Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich distillery sits on the Rinns of Islay overlooking Loch Indaal towards Bowmore. It was founded in 1881 and built to produce more unpeated single malt whisky for the blending market. It is known for making a fruity style of single malt, more akin to those from the Highlands and Campbeltown than the older distilleries on Islay. Bruichladdich survived much of the turmoil of the early 20th century, but it did fall victim to the whisky loch of the 1980's and 1990's when the gates were closed in 1994. In 2001 it was revived and has established itself as a brand that prides itself on its history, innovation and Islay roots. These days it makes 3 styles of spirit: Classic Laddie (unpeated), Port Charlotte (heavily peated) and Octomore (Super-heavily peated). It is also home to The Botanist Islay dry gin brand.

Did you know?

The Clyde Puffer was a class of steam ship that started regular trips to Islay in the 1870's. The introduction of this class of vessel was vital to Bruichladdich's success, as it allowed a reliable and steady supply of coal, malt and casks from the mainland t be delivered to new and established distilleries on Islay.

History 

Bruichladdich was founded in 1881 by William, John and Robert Harvey. The Harvey family were owners of two other Glasgow distilleries and had over a century of experience in the industry when the brothers decided to build Bruichladdich. This experience allowed them to design and engineer one of the most advanced distilleries of its time. Interestingly, much of the original equipment is still in use today. 

As one of the first purpose built distilleries on Islay, it was designed to make elegant and fruity spirit compared to many of the old farmhouse distilleries on the island. It continued to make this style of whisky until 1994 when it was closed by Whyte & Mackay.

In 2001, it was revived by Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin and Jim McEwen. Jim's decades of whisky making experience on Islay coupled with the local knowledge of those laid off in 1994 ensured the spirit quality was good. Simon and Mark's wine industry connections allowed for a new take on maturation never before seen in Scotch, and the trio's determination that this would be Islay whisky for the island ensured they had the best possible launchpad for growth.  

Exploration in maturation, peat levels, fill strengths, local barley and green credentials further cemented Bruichladdich's new way of thinking about Scotch. The mash tun was maybe from 1881, but the whisky making techniques have played their part in helping the entire industry think differently. From their collective imaginations and entrepreneurial spirit, Bruichladdich was reborn, and Port Charlotte, Octomore and The Botanist gin were all conceived. 

In 2012 the company was bought by Remy Cointreau due to it's provenance, Islay focus, determination to do things differently, and ability to tell stories. These stories continue to inspire to this day.

1870's - The Clyde Puffer operates beyond the canal

First conceived in 1865, the Clyde Puffer was used along the canals of Scotland to deliver cargo. In the 1870's, these iron vessels were adapted to work beyond the canal and start to deliver to the islands. It is said that without a regular trade route to Islay, Bruichladdich (and Bunnahabhain) would have never been built. These boats provided the infrastructure needed for the islands to make more whisky for blenders.

1881 - The Harvey Brothers build Bruichladdich

The Harvey Brothers William, John and Robert used some inheritance to design, build and finance the family's third distillery on Islay. It was a state of the art production facility for the time designed to make an elegant and fruity style of new make spirit. What's more they could take advantage of the coal supply from the mainland to develop a whisky with little to no peat influence. 

1881-1936 - Family ownership

Bruichladdich was in the hands of the Harvey family from 1881 until William's death in 1936, but it wasn't exactly plain sailing. A handshake and verbal agreement to run Bruichladdich as part of the family group disintegrated shortly after it was built leaving the brothers with a distillery that could only sell a small proportion of its make to blenders. In addition, the industry punished them for trying to sell single malt to make ends meet. Years of poor prospects, bad external actors and low financial yields culminated in a distillery fire in 1933. In 1935 the distillery was up and running again but a year later William Harvey died. The distillery was sold to Canadian entrepreneur Joe Hobbs, ending the association with the Harvey family.   

1968 - Sold to Invergordon Distillers Ltd

The distillery changed hands a few times after World War II. The floor maltings were closed and distillery capacity was increased. Times were looking up. Invergordon bought Bruichladdich in 1968 increasing the capacity in 1975 to 1.5 million litres of pure alcohol (LPAs).

