Side by side: Na Bràithrean (brothers) from Ledaig

Na Bràithrean [na brah-rin] means “the brothers” in Scottish Gaelic. These indie bottlers pick a cask, give each a different finish and release the pair as Wee Brother and Big Brother.

Let's try a pair!

Founded in 2019, by brothers Andy and Brendan, Na Bràithrean "search hard for the right mother cask to split into a pair of unique Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. Each brother is finished independently using different kinds and sizes of barrels to shape the flavour." 

"Na Bràithrean translates from the Scottish Gaelic meaning The Brothers. We're called this because all of our bottles are brothers."

"We take a single cask and split the liquid inside in half. We finish the two halves separately in different casks for different lengths of time. The half we bottle first is the Wee Brother and the younger of the two bottlings. The second half that is aged slightly longer is bottled as the Big Brother."

"These two bottlings will always reflect the high standard of product that Single Malt Scotch Whisky is world renowned for and have their own flavour characteristics with distinct differences between them.  However, they were distilled on the same day, spent most of their lives maturing in the same cask and therefore also have many similarities. Here lies the beauty of Na Bràithrean whisky, the drinker is able to see, smell and taste all of these effect. Our end product is two bottles of the same spirit with different personalities and characteristics. Our brothers are no different, undoubtedly unique!"

We tried the Ledaig pair at two separate #BlindDrams tastings, I still had half of each sample left so I thought I'd try them side by side! 

Dram	Wee Brother 2009 12yo Single Cask Ledaig	Big Brother 2009 12yo Single Cask Ledaig
Characteristics	51% ABV NCF NC D: 6 May '09, B: 2 Jun '21 Bourbon Hogshead 158 bottles	51%  ABV NCF NC D: 6 May '09, B: 16 Aug '21 Port quarter cask finish 152 bottles
Bottler notes	This Wee Brother distilled at Tobermory Distillery has spent 12 years ageing in a bourbon hogshead all-natural colour and non-chill filtered.	This Big Brother distilled at Tobermory Distillery has spent 11 years ageing in a bourbon hogshead before being finished in a port quarter cask, all-natural colour and non-chill filtered.
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly and fall as quick thin oily legs.	Gold with a pink tinge, swirls cling as a thin line in the glass, small beads form slowly eventually falling as slow thin legs.
Nose	Bonfire on a beach, ashy smoke, sun dried seaweed, a little BBQ steak and sweet tropical fruit. I'm not getting the rubber and engine oil notes I normally associate with Ledaig, when tasted blind I though Caol Ila. There's some cheese notes and some citrus here too.	Hedgerow berries, dark fruit: black cherries, figs, dates followed by a lovely blanket of peat smoke. A little BBW steak, crispy bacon and some sun dried tomatoes. The Port cask has definitely had an influence, this one is also missing the salinity.
Palate	Thin sweet arrival, juicy tropical fruit, a little honey, brown sugar and toffee. Then an ashy bonfire smoke dries the mouth, there's some salinity and a little citrus fizz - typical Caol Ila not Ledaig! A little time and air, and a few more sips and I manage to persuade myself that there are some engine oil hints!	Thick sweet arrival, meaty, bicycle inner tube, engine oil and dark chocolate. There's red berries, brown sugar and some sour citrus. This suggests Ledaig straight away with the port offering a layer of complexity. Strawberry jam and ashy smoke linger as the liquid disappears. Yummy!
Finish	Lingering dry ashy smoke, tropical fruit and a little lemon zest.	Lingering smoky sweet jam, a little dryness.
Overall	An interesting concept but I would have thought bottling the Wee Brother from it's original cask and finishing only the Big Brother would have been a better idea? When tried blind and then again when I knew what it was the Wee Brother just screamed Caol Ila at me, by the end of the sample I think I'd mange to get to Ledaig but it wasn't easy. Big Brother was a different matter altogether blind I guessed Ledaig immediately and trying it again it was very obvious. The port finish adding lovely berry notes - what's not to like?

Geeky bit:

These are 1 of 8 pairs Na Bràithrean have released so far!

Distillery	Wee Brother	Big Brother
Benrinnes 2008 11yo	FF Oloroso Octave	FF PX Octave
Caol Ila 2011 8yo	RF Bourbon hogshead	PX QC finish
Dalmunach 2016 6yo	RF Bourbon hogshead	Oloroso QC finish
Glenburgie 2011 10yo	RF Bourbon hogshead	Pinot Noir Ex-Islay cask finish
Glencadam 2011 9yo	Bourbon barrel	Heavy char virgin oak octave finish
Glentauchers 2009 12yo	Ex-bourbon cask	Muscat wine octave finish
Linkwood 2008 13yo	Bourbon Hogshead with Rum QC finish	Bourbon Hogshead with Ex Islay Sherry QC finish
Ledaig 2009 12yo	Bourbon Hogshead	Port QC finish