Review #11: Braeval 1991/2013, 53.1%, Brachadair, ex-bourbon, barrel #95120, 230 bottles

this is new to me

I had never heard of Braeval/Braes of Glenlivet until it started getting good reviews a few months ago. Now it seems everywhere. I saw an overpriced Douglas of Drumlamrig bottling at the corner store the other week. This one is from an indy Belgian bottler I had never heard of, however.

Nose is intense on orchard fruit (esp. pears), vanilla yogurt, and barrel spices -- nutmeg, ginger, coconut. And is that smoke? It's a little more aggressively grassy and beery than I would like, but the creamy pears and peaches more than stand up to it. Honey and white chocolate sweetness balanced by menthol/mint/licorice.

I found the palate a little acrid -- burnt hay.  The orchard fruit stick around through the bitterness and then the finish brings back vanilla, white chocolate, and more red fruit than pears. Nice long finish.

I really liked the nose a lot, but the palate seemed harsh to me. I usually don't mind bitterness so much, but, today I do.

score: 83