Bruichladdich The Organic 2011 Archive
11 ISLAY AGED YEARS
The suite of casks selected for each batch of The Classic Laddie has been filled with spirit we have distilled from 100% Scottish-grown barley. We could never deny that there is a romantic element in our determination to source our core ingredient from Scotland, after all, there is no requirement to make it so. But this is not simply sentiment, thee unique combination of an ideal climate, high latitude and the soil types found in Scotland makes the Scottish barley crop perfect for creating the optimum flavour profile during distillation.
ISLAY BARLEY 2013
Coull, Rockside, Island, Mulindry, Cruach, Dunlossit and Sunderland Farms
For almost two decades now, we have shown the permanence of our commitment to barley provenance. Aided by the determination of our farming partners, this Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2013 is our eighth edition of unpeated, locally grown single malt.
This 2013 edition was distilled from the 2012 harvest, raised across seven island farms by Hunter Jackson at Cruach, Andrew and Donald Jones at Coull, Mark French at Rockside, Ian McKerrell at Island, Alistair Torrance at Mulindry, Raymond Fletcher at Dunlossit and Raymond Stewart at Sunderland.
Matured in a selection of first fill American oak casks (75%), and Ribera del Duero, Syrah and Pauillac wine casks (25%), the resulting malt has honeyed porridge and lemon meringue pie notes.
| PRODUCT: | THE CLASSIC LADDIE | |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol (% by volume) | 50% | |
| Nutritional Values: | Per 10g alcohol (25,3 ml): | Per 25 ml serving:/td> |
| Alcohol (g) | ||
| Calories (Kcal) | ||
| Fat (g) | ||
| - of which Saturates (g) | ||
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| - of which Sugar (g) | ||
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Despite the small number of raw ingredients in Scotch whisky, only a handful of producers will share their origins. Being transparent about what’s in your glass is still a surprisingly radical approach, but you have the right to know what’s in your bottle. We argue that flavour is derived from the whisky making process and ALL of the ingredients. The age of the spirit and the type of casks used are not the only signifiers of quality. A whisky like this should be considered in its entirety.
ISLAY BARLEY 2013
Our whisky starts with barley. As the essential raw ingredient in single malt Scotch, we have stepped outside of conventional whisky systems to trace flavour from farm to glass. In our locally grown Islay Barley editions, each bottle is a liquid embodiment of the commitment both our distillers and our local farming partners make to provenance.
Closely following our distillery’s resurrection, we approached local farmer Raymond Stewart in 2004, to ask if he would take on the challenge of growing malting barley locally. Despite there being a centuries-long tradition of distilling on the island, there had been a distinct disconnect between distilling and farming from the late 19th century. Raymond would be the first of many farmers to produce barley that would be traced parcel by parcel, from field to maltings and through to distillation.
Nearly two decades on, our Islay Barley mission continues to be a success. Nineteen farming partners now grow over 50% of our annual production requirements, all within a 10 mile radius of the distillery. Not only does the project support a diversified income for the agricultural community on Islay, allowing the benefits of a booming single malt industry to be shared, it allows us to explore Islay’s unique terroir – that is, the contribution of flavour from the soil, climate and the grower, to the final single malt in the glass. While each expression from the individual growing season is subtly nuanced, a signature maritime-citrus, barley forward style has developed in these exoteric single malts.
Our newest vintage of unpeated Bruichladdich Islay Barley features the harvest from the 2012 growing season, later distilled in 2013. The crop was raised across seven island farms, with the resulting spirit having matured in a combination of ex-American and ex-European oak casks for eight aged years.
“HERE IS SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT HOW THE ISLAY GROWN BARLEY HOLDS THE SMOKE BACK FOR A MOMENT UNTIL RELEASING IT DRAMATICALLY ON THE FINISH”
BRUICHLADDICH
Our Bruichladdich whisky range is unpeated, floral and complex. Trickle distilled from 100% Scottish barley using much of the original Victorian machinery, the methods employed by our craftsmen have continued unchanged. This is natural whisky, non-chill filtered and colouring free.
