Bruichladdich 18 Year Old Duthie 43% 1980s Bottling

This was the second time I've had this, but this one had a distinct nuance. Bruichladdich BRUICHLADDICH 18yo DUTHIE 43% 1980s Bottling The aroma has a solid old-world character, with notes of baked apple, tea, caramel, lightly charred barley, and a hint of dried shiitake mushrooms. On the palate, it has a smooth mouthfeel with sweetness reminiscent of heated apple and jam-like depth, cinnamon, gentle tannins, and a lingering body. [Good/Very Good] This is the Duthie bottling of Bruichladdich 18yo from the 1980s, a so-called map label with 43% ABV. Calculating backward, the distillation would date back to the 1960s. From the first impression, it has a notably strong old-world character, accompanied by nuances reminiscent of dried shiitake mushrooms. However, the typical heated apple-like nuance characteristic of older Bruichladdich was clearly present in both aroma and flavor. Despite being a watered-down bottling with diverse elements that may have developed post-bottling, the flavor was rich and full-bodied. While I usually don't recommend older bottles as they may not reflect their original strength, there was a reason for featuring this one. It had a noticeable apple-like nuance and retained its body, which was enjoyable. However, the impression this time was completely different from my previous experience with this bottle. The previous bottling lacked the deterioration-like 'twist' nuance present here, but instead had a more estery fruitiness reminiscent of loquat, often associated with aging. This experience made me realize that deterioration and fading are not necessarily simultaneous effects of aging, but can occur individually. #Bruichladdich (BRUICHLADDICH)