Braeval 12yo 1999 Provenance Braeval Distillery - Ballindalloch, Banffshire Douglas McGibbon bottling (purchase link). WhiskyBase reference page

For info   Reviews on sshhh! aim to detail the flavours, feelings and quality of each dram, wrapped up in as little nonsense as possible (!). Each whisky is tried on its own and given time to speak out, even if they often talk gibberish.
 
Braeval is not strictly a silent still, having been mothballed from 2002-08, but its name change and change of ownership at this point have given prior bottles a disctinctly silent feel. A whisky made mostly for blends, Braeval isn't that commonly released as a single malt. - see Malt Madness - Braeval for a detailed profile.
 

Tastes & Smells
Fresh and fruity on the nose, with a sweetness (pear drops, apple Toffo bars?) and a slight hint of mint. The taste was like a subdued, bitter version of the nose: toothpaste on a nettle, appples, sweet yet also not sweet at all ("strange", I noted). There's also a slight creaminess and a definite spiciness (although everything is a bit muted), with sour notes creeping in like a lime rolling off a stricken boat. As it subsided you were left with a spicy zing (even after tasting some cask-strengthers!) and a dulling bitterness (paracetomol) and a hint of lemon cleaner.

Worth shouting about?
The nose is immense and promises so much, but it all seems to fade away from there. Even in subdued form, the tastes don't seem to match that early promise and move towards sour and bitterness, then spiciness and a dulling sensation. It really was a game of two halves and not one I'd revisit. But the nose was so good, I'd be more than happy to try other bottlings from Braeval just in case one delivers in taste too!

Summary & Ramblings
Imagine a Mezcal worm that's hopped out its bottle and taken refuge in an apple. You pick up the apple - it smells so sweet and delicate - then bite into it and get a very disappointing, zingy surprise, with a bitter, sour wormy thing going on. You cry.

Tasted on: 02/02/14 Bought: 27/01/14 Bought from: Master of Malt State: Tipsy 6.8 3.2

Camera wasn't on top form this evening, apologies for graininess!

tldr;
Amazing nose, disappointing everything else. Never has a whisky gone from such extremes in such a short space of time - I noted down "strange", and that sums it up. It did pick up a bit with continued tasting, but not enough to fundamentally change my mind.
 
 

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