Bruichladdich

Fact Sheet

Founded: 1881
Current owner:
Bruichladdich Distillery Company Ltd.
Stills: 2 wash, 2 spirit
Capacity: 1.5 million litres per year
Location: Bruichladdich, Isle of Islay
Website: www.bruichladdich.com

Notable Facts: Bruichladdich was mothballed from 1994 to 2000. It was bought by a consortium around the independent bottler Murray McDavid an then reopened.

Report of my visit to Bruichladdich Distillery

Bottlings

Elements of Islay Pl1

October 19, 2012

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An uncompromising, almost brutal phenolic attack on your tastebuds, but it is not simply a peat monster, it has complex layers of flavours. – Rating: 90/100

Elements of Islay Br4

September 28, 2012

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A delectable dram with a perfectly balanced combination of fruit and sweetness with the wood staying in the background. – Rating: 87/100

Bruichladdich Sherry Classic

July 17, 2012

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The spices are quite dominant here and cover the nice fruity and sweet flavours to some extent. Overall it still is a decent value dram. – Rating: 82/100

Port Charlotte 2001/2011 For Whiskyfriends in Denmark

May 7, 2012

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The delightful nose suggests a higher age, but the palate is still vibrant and youthful. The very strong sherry suits the very strong spirit very well. – Rating: 88/100

Port Charlotte 2001/2010 Malts of Scotland

April 11, 2012

The sweetness is a little too dominant here to make it a truly great malt. Still quite a good dram, though. – Rating: 85/100

Port Charlotte 2002/2010 Malts of Scotland

April 11, 2012

Ultra-rich in taste but quite sweet, this is a great dram for contemplative sipping with a little going a long way.
– Rating: 89/100

Port Charlotte 2002/2010 Malts of Scotland

January 10, 2012

This dram has a rather medicinal character. If you like that style of whisky, you will love this one. – Rating: 87/100

Port Charlotte 2002/2010 Whisky Doris

January 7, 2012

A great heavily peated malt, very strong smoke combined with a nice underlying sweetness. It is still a bit young and rough but it’s an excellent dram. – Rating: 89/100

Bruichladdich 10 yo – The Laddie Ten

December 16, 2011

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Both nose and palate of the new Laddie flagship are so packed with flavours that it’s difficult to point out single aromas. There is a ‘coastal’ element that clearly sets it apart from the old expressions. Brilliant! – Rating: 90/100

Elements of Islay Br2 – Bruichladdich

December 2, 2011

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A nice malt, typical for the unpeated Bruichladdich house style, perhaps a bit on the spicy side. – Rating: 84/100

Bruichladdich First Growth Cuvée B

October 2, 2011

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A really nice wine finish here, the cheese note is barely noticeable but adds an interesting dimension to an already very flavourful dram. – Rating: 84/100

Port Charlotte An Turas Mor

November 19, 2010

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This is the first Port Charlotte bottled at drinking strength. It’s noticeably lighter bodied with a rather gentle and almost delicate character compared to the earlier “heavy duty” PC bottlings. – Rating: 85/100

Bruichladdich 1992 Sherry Edition Pedro Ximenez

September 26, 2010

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The colour suggests a sherry monster, but already the nose is lacking depth. You can well taste the PX sherry but the whisky seems to be missing. A failed attempt to save an inferior cask with a strong finish. – Rating: 73/100

Bruichladdich Octomore 02.2 Orpheus

July 28, 2010

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The unusual combination of strong peat and red wine works amazingly well. It tastes pretty much like a piece of smoked ham marinated in Bordeaux wine. – Rating: 87/100

Bruichladdich Infinity 3rd Edition

June 28, 2010

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Another creation of Vatting Wizard Jim McEwen. Distinctively spicy – even more so than Talisker – but the strong fruit and peat back it up to a certain extent. – Rating: 83/100

Bruichladdich Links XI – Vancouver

June 10, 2010

This fruity dram needs a few minutes to fully develop its armoas. Very sippable! – Rating: 84/100

Bruichladdich Octomore 2

May 10, 2010

It rather has a purely phenolic peatiness that lacks the notes of smoked ham or the likes that are often found in peaty malts. But the general character is much gentler and more accessible than that of the Supernova. – Score: 86/100

Bruichladdich 3D3 – Norrie Campbell Tribute

February 23, 2010

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A very nice vatting, quite peaty but the typical Laddie fruitiness is always present. – Score: 86/100

Bruichladdich 15 yo

October 31, 2009

A very nice balance of spice and fruity sweetness. The amount of finish is just about right making it a very enjoyable malt.
– Score: 84/100

Bruichladdich Links IV – Turnberry 10th

October 15, 2009

A nice unpeated Laddie, good balance of fruit and spice – Score: 82/100

Mentioned in These Articles

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April 29, 2013

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It all started with Glenmorangie.since the 1990s the concept of multiple cask maturation of whisky ahs been established in the industry.