1994 - closed by Whyte and Mackay

Invergordon Distillers Ltd were floated in 1990 and subject to a hostile takeover by Whyte and Mackay in 1993. As part of their consolidation efforts, Bruichladdich was mothballed and the gates were closed for what many people felt might be the last time.

2001 - Bought by Mark, Simon and Jim

Whyte and Mackay's owners Jim Beam brands were looking to do some consolidation themselves and offload Whyte and Mackay in 2001. Before this deal could be done, a group of local investors led by wine merchant Mark Reynier signed a deal to buy Bruichladdich in December 2000. This was the first time a whisky distillery had ever been sold to someone outwith the spirits industry.

2003 - Bruichladdich experiment with organic barley

As part of their exploration of Terroir, Bruichladdich start to look at barley strains, processes and growing conditions. This started with a look at organic barley and quickly developed into experiments with biodynamic strains as well as trials on the Scottish islands this included local barley from Orkney. These experiments had one aim only...

2004 - Islay farmers grow their first crop for Bruichladdich

The development and reintroduction of barley growing on Islay was a dream of the owners as they strived to make Bruichladdich as local as possible. In 2004, local farmer Raymond Stewart grew the first crop. In 2006 they had convinced a few more farmers to grow for them. This leap of faith has led to whisky sourced from single fields, single farms and single vintages. At time of writing Islay barley accounts for about 50% of all the barley used at the distillery. In 2026, they had enough stock to launch a 14 year old Islay barley core release which they launched globally with The Whisky Club in November of that year. 

2005 - Bruichladdich and the Yellow Submarine

In 2005 a local fisherman, Harold Hastie, came across an unmanned Royal Navy yellow submarine off the coast of Islay. He brought it ashore and called the Ministry of Defence. They denied any knowledge at which point Harold threatened to eBay it. The Navy relented and sent the captain of the ship who lost the vessel to Islay to pick it up. Seizing the opportunity for a good story, Bruichladdich had hastily bottled a Whisky of Mass Distinction with a picture of the vessel on the label. This was the original Yellow Submarine bottle finished in Rioja wine casks. The story captured the world's media and Bruichladdich's reputation for whisky and storytelling started to gain global recognition outside of the whisky world.

2006 - Port Charlotte whisky released

Shortly after taking over the distillery management in 2001, Jim McEwen started to experiment with peat levels. Bruichladdich had always been unpeated, but Jim wanted to see what a smoky version would look like. At the time, Port Ellen maltings on Islay was at capacity, so Bruichladdich needed to use mainland peat in their grain. This gives it a distinctly different peat characteristic to the famous Islay makes on the east coast of the island. The Port Charlotte new make spirit was developed at 40ppm smoke with the first release hitting the shelves in 2006. This cult bottling is known as PC5.

2008 - Octomore makes an entrance

Not satisfied with making heavily peated whisky, Jim wanted to push the boundaries. How peaty could he get the barley? Working with the maltsters, they developed a smoking technique that would eventually get the grain to over 300ppm peat. These days, Octomore barley is a minimum 80ppm with most over 120ppm. It single-handedly created the ultra-heavily peated category. These days, Octomore is released annually with a Scottish barley release and Islay barley release and an experimental edition. 

2011 - The Botanist gin is introduced

Sticking to their Islay roots, Bruichladdich worked with local foragers to find 22 Islay botanicals for a dry gin recipe. Paired with 9 classic gin botanicals, it has become one of the biggest selling craft gins in the world. 

2012 - Bought by Remy Cointreau

By 2012, Bruichladdich had been attracting attention from the spirits world for all the right reasons. The quality of their whiskies and gin were legendary, their focus on local and sustainable practices had turned a few heads in the industry and their marketing machine was unrivalled in the whisky world. Remy Cointreau completed the takeover improving Bruichladdich's global distribution and expanding their own portfolio into the world of whisky.

2026 - 25 years of Progressive Hebridean Distillers

2026 marked the 25th anniversary of the distillery's reopening. To celebrate the brand released three limited editions: Yellow Submarine III, Greener Still and Bruichladdich Old Skool. The Whisky Club joined in with the global launch of Islay Barley 14 year old.

