New Bruichladdich Distillery is very innovative and famous for ACE - additional cask evolution. Best quality French and Italian wine casks are used. Exclusively Scottish barley and Islay barley are mashed as well as organic malted barley from the Black Isle. Next to the famous tall neck Victorian pot stills there is „Ugly Betty“ a Lomond still not only to distil gin (since 2010).

Mark Reynier, former Managing Director: „Bruichladdich was the first to be bought out of industry ownership and reopened as a private, operating, single malt distillery. It cost £6.5m in December 2000...The investors were people I already knew through my wine business, were recommended, or were solicited from Islay. This meant a larger group of shareholders than usual for such a private venture. But it meant the company would not be beholden to any one person or interest; and

any single shareholder could sell up without endangering the rest of the project. With specific articles of association, no one could sell their shares to a third party before offering them to existing shareholders, securing the ‘back door’ from unwanted attention.“ (July, 2012)

Two thirds of the barley are from Scottish contracting farms in Morrayshire and from the Black Isle. The malt is supplied by Bairds Maltings of Inverness. Port Charlotte malt 40 ppm, Octomore up to 169 ppm and less, the Classic is very low peated 3-4 ppm.

The unique ,trickle‘ and ,simmer‘ distillation makes for a delicate new make. The foreshot run time is 50 minutes, the middle cut run time about 3 hrs and the feints run time is 6 to 7 hrs. The new make has got around 70-71% A.B.V. when double distilled. The quadruple distillation reaches 92% A.B.V. There is also a tripple distillation called Trestarik. The spirit yield varies from 403 to 407 litres of alcohol per tonne of malt.

In January 2012 the bio-dynamic barley production worked well: „We are happy with the Bio dynamic malt as it is yielding higher than expected we are getting 410 litres per ton. Which is extremely good considering we are using machinery that is over 100 years old and the bio-dynamic barley was grown using accident farming methods excluding any fertilisers or chemical pesticides,“ says  Distillery Manager Allan Logan (February, 2012)

There is also a four time destillation new make which is called X4. Dunnage and racked warehouses are on site. Many expressions, classic and new fashion, other names are Port Charlotte, Lochindaal and Octomore. Almost 100% goes into malt bottling, genuine Islay spring water from Dotty‘s Well,  Octomore Farm is used for watering down the whisky, no demineralized water is applied. All new bottlings are 100% natural, non-chillfilterd and non-coloured. They are bottled at 46% or cask strength in their own bottling hall on site.

Bruichladdich Distillery started a green energy policy in 2010. A anaerobic digester and generator were installed in October, 2010 to produce sufficient electricity to meet the power requirement at Bruichladdich. Today Bruichladdich Distillery is one of the biggest employer on the island.

Character: the Classic shows light pears, light fruitiness and citrus, some sweetness...but many expressions make the description not easy. From strong Sherry notes to the most peated whisky in the world Octomore (more than 150 ppm).

Warm-hearted welcome to fill your Valinch - your own cask bottling at the visitor centre. Nice tours including the only bottling hall on Islay. Beautiful tartan scarfs and caps.

Excellent master classes. The Whisky Academy is closed.

Latest news, 23rd July, 2012:  „Rémy Cointreau UK Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rémy Cointreau Group has agreed to acquire Bruichladdich Distillery Company Limited (“Bruichladdich”), the Islay single malt Scotch whisky distiller...Total transaction value amounts to £58m, comprising of £48m for the acquisition of the entire share capital of Bruichladdich and estimated debt of £10m that Rémy Cointreau will assume.“

It was the highest price ever paid for a single Scottish malt whisky distillery.

Allan Logan: “We have been careful not to subject this old lady to too much stress. She works rather slowly and we are determined not to change that – so we have politely asked her to work longer hours. So far she has responded very well and we are now running (jogging?) continuously round the clock five and a half days a week. We all need a wee break at the weekend.”

In 2013 the production will be increased to 1,5 million litres of pure alcohol. There are 12 mashes a week.“We keep up tradition, we don‘t want to change,“ says Allan Logan in April 2013.

All barley comes from Scotland, 40% is from Islay.

Distillery Manager: Allan Logan (2011), Duncan MacGillivray,  General Manager (retired in 2014)

There is a visitor centre.

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