22 October 2022.
A bit of history (those who are familiar with it can skip this part)
Since it was founded in 1881, the Bruichladdich distillery has fought for its survival. It was created by three brothers, Robert, William and John Harvey, who had already inherited two distilleries and wanted a third to make a good Blend. But right from the start, things didn't go according to plan, family quarrels broke out, and the famous Blend never got off the ground. William Harvey took charge of the distillery alone, but it wasn't easy as there were already many distilleries on Islay and competition was fierce. In 1907, Bruichladdich was closed for the first time, due to a lack of profitability. A huge stock remained unsold, but finally found a buyer in 1913, which paid off the debts. But war broke out and the reopening was postponed once again. Finally, in 1919, distillation resumed.
After ten years, the crisis hit, and the doors had to be closed again in 1929. Worse still, in 1934, due to a lack of maintenance, a serious fire ravaged the site. The family urged William Harvey to file for bankruptcy, but he steadfastly refused. Distillation resumed the following year.
William Harvey died in 1936, and the speculators had a field day. A certain Joe Hobbs bought the distillery, then sold it at triple the price to a company in which he had an interest. Then came the Second World War, and production was once again halted, from 1941 to 1945. Joe Hobbs sold the site to Train & MacIntyre for twice the price again, who in turn sold it to Ross & Coulter Limited in 1952. Finally, AB Grant bought the site in 1960.
They decided to modernise their baby, and the malting floors were closed in 1961, with production doubling, enabling them to sell to Invergordon Distillers at a good price in 1968. Invergordon Distillers replaced the original stills to further increase production, but the business was still not really profitable. Invergordon Distillers was bought by Whyte & Mackay, who decided to close the distillery for a fourth time in 1993. To tell the truth, this was not really a surprise, as the distillery had only been producing one day a week since 1984.
Everyone thought the Bruichladdich story would end there, until Mark Reynier and Simon Coughlin bought the place. The venue was revived in 2001 and has been a legend ever since. They employed Jim McEwan and Duncan McGillivray, who created Port Charlotte and Octomore, the peated Bruichladdich that would lead to today's success.
Bruichladdich was later bought by Rémy Cointreau, and the team that had made it an Islay staple retired. But the brand is now firmly established in the Scottish Whisky Hall of Fame. Adam Hannet is now the Master Distiller, and his work is a continuation of that of Jim McEwan.
The Line Up Project
Like many people, I came to Bruichladdich through the peated whiskies. I discovered Port Charlotte and then Octomore, which came to compete with Ardbeg and Laphroaig on their own turf. Little by little, I became interested in the non-peated section of Bruichladdich, the one that goes by its original name. There is a fourth brand, Lochindaal, which also refers to a peated whisky, but it is very rarely used. And they make gin too.
Where does Bruichladdich fit in among the non-peated? Is it on a par with GlenDronach or Glengoyne? Does it have a real identity? It's a legitimate question, because since the 1930s, the history of Bruichladdich has been one of disarray, sale and resale, and renovation. I can't be sure whether Bruichladdich Whisky has always been unpeated, or whether this began in the 1960s. The narrative varies depending on the source.
So the only solution is to tackle the liquid itself to find an answer. Is the unpeated Bruichladdich just a piece of history that we keep for nostalgia's sake, or is it a real player in the world of whisky? And if so, what is its personality? Does it have anything in common with Port Charlotte, Lochindaal and Octomore?
To be honest, my line-up is relatively incomplete this time. No Bere Barley, no Organic, let alone Laddie Ten or Laddie Sixteen. Many of the distillery's popular expressions are not included. I tasted most of them, and while I thought they were good, I didn't think they were worth buying. The value for money wasn't there, in my opinion.
So I stuck mainly to independent bottlings. I don't know if that's better, but in any case it suited me better.
