Because Bruichladdich Distillery was shuttered for various periods in its history and only restarted production in 2001, its aged releases have been hard to come by in contemporary times—there are only limited quantities of very old stocks. But today the Islay scotch whisky maker unveiled two rarely seen ultra-aged whiskies, Bruichladdich 18 and 30 year olds.
Bruichladdich 18 year old
When head distiller Adam Hannett started his tenure at Bruichladdich in 2004, some of the first casks of this 18 year old whisky were being filled. It includes whisky that was distilled as part of the very first Islay Barley release, as well as slightly older whisky distilled in 2003 that represented Bruichladdich’s first time working with organic farmers. “This 18 year old is a great opportunity to look back and see how far we’ve come, says Hannett. “There are people who talk about organic whisky today, and perhaps have been doing it for five years, but we can say that we’ve been at this for 18 years, and we have complete traceability and provenance in every whisky that has gone into this 18 year old single malt.”
If you’re a fan of the Classic Laddie, you’ll recognize many of the whisky’s notes—there’s soft honey, butterscotch, coconut cream, vanilla, and loads of fresh tropical fruit, from mango and peach to apricots and melons. Just like the flagship, this whisky is bottled at 50% ABV, putting it above the more typical 40%-46% for single malt scotch.
Bruichladdich 30 year old
The distillery was originally built in 1881, but by 1907 it was shuttered amid a downturn. Production resumed in 1919, then stopped again in 1929; it picked back up in 1935, but was then shut down for a third time in 1941 as World War II raged on. Over the next five decades, the distillery would change hands four times, opening and closing once more (in 1994) in the process, until December 2000 when a group of private investors led by Mark Reynier and Simon Coughlin acquired it for $10.3 million.
That purchase price included 1.2 million liters of whisky that dated back to 1984; while a great deal of this was sold in limited edition bottlings to pay for distillery renovations, some of it still remains aging in warehouses, and it’s now being released as Bruichladdich’s first 30 year old single malt. “This whisky pays homage to the distillery’s past, because it’s not whisky we’ve made, but whisky we inherited, and that’s a gift to us today,” says Hannett. He notes that much of Bruichladdich’s production today is in line with how the distillery operated in the past, based on information from old ledgers. The only adjustment Hannett made was re-casking the whisky into first-fill bourbon barrels, allowing for slightly more wood influence to shape the whisky.
The two whiskies are available now in limited quantities nationwide, with the 18 year old going for $180 and the 30 year old priced at $2,000.
How Does Bruichladdich 18 Year Old Taste?
(93 points)
A whiff of smoke on the nose—not so much peated, but barrel char that overlays classic notes of stone fruits and apple. Crème brûlée, coconut cream, tropical fruits. Delicate, honeyed, and balanced, with great depth.
How Does Bruichladdich 30 Year Old Taste?
(94 points)
Coconut combines with lovely floral character, wood spice, cinnamon stick, honey, and chocolate fudge, plus a hint of leather. The oak is so well integrated, and there's beautiful marshmallow sweetness paired with citrus.
