The location
The Bruichladdich distillery lies at the edge of Loch Indaal at the East bank of the Rhinn on the Scottish island of Islay. Islay is known for it especially peaty whiskies with medicinal aromas. One reason for the particular flavour is the high phenol level of the barley that is used, and another is the closeness to the sea and effect of the salty sea air on the whisky during maturation. Bruichladdich takes advantage of these conditions and has set out to not only produce the peatiest whisky from Islay but the peatiest whisky in the world.
The history of Bruichladdich
Bruichladdich may be one of the most original and modern whisky producers in the world, however, the company can look back on a long whisky tradition. In 1881, the three Harvey brothers Robert, William and John built a distillery with the money they received through an inheritance. The brothers came from a whisky family that had previously owned two distilleries in Glasgow.
From the very beginning, Bruichladdich whisky was different from the whiskies of other distilleries. The stills produced a particularly pure but unique spirit with a strong personality that was a welcome variety in Islay. The distillery was led by William Harvey until his death and was then passed on to other hands.
In the following decades, Bruichladdich changed hands several times until it was shut down in 1994. Six years later, the company was revived again when a group of private investors bought and renovated the distillery. During the renovation, all of the original Harvey equipment was kept intact – most of it had survived the 20th century unscathed – and now it would be used again. Jim McEwan, who had gained experience working at Bowmore for decades, was entrusted with being both the master distiller and the production manager.
Since 2012, the distillery has been in the hands of the conglomerate Rémy Cointreau, which also owns Rémy Martin, Cointreau and Metaxa.
How is Bruichladdich whisky produced?
Since the distillery wasn’t modernized during the 20th century, a lot of equipment from the Victorian age is still intact. Today, a big part of it is still used for the production of the whisky, including an open 7-ton mash tun, six fermenting vats made from Douglasie fir as well as the original stills (two wash stills and two spirit stills). Except for the safety technology of the distillery, no computers are used for production.
Bruichladdich products
Bruichladdich produces a large selection of single malts that can be divided into three categories. Whiskies that carry the name Bruichladdich are unpeated, whiskies with the name Port Charlotte are heavily peated and the Octomore series is extremely heavily peated.
The Bruichladdich releases are especially interesting for fans of unpeated whiskies. With its Organic Scottish Barley Whisky, the company released one of the creamiest whiskies in Scotland. A great all-rounder is The Classic Laddie, with its harmonious and vivid aroma.
At the other end of the spectrum you find the whiskies of the Octomore series. Although Bruichladdich shocked the world with a 169 ppm whisky a few years ago, the distillery sells whiskies with as much as 400 ppm. If you’ve ever wanted to find out where the limits of peated whiskies lie, you shouldn’t miss out on the Octomore series.
Besides whiskies, Bruichladdich has been producing an exquisite gin since 2011, which is sold under the name The Botanist.
Bruichladdich at Gustero
Bruichladdich whiskies not only do well at competitions, they are also popular with our customers. No matter if you’re looking for a gin, a peated whisky or an unpeated whisky, our selection of excellent Bruichladdich products offers something for everyone. Try an all-rounder like The Classic Laddie or get a bottle from one of our special editions like the Rest & Be Thankful series. If it’s made by Bruichladdich, you can be assured it’s special.