The Tasting
-
Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie:The only non-peated expression from the Core Range, it is quite old, dating from 2013. It seeks to take its place as the distillery's benchmark unpeated whisky, but does not really succeed in doing so. The bottle is a little expensive, and not always easy to find.Peppermint, malt and a hint of citrus. Lemon and clementine. Slightly oaky. The palate is quite good, very fresh, with mint leaves and gently rising spices. Nice finish, fairly long, vegetal and punchy. Humus. Score: 84
-
Bruichladdich 2007 Islay Barley : Launched in 2010, the Islay Barley range is a limited vintage edition released every year. It is the first Islay whisky to be made entirely on the island, except for the malting, which takes place in Inverness. In my opinion, it is more representative of the distillery than Classic Laddie.The nose is satinier and fruitier. Lemon and vanilla, some plums. A field of wheat. The palate is honeyed, bourbony and sweet, with the spices adding pungency and dry earthiness. The finish is well done, on corn, long, sandy, lychees, charcoal. Score: 85
-
Bruichladdich 1989 Black Art 3.1 : Black Art is a very limited edition, first biennial then annual, a blend of old casks finished in wine casks.The nose is sweet, fruity, appetising, with hints of apple crumble, oriental spices, ras el hanout, a touch of minerality, bushy, cereal fragrances, perhaps even undergrowth. Winey, with a hint of iodine. Syrupy on the palate, still the same languorous spices, lovely woodiness, sandalwood, good fullness. Intense, long finish, varnish, hazelnut, heather earth. Score: 89
-
Bruichladdich 1993 Cadenhead Single Cask : Cadenhead is an independent bottler with an established reputation. Bought by the Mitchell family, who already own Springabnk, it is one of the most highly regarded on the market.The nose has real breadth, very cereal-like. Whitewash, hay. At the same time, it's sweet. Shortbread, speculoos. Soft and very pleasant on the palate, then it takes on a fuller flavour, spices, cereals, a few white plums, candied lemon, walnuts. Warm oak note. Nice long but not aggressive finish, liquid honey, banana, parsley, mint leaf. Score: 90
-
Bruichladdich 2003 Malts of Scotland : Malts of Scotland is a German trading company, but it only deals in Scottish single malts.Crushed almonds, honeyed intensity, ripe wheat, dry earth, whitewash. Some floral hints, light iodine, genoise. After a while, you get a good whiff of cereals. Oily, unctuous palate, a little vinous, very little spice, very woody. Citrus fruits in the background. Good fullness. Quite long finish, fruit pulp, cooked banana, goat's milk. Score : 89
-
Bruichladdich 2001 Archives : This time it's a Dutch bottler, founded by the same people who created the Whiskybase referencing site. With this expression, and the next, we'll see if Bruichladdich lives well in Sherry casks.Deep sherry, coaly, syrupy, blackberry liqueur, morello cherries, crushed raspberries, blackcurrants. With the addition of water, it becomes sublime, gooseberries, cranberries, caramelised onions, charcoal. Spongy wood, braised caramel, smoked clementine peel. The palate is as intense as the nose, but more foresty, wild strawberries, black berries, sweet spices, wine lees. Fermented plums. Ripe damsons. Penetrating finish, earthy intensity, very long, muscat grapes, black olives. Score : 91
-
Bruichladdich 2002 Archives : Same maturation as the previous vintage, same company, but one year younger. The difference is subtle.The nose is very similar, but more charcoal and even darker. The fruit is less present, but spicier, more gooseberry and blackcurrant than raspberry and blackberry. Still outstanding. Very earthy, foresty, damp undergrowth. Deep oak. On the palate, it's syrupy, very smooth and creamy, with more intense fruits and spices, paprika, cumin, cardamom. Long, devastating finish, charcoal, fuel oil, black tea. Score : 91
- Bruichladdich 2005 Whisky Broker : Again a German bottler, this one has the particularity of being fairly inexpensive, with marketing costs kept to a minimum. It seemed to me that this was the most representative expression of Bruichladdich's identity.Young wood. Roasted corn kernels. Apple crumble. The wood is very intense, you can feel the veins, the splinters. Sweet and iodised. Very pleasant on the palate, but a little dry, wood juice, very intense spices, pastry cream. Quite explosive finish, nougat, shortbread biscuits, hay and straw. Cola, chocolate milk. Score: 89
What I gain from it
Bruichladdich is a distillery with a varied profile and versatile DNA. Even if you stick to the unpeated, there are surprises in store. Between the Classic Laddie, dominated by peppermint, citrus and a few vegetal touches, and the Islay Barley, more farmy and cereal-like, there are already significant differences. But if you venture into the independent bottlings, you're in for a real kaleidoscope.
However, I did manage to put together a few distinctive features:
- We often find the cereal touch, farm, hay and wheat flavours. That's what makes me say that this is a summer whisky: you can smell the sun, the ripe wheat ready to be harvested.
- This cereal flavour combines effectively with a pleasant, but not excessive, sweetness, with shortbread pastry or crumble.
- The wood is also very present, more intense than elsewhere, and the spices are rather colourful and exotic on the palate. The maritime touch is discreet, but very noticeable.
- Finally, it has to be said that Bruichladdich's identity is best preserved in Bourbon casks. The two Archives are magnificent, but the cereal aspect is completely absent.
These few particularities form what might be called the distillery's identity. Octomore has also a farmhouse feel, but Port Charlotte is less so, with more exotic spices.
Conclusion
Despite a tendency towards excessive diversification, Bruichladdich has a real identity. What's more, I think it's one of the very good non-peated distillates in Scotland. Not the best, but it has its place alongside Mortlach, Glengoyne, Glenglassaugh, Tomatin and Hazelburn. On the other hand, I have to admit that it's not as good as the best non-peated whiskies I know, such as Bunnahabhain, Linkwood, Glen Elgin, GlenDronach, Glenburgie and Glenfarclas.
Nevertheless, it's a fine product if you like cereals, so I recommend keeping a bottle in a corner at all times, especially for the summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment