I've wanted to start a new series on my blog for a while now, but couldn't decide what the topic should be. Then it hit me right in the face...whisky! It's even in my blog title! We have enough bottles in our collection to keep this series going for a few years...so I hope you like your whisky! Now, I'm no whisky connoisseur and in whisky years, despite being Scottish, I'm relatively new to the club. Of course, I'd had a wee dram or two over the years, but it wasn't until I went to my first distillery tour at Dalwhinne three years ago that it really got into my bones. O and I have a good few more distilleries under our belts now and have managed to accumulate quite the whisky collection. But I don't claim in anyway to be an expert, so this series is just based on my views and opinions. I may also do a gin version of this, just for the heck of it. So let's get started...
The Distillery
Bruichladdich is my all time favourite distillery. Bold statement, I know. They make my favourite whiskies, they're located on my favourite Scottish island (Islay) and I may even have thought about holding our wedding there! So it wasn't difficult deciding which distillery/whisky should come first in this series. Bruichladdich was first built in 1881 by the Harvey brothers. Since then it has changed owners a few times until it eventually closed in 1994. In 2000 it was bought by some private investors and it was in 2012 that it was eventually bought over by Rémy Cointreau, where it underwent some serious re-branding.
Unlike most Islay whiskies, Bruichladdich produce unpeated whiskies, as well as the peated variety which this island is so famous for. I love the re-branding of this distillery. The colours and images are just so bright and modern, which is quite unique in the whisky world. The distillery itself is the friendliest I've ever visited and the staff are the jewels in the crown. Go see Mary in the shop, who will quite happily let you try a few drams of what they have on offer.
I was lucky enough to visit on my birthday last year and was given a private tasting tour in one of the warehouses by the lovely Kate. When they discovered it was my birthday, they gave me some whisky cake, some fudge and a few other freebies. I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty tipsy by the end of the tour! We loved it so much, we went back again a few days later. We even got to bottle our own!
The Whisky
The first Bruichladdich whisky I tasted was The Laddie Ten and this will always hold a special place in my heart. The Laddie Ten is a real landmark, as it was the first 10 year old whisky to be distilled, aged and bottled by the new owners. It also launched the new branding. It's an unpeated whisky, that doesn't taste as young as it should. It's matured in both bourbon and sherry casks and is surprisingly fresh for an Islay malt. This is a great entry level whisky, so if you're a whisky virgin, this would be a good one to start with as it's pretty smooth compared to others. From a tasting note point of view, (I'm not brilliant at this part!) you definitely get hints of honey and vanilla, along with the saltiness from the sea and some woodiness going on. I'm pretty sure I get a little citrus zing going on too. Unfortunately, I believe this bottling is being phased out. So get your hands on a bottle before it disappears completely. We are almost finished our first bottle, but managed to get hold of another one in a tiny shop in York. So if you have a mooch around, you might find some.
Bruichladdich have many many strings to their bow and I'm only just scratching the surface with the Laddie Ten. They're the type of distillery that likes to experiment with their whisky and I find this so refreshing. They'll not scared to bend the rules a little and it has clearly paid off.
Now, one last thing. If you're ever in my home town of Wishaw, you need to drop in to a local restaurant, Artisan. Derek, the owner and chef, has not only the biggest Bruichladdich collection I've ever seen, but he also cooks with it. Yes, you heard me right! Check out this Octomore burger that I've had the pleasure of sampling. It's seriously out of this world and I'm drooling just looking at it...
Are there any whisky drinkers out there? What are you're favourites?