Bruichladdich Re/Define
Bruichladdich Distillery today announced the release of two of its new whiskeys. And these are extraordinary whiskies, described by the producer himself as milestones in the distillery's history. One dating back to just before the distillery closed in the 1990s. The second - which was one of the first spirits distilled after the reactivation of Bruichladdich, back in the 21st century.
Bruichladdich Re/Define 18yo (50% vol.) is a whisky made from the first barley grown on Islay specifically for Bruichladdich. What is important for many admirers of the brand, Bruichladdich here shows maximum transparency. Everything about this whisky - from the origin of the barley to the barrels and the warehouse in which it matured - is fully documented. And it's not so obvious for whisky in this age. Some barley from the Scottish mainland was also used in its production. It is traditionally a peatless whisky for Bruichladdich, coming from a distillation in 2004. It was matured in warehouses on Islay, primarily in bourbon casks, but also a certain amount of the distillate spent those 18 years in Sauternes wine and port casks. The blending of its individual components took place 9 months before bottling so that the whisky would have enough time to bite and achieve the right balance.
According to the manufacturer's description, in its aroma we will find accents of honey, fudge and citrus, while in the taste we can expect a mixture of notes of tropical fruits and roasted oak. The finish will show some minerality, stone fruits and delicate vegetal notes.
Bruichladdich Re/Define 30yo (43.2% vol.) is a beverage from distillations in 1989, 1991 and 1992, prior to the closure of the distillery, which took place in 1995. Non-peat, as befits a traditional Bruichladdich, this whisky was matured entirely in bourbon barrels. However, the maturation process was broken into two equal parts here - 50% of the distillate spent the entire 30 years in bourbon refill hogshead barrels, while the other 50% went into fresh bourbon barrels after 20 years of maturation in refill hogsheads. Buying was done in bourbon refill barrels three months before bottling.
The producer's tasting notes mention the delicacy and complexity of the accents. In the aroma we should find dark chocolate, complementing the liquor's vegetal profile, honey, vanilla and roasted oak. We can also expect the subtle influence of sea air, a testament to the whisky's many years of aging on the sea coast.
The two new editions of Bruichladdich - like other editions of whiskeys from the distillery - were bottled without the use of colored caramel and without cold filtering. They were matured exclusively on the island of Islay, and only local spring water was used to dilute them before bottling. Any moment now, they will be available in specialty aging liquor stores. Their prices have been set at £150 and £1,500 respectively.
In addition to its classic peatless whiskey, the Bruichladdich distillery also produces the strongly peaty and smoky Port Charlotte and the record-holder for peatiness, Octomore. Both versions appeared in the Bruichladdich range after its acquisition by Murray McDavid and the reactivation of the plant in 2001. Port Charlotte was produced from this new beginning of the plant, while the first Octomore firing took place a year later, in 2002. These whiskies debuted on the market in 2006 and 2008, respectively.
The current offerings of the House of Whisky Online include extremely wide selection of whiskies from Bruichladdich distillery, including today's rare editions dating from before the distillery's closure in 1995, and those from independent bottling. We invite you to visit.
[07.02.2024 / photo: Bruichladdich]