Did you know?

Bruichladdich experimented with triple and quadruple distillation in the early years after the takeover. The quadruple distilled X4 spirit was so potent that it was used to power a racing car around Islay.

Whisky Style

Bruichladdich is known for making 3 styles of whisky we can buy today:

• Classic Laddie - unpeated, fruity single malt whisky
• Port Charlotte - heavily peated (40ppm) single malt whisky that carries a savoury smoke from the mainland peat used in the kilning process. 
• Octomore - super-heavily peated (80-300+ppm) single malt whisky

Distillery Process

40-50% of Bruichladdich's malted barley is grown on Islay with the rest from the Scottish mainland. Islay barley gives the whisky an oiliness and richness compared to the barley grown on the mainland

Fermentation takes place in wooden washbacks with a mix of long and short fermentations due to a 5 day work week. This is where the fruity characters start to develop.

Distillation of Bruichladdich takes place in tall, plain neck copper pot stills. The height of the stills encourage only the lightest and fruitiest flavours over their neck. They are run slowly and the spirit is condensed using shell and tube condensers to maximise copper contact and promote fruitiness.

The majority of Bruichladdich is filled into ex-American oak Bourbon barrels. These bring notes of coconut, brown sugar and vanilla to the palate. In addition, they have pioneered the use of wine casks in the whisky industry. Sauternes, red wine, white wine and Sherry all play a part in what is a wonderfully varied wood policy.

Previous Whisky Club releases

The Whisky Club has featured 9 expressions from Bruichladdich.

Port Charlotte 2008 Islay Barley

The first time we featured whisky from Bruichladdich was in 2016. The Port Charlotte Islay Barley release was big, oily and (unusually for Bruichladdich), full of smoke. The mainland peat used to smoke the barley gives this peaty dram from the Rhinns of Islay an unusual smoky DNA.

We found notes of lemon, pears, mango and vanilla.

Try this if you like Ardbeg 10.

Port Charlotte 2008 Islay Barley

Age: 6 years old

ABV: 50%

RRP: $110

Read more: Port Charlotte 2008 Islay Barley

Octomore 8.2, 9.2, 10.2, 12.2 and 13.2

The Octomore range is released annually with a unique numbering system. The first number is the release, the number after the decimal point indicates the maturation and/or barley regimes.

• x.1 Octomores are 100% Scottish barley and matured in American oak ex-Bourbon casks. They demonstrate the raw nature of the release.
• x.2 Octomores are 100% Scottish barley and wine cask matured, whether Sherry, other fortified wines or table wines, they show off Bruichladdich's unique oak policy with super-heavy peat levels.
• x.3 Octomores are 100% Islay barley and in recent years are exclusively grown on James Brown's Octomore farm making them single estate batches of whisky.
• x.4 Octomores are Master Blender Adam Hannett's ability to explore virgin oak. This can be full maturation in virgin oak or a mix of virgin and American oak ex-Bourbon casks.

Here are the vital stats of these Octomore releases:

• Octomore 8.2 - 167ppm peat and 58.7% ABV matured for 6 years in a mix of Mourverde, Austrian sweet wine and Sauternes casks.
• Octomore 9.2 - 156 ppm peat and 58.2% ABV matured for 4 years in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels before being finished in Bordeaux French oak.
• Octomore 10.2 - 96.9ppm peat and 56.9% ABV matured for 4 years in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels then 4 years in Sauternes.
• Octomore 12.2 - 129.7ppm peat and 57.3% ABV matured in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels then 18 months in Sauternes.
• Octomore 13.2 - 137.2ppm peat and 58.3% ABV fully matured in Oloroso Sherry casks.

Try this if you like Ardbeg or Laphroaig.

Octomore 8.2,9.2,10.2,12.2 and 13.2

Age: 5-8 years old

ABV: Cask strength

RRP: $275-450

Read more: Octomore

Port Charlotte SYC: 01 2013

Port Charlotte is Bruichladdich's heavily peated single malt range peated to the same level as Ardbeg or Laphroaig. They have pioneered the use of wine casks in the modern Scotch whisky industry finding ways to balance smoke with oak and wine notes.

