Refined flavour

The name may seem like a tongue-twister, but its taste will set your tastebuds tingling. By Chris Ng

No, you’re not looking at a new brand of single malt whiskey. Bruichladdich (pronounced brook-lad-dee) has actually been around for a very long time, but was shut down in the 90s after several unsuccessful take-overs. The distillery was then reopened, under new ownership of a group of private investors, with many of the original equipment kept intact. Remy Cointreau now owns the 100% Scottish brand.

There are a few special features that truly set this apart from the rest on the shelf. The first thing you should know is that there are no computers to aid in distilling the whiskey, so you could say that it is handmade. In each and every step of the way, artisans watch over the blend, making sure that it reaches the bottle tasting the way it should.

And then, there is the peat, which is found aplenty around Islay. Not all of Bruichladdich’s whiskeys have peat but those that are peated have an uncomparable rich and powerful flavour, yet smooth all at the same time. The punch that comes after depends on how heavily peated the whisky is.

That’s not all. Brand Ambassador Murray Campbell said, at the recent whiskey-tasting event, that the unique geo-climate characteristics (weather, soil and topography) and the people of the isle of Islay play a part in giving the Bruichladdich whiskey its character.

Three of Bruichladdich were launched during the same event. The Organic Scottish Barley with its outstanding sea-blue bottle is the lightest of the three. Port Charlotte Scottish Barley, peated to 40ppm, is the middleweight drink of the three. And if you’re feeling exceptionally courageous, the Octomore 8.1 is the world’s most heavily peated whiskey at 167ppm.

Bruichladdich is now available at exclusive whisky bars, luxury hotels, fine dining restaurants and premium alcohol retailers. As always, if you have a drink, please don’t drive.