Of all the distilleries on Islay, Bruichladdich surely has the most interesting story to tell from the last 25 years. Yes, much has been made of Ardbeg coming back from the dead, and its story is certainly compelling. Bruichladdich’s story, however, has a bit more grit. Its tale speaks more of hard work and toil; of sweat and determination by a small and dedicated team of personnel; of a community that rallied; and an operation that ran off the smell of an oily rag. Many years later, it also speaks of reward.
At the end of the 20th century, both Bruichladdich and Ardbeg had much in common. Both were closed/mothballed at the time, despite their long histories. Both had fallen into various states of disrepair. Both had a legacy of tasty and celebrated whiskies, and yet were seemingly on the brink of being lost forever. Ardbeg’s lifeline came via the Glenmorangie company (which, a few short years later, would be acquired by LVMH). Bruichladdich’s lifeline came via a consortium of private investors and sweat equity that was lead by Mark Reynier. Reynier gathered some good people around him, key of whom were the legendary Jim McEwan, former distiller and manager at Bowmore, and Duncan McGillivray. McGillivray had worked previously at Bruichladdich as a stillman, brewer, and all-round “mechanic”, and he was General Manager when the distillery closed in 1994.
Reynier’s team brought the distillery back to life and the first spirit flowed from the stills again in 2001. The next few years saw a cascade of weird and wacky releases as the distillery juggled the tricky balance between needing cash flow and building a brand, yet having to shift aging whisky that had been filled into tired, lacklustre casks. (The distillery’s former owners, Whyte & Mackay, had little interest in the brand as a single malt). A seemingly endless string of NAS whiskies hit the market, many of them clever compositions that blended aged, pre-1994 stock with younger whisky produced by the new team. Courtesy of Reynier’s background in the wine trade and his other venture, Murray McDavid, a lot of stock was re-racked into exotic wine casks in an attempt to breathe new life into the tired spirit. (Benriach would do precisely the same thing a year or two later). Slowly, the brand developed its persona; McEwan travelled the world as an ambassador and salesman (not just for Bruichladdich, but for Islay in general), and the distillery began to land its punches. Heavily peated variants, Port Charlotte and Octomore, added to the distillery’s intrigue and appeal. Life over on the western side of Islay was looking good.
So good, in fact, that others wanted a piece of it. Reynier eventually sold the distillery to Rémy Cointreau in 2012 for a reported £58M. Rémy has since played its hand wisely in the ensuing years, and while McGillivray and McEwan retired in 2014 and 2015 respectively, much of the brand’s personality remains as it was when Reynier sold it.
So with the above wee history as background, there was excitement this year with the release of two new additions to the Bruichladdich core-range: The 18yo and 30yo, styled as Bruichladdich Eighteen and Bruichladdich Thirty. While those two particular age statements are neither new nor unique in the world of Scotch whisky, the 30yo has a bit more significance for Bruichladdich: It is all spirit from 1994 (and earlier) that pre-dates the distillery’s closure.
The two new whiskies from part of Bruichladdich’s new Luxury Re/defined range. The new Bruichladdich 18yo and Bruichladdich 30yo had their unveiling in Australia this month, with the launch being held at the acclaimed nel restaurant in Sydney. Celebrated chef, Nelly Robinson, prepared a superb menu that was a playful twist on some traditional Scottish staples, and guests enjoyed both the drams and the food as the whiskies’ stories were told.
One of the more notable and commendable features of both the 18yo and Bruichladdich 30yo is their unique packaging. In short, it’s simple, unadorned, and yet instantly striking! More critically, the packaging carries some impressive credentials: It’s completely plastic-free and is produced using 100% green energy. The bottles themselves feature an average of 60% recycled glass content.
It’s a point worth emphasising. Many whisky enthusiasts have lamented for years at the cost of rare or desirable whiskies where the fancy packaging has surely contributed to the whisky’s high shelf price. Indeed, for a container that is often dispensed with as soon as the whisky is opened, the exorbitant and costly designs of the packaging around many whiskies today is an area in need of reform. Bruichladdich has done exactly that, with the new Bruichladdich 18 and 30 coming in a very simple “wrap”. Made from 100% sustainable, recyclable paper pulp, the packaging has already won several awards and accolades.