SYC:01 was a 2013 vintage release finished in Syrah casks made from French oak. 

We found notes of red berries, orange citrus, sea breeze and of course peat smoke.

Try this if you like big red wines.

Port Charlotte SYC: 01 2013

Age: 10 years old

ABV: 54.4%

RRP: $180

Read more: Port Charlotte SYC: 01 2013

Bruichladdich 14 Year Old Islay Barley

Bruichladdich 14 year old Islay Barley is the oldest release of 100% Islay barley whisky ever released by Bruichladdich. This is a mix of American oak ex-Bourbon casks and red wine casks. The liquid inside was a unique batch pulled together for Members of The Whisky Club ahead of a global release in 2027.

We found notes of stone fruit, tropical fruit, icing sugar, sea breeze and vanilla.

Try this if you like Glen Scotia.

Bruichladdich 14 Year Old Islay Barley

Age: 14 years old

ABV: 50%

RRP: $142

Read more: Bruichladdich 14 Year Old Islay Barley

Bruichladdich FAQ

What is Bruichladdich?

Bruichladdich is one of the 10 working distilleries on the island of Islay. Unusually for Islay, it has always made unpeated single malt whisky. It rose to prominence after reopening at the turn of the millennium. Since 2001 it has pioneered the use of Islay barley, organic barley, wine casks and new peating processes and smoke levels in its range of single malts. The distillery is also home to The Botanist Islay Dry Gin.

When was Bruichladdich founded?

Bruichladdich was officially founded in 1881 by the Harvey Brothers. It was one of two distilleries to take advantage of the ability to expand Islay's whisky industry after the introduction of the Clyde Puffer bringing fuel and ingredients from the mainland.

Where is Bruichladdich made?

Bruichladdich is produced on the Rinns of Islay on the banks of Lochindaal on the Hebridean island of Islay. 

What style of whisky does Bruichladdich produce?

Bruichladdich makes 3 commercial styles of whisky: Classic - unpeated fruity single malt; Port Charlotte - heavily peated (40ppm) single malt; and Octomore - super heavily peated (80+ppm) single malt.

How is Bruichladdich whisky unique?

Bruichladdich's tall plain shaped stills give it a light, fruity style of spirit as only the lightest aromatic compounds make it into the spirit. All three makes are unique for the following reasons:

Peat levels and peat source:

• Classic - unpeated Islay single malt
• Port Charlotte - heavily peated using mainland peat
• Octomore - the peatiest whisky in the world

Their oak policy is heavily weighted towards wine casks, which is unusual for a Scotch distillery.

They use only Scottish barley with at least 40% of their malt grown on Islay locally.

What casks are used to mature Bruichladdich?

Bruichladdich primarily uses:

• American oak casks, often ex-bourbon, contributing vanilla and sweetness
• Wine casks, sometimes seasoned with sherry but mostly seasoned with celebrated table wines, adding richness, berry fruits and spice

Many expressions are matured or finished in a combination of cask types to build complexity.

Does Bruichladdich produce limited editions?

Yes. Alongside its core range, Bruichladdich releases limited releases including but not limited to:

• Black Art - these are Classic Laddies that include a secret and incredibly complex cask regime
• Octomore - releases annually with 4 variations showcasing the spirit in different oak profiles and at different ages
• Feis Ile bottlings - released exclusively on Islay for the Festival each May
• Microprovenance - incredibly traceable small batch releases where the liquid often can be traced back to single farms, unique cask types and experiments at the distillery

Has The Whisky Club released Bruichladdich before?

Yes. The Whisky Club has featured a global launch of Islay Barley 14 year old as well as unique Port Charlottes and Octomore releases.

Is Bruichladdich suitable for beginners?

Yes. Classic style Bruichladdich is a great whisky for exploring coastal style whisky without the smoke; Port Charlotte shows beginners what mainland peat smoke profiles taste like; and Octomore can show beginners what extreme levels of peat smoke smells and tastes like.

Can you visit Bruichladdich distillery?

Yes, Bruichladdich does daily tours around its Victorian distillery on Islay. It offers drivers drams as well as unique bottles only available at the distillery.

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