Whisky People #14 – Lawrence Graham

January 10, 2013

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Name: Lawrence Graham
Year of Birth: 1958
Place of Residence: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Whisky Involvement: Festival organizer, blogger

The Whisky Year 2012 In The Rear-View Mirror

January 2, 2013

Looking back at 2012, it was quite a turbulent year in the whisky business, particularly in the second half. Lots of things have happened, so it is worthwhile to take a break and reflect some of the major milestones.

A Directory Of Whisky Abbreviations and Jargon

December 20, 2012

Because whisky geeks often use abbreviations that may not always be understandable for less experienced whisky lovers here is a list that also includes a few slang terms for whisky distilleries or brands.

Top 10 Bullshit Alcohol-Related Top 10 Lists

December 10, 2012

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The web just loves Top Ten lists, my Twitter feed is full of links to all kinds of booze-related Top Ten of whatever. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes they are informative, more often than not they are plain annoying.

Suggestions For A Dramming Christmas

November 29, 2012

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It’s that time of year again. For anyone on the lookout for whisky-realated gifts here are a few recommendations that offer great value.

Will Bruichladdich Become The New Dalmore?

November 28, 2012

Yesterday I came across a news article in French about Rémy Cointreau’s plans for the newly acquired Bruichladdich distillery

Diageo Buys United Spirits – Possible Consequences

November 12, 2012

On Friday, the long-negotiated deal between Diageo and United spirits has finally been finalized. Diageo pays £1.3 billion for a 53.4% stake in the company.

Freestyle Blind Tasting Competition – The Result

October 11, 2012

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After the first blind tasting round with only Scotch single malt whiskies, most competitors also signed up for the ‘Freestyle’ tasting.

The “Health” Of Independent Bottlings Per Distillery

September 22, 2012

I have done some number crunching with the bottle data in the Whisky Monitor to see if there is a noticeable trend how independent bottlings do for a specific distillery.

Ardbeg Galileo at Bar Gabányi Munich

September 4, 2012

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On 3rd September I had the pleasure to attend the opening of Munich’s second Ardbeg Embassy at Bar Gabányi. The event coincided with the launch of Ardbeg Galileo.

Bruichladdich To Be Sold – Rise And Fall Of An Independent Distiller

July 10, 2012

Yesterday Mark Reynier, CEO of Bruichladdich, tweeted to the the world that the owners were in “advanced talks with Rémy Cointreau” about the sale of the distillery.

And The Blind Shall See

May 17, 2012

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A summary of the Scotch single malt blind tasting competition

Under The Hammer Of Thor

February 1, 2012

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The latest Highland Park release sets new standards in a variety of ways.

The TWE Whisky Show London 2011

October 10, 2011

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I received an invitation for this year’s Whisky Show organized by The Whisky Exchange at Vinopolis in London. Even though it was not quite easy to fit this into my schedule, I decided to accept anyway.

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July 22, 2011

This is an entirely subjective collection of whisky pricing monstrosities that I have come across in the past months.

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June 13, 2011

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Yes, I really mean it!

International Whisky Competition 2011 – Chaos in Chicago

April 11, 2011

“The International Whisky Competition is the premium whisky competition in the world.” So the website of the competition proudly states. Bold words indeed from the newcomer who entered the ever-growing award and competition circuit in 2010.

Whisky Leaks: Top Ten Unreleased Gaelic Whisky Names

January 29, 2011

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I have recevied a document from an anonymous source shedding light on the inner workings within the marketing departments of the Scotch whisky industry.

Turning Vodka Into Whisky (sort of…) – Updated

January 28, 2011

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I am so excited to present you the lastest experiment of the Dramming Research Kitchen: The spirit-ual equivalent of turning water into wine.

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