But, as we always say here at Whisky & Wisdom, all of this marketing collateral counts for little if the juice inside the bottle underwhelms. So how do the two new whiskies stack up? Well, the good news is that they stack up well. Very well. To the amusement of a few at the nel dinner, W&W retreated and spent some time to really get acquainted with these whiskies. We wrote the following notes:
Bruichladdich 18yo, 50% ABV
The Bruichladdich 18yo – sorry, Bruichladdich Eighteen – has been put together using post 2001-made stock. The spirit was matured primarily in ex-bourbon casks, although a small number of Sauternes and Port casks also contribute to the vatting. In keeping with Bruichladdich’s philosophy, all casks were 100% matured on Islay. (Despite what the industry would wish you to believe, this is not overly common. A surprising amount of Islay spirit leaves the island in tanks on trucks and is filled into cask on the mainland where it’s matured in the warehousing belts between Glasgow and Edinburgh). We jotted down the following tasting notes:
Nose: Sweet barley malt leaps out of the glass, followed by some maritime spray. These seem to combine to give tantalising aromas of caramel (salted caramel?), honey, and butterscotch. Given time with air, some orange citrus also emerges. It’s a complex and appealing nose.
Palate: Tropical fruits galore! There’s tinned peaches, pears, citrus; all nicely dovetailed with toasted oak notes, maybe some treacle, and buttered crumpets.
Finish: It’s a medium-to-long finish that morphs from sweet to bitter-sweet, leaving a very pleasing and satisfying footprint.
Comments: I8 years of age can be a threshold for many distilleries and their malts, often being the precipice at which the spirit transforms from youthful and vibrant, to aged and dignified. Somehow, this Bruichladdich 18yo achieves a foot in each camp. It is all things at once, and it is wonderfully drinkable.
Bruichladdich 30yo, 43.2% ABV
The Bruichladdich Thirty obviously comes from 1994 stock and older, and was matured 100% in ex-bourbon casks. Needless to say, the casks are rare: Of the 74,000 casks in Bruichladdich’s warehouses, less than 1% of them pre-date the 2001 revival! We jotted down the following thoughts at the launch event:
Nose: Similar to the 18yo, the first burst of aromas has loads of fruit. Tropical fruit, e.g. pineapple and melon. Then comes crème-brulee with raspberries, and lots of dried floral aromas. For an old whisky, this smells anything but tired.
Palate: It’s on the palate that 30+ years of time in, presumably, 2nd-fill or refill casks has worked its magic. 30 years in a 1st-fill would kill most whiskies, but the time in refill casks means the oak has not overwhelmed the spirit. Yes, it’s dignified and refined, but it has none of the dryness or tannic oak that can undermine other whiskies of this age. Instead, there’s some pleasant spice; orchard fruits (e.g. pears and apple skins); and then a delightful wave of hard toffee and peanut brittle to deliver sweetness at the tail.
Finish: There’s a pleasant brininess to the finish, hinting at the whisky’s maritime upbringing, and it also drawing out a soft and satisfying dryness to complement the sweetness on the palate.
Comments: This is HUGELY complex. There’s tremendous harmony between the malt, oak, alcohol, base spirit, and the Islay air. And, whilst bottled at the relatively lower strength of 43.2% ABV, the whisky still delivers plenty of mouthfeel, energy, and flavour. Top marks.
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Bruichladdich Eighteen and Bruichladdich Thirty are now available in most markets around the world. RRP’s are £150 / US$190 / AU$320 for the Bruichladdich 18yo, and £1,500 / US$2,295 / AU$2,800 for the Bruichladdich 30yo.
No, not cheap whiskies, and those price tags won’t be for everyone – but then that is the status quo for older expressions these days. Fortunately, in this instance, you can have confidence in the drams’ quality.
Cheers,
AD
PS…you might also like our informative article on Islay and its whiskies or perhaps our older article on Jim McEwan and Bruichladdich here.
