungent Islay smoke. So today, I’m going to try it again and also blend it with two other single malts. I’m very excited, are you? So let’s get started, but first, we need music! Now Playing: Ital Tek – Timeproof.

Before jumping in and trying these side by side, I need to blend them first. I’d also like them to stand a little and “marry”. I start with the main ingredient, the Bruichladdich, which is bottled by Elixir Distillers for their Single Malts of Scotland range at 54.2% ABV, and pour 15ml into each Glencairn. Into the first glass, I add 15ml of a 5-year-old Caol Ila, bottled by Hunter Laing [exclusively] for Fortnum & Mason. It’s a young, sharp, smoky single malt, bottled at 46%, which is probably chill-filtered [doesn’t say otherwise on the bottle]. Into the second glass, I pour 15ml of a 7-year-old Staoisha [this is a peated Bunnahabhain!]. This one is a punchy single cask, unfiltered and uncoloured, and bottled by Fadandel.dk at 60.7%, so I actually dilute it a bit with water first and then pour the 15ml into the new blend. The last pour is the most exciting of the three, and it’s a 10-year-old Octomore, an integrity bottling by That Boutique-y Whisky Company at 48.8%. The reason it’s the most anticipated element is because Octomore is also produced by the Bruichladdich distillery, so technically, this is still a single malt! I carefully swirl the three glasses in my hand and let them stand a little in the glass. I run all three a little through my nose, and honestly, they’re a little bit the same. I think the Staoisha blend is slightly strong in alcohol vapours, which reminds me, let me take out my trusted portable refractometer and measure each blend’s ABV! The first dram’s clocking in at 50% on the dot, the second at about 52%, and the third at 50% once again. I’ll add a little bit of water to the second and see if I can bring it down a little more. I’ve also added a few drops to the others to let the whisky open up. OK! Let’s go in for a taste!!!

First, the blend of the Bruichladdich and the Caol Ila. I taste a bit of smokiness, but the woodsiness is definitely there. It’s better than before when it was very oakey, and here the smoke now gently marries with the wood. It’s still a little sharp, so I will add some water and return to it after the other two. Ok, the Staoisha’s definitely slightly smoother. It’s somewhat candied too, and only later can I taste the wood. It actually comes over in moving waves: candy, smoke, wood, candy, wood, and smoke. Let’s go for the exciting single malt now. Wow, I think the oak is now completely gone. I do not taste the smoke, and it’s somehow very mellow. It’s slightly sharper than the Staoisha, and there may be sherry in the mix – my bottle only says “Batch 2“, and from the colour alone, it looks a little darker (it’s non-coloured). I’ll take a break, a sip of water, and return in the reverse order, starting with the Octomore concoction. Yes, there’s definitely sherry in this one, and all that woodsiness is slightly masked by sweetness. I like it very much, indeed I do, and I’ll dilute it further to see how it withstands more water. The Staoisha’s grassier and almost sour now – this is the first time I have tasted this in whisky. It’s citrusy and almost makes me think of yeasty sake in a cedar box [that’s not a bad thing, may I point out]. The Caol Ila blend is smoky, that’s for sure. I don’t know how to describe it except that it tastes just like a young Caol Ila blended with something older and woodsier. Ha! I add more water to all three again. Will take a break, another sip of water and come back in one last sweep to call the final winner.

Ah, the Caol Ila blend became much smoother with more water. There’s still a bitter finish at the very end. And even though it’s not as pronounced as with the diluted Bruichladdich alone, I still know that it’s there, and it makes me frown just a little bit. The Staoisha’s better, and the bitterness is missing. But it is less integrated on my palate, and the flavour’s rough and jagged. It’s very textured, and there are standout spikes in this landscape that are definitely Staoisha and others that are definitely Bruichladdich. I suppose that is because I know I’ve blended both, but I don’t know how to turn my brain off and not taste those separately on the palate. I don’t know why [and hope that I’m not biased], but Octomore is undoubtedly the better of the tree. Before I taste the final blend, I’ll quickly taste the Octomore on its own and see if I did not reduce its delivery. Oh yes, it’s oily, sweet, and very lovely dram. And with Bruichladdich, it is very different. Albeit it has definitely lifted the Bruichladdich up, I also think that Octomore itself has been diminished. The Octomore is definitely the winner of the three, but I’m not sure if I will blend it with Bruichladdich any longer because it’s kind of ruining the Octomore. Perhaps next time, I’ll try to blend three malts: Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, and something sweet and sherried, like Glenfarclas or Glendronach.