Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 700 ml

Product Information

The result has been a thrilling array of releases that probe questions serious whisky drinkers have pondered for eons. How important are age statements, really? Is there an upper limit to peating? An upper limit to transparency? How much of barley’s flavor comes from where it’s grown? What about ancient barley varieties? And what responsibility does the whisky industry have to support grain growing practices that take the environment into account? How about its responsibility to the community at large? Just to preface, this whisky definitely needs a little water added, maybe enough to bring it down to 46% or so. I'll include notes both with and without below. This dram needs some time in the glass and the fastidious application of water to get the most out of it, but if you find the sweet spot the complexity is really great. The top-dressing casks help tame the youthful base spirit, given time to open up both the sherry casks and red wine casks add discernible layers to the spirit. Score: 6/10 Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. Despite the transparency of cask make up the only the youngest of those ages is legally allowed to be identified according to the SWA regulations. In this case the youngest component makes up roughly 46% of the total number of casks. 2011 making the youngest component about 8 years old, in line with similar distilleries NAS output. Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley – Review

We bottle our Classic Laddie at 50% alcohol by volume as opposed to the average of 40-46%. The flavour of our spirit at 50% ABV is barley forward, meaning you taste more of the Scottish malt we have worked hard to trace. We will not stretch our spirit and compromise on quality for the sake of profit. Straightaway I’m sure most readers would notice benefits here not enjoyed by the majority of working people.It’s an interesting choice, for a distillery borne from transparency, to make this bottle completely opaque. A style choice, of that there’s no doubt, but I would have liked to have seen the whisky, because… I like to see whisky. Bruichladdich uses clear bottles for other variants, like their Bere Barley, Islay Barley and travel special Laddie 8, but not this. Instead we are greeted with solid matte aquamarine glass, bold white printing and silvery foils. It’s really smart and I love the colour - it’s my favourite out of all the colours available in the visible spectrum. The whisky, once poured, is bright, white-wine-light and it’s an indication, or rather a statement of intent, of what this whisky is going to taste like. The presentation, as a whole then, feels fresh, bright and modern. The annual report is lengthy reading and that is largely due to the sheer breadth of the areas in which Bruichladdich is actively aiming to improve. These areas extend from agriculture and biodiversity to making hand sanitiser during the initial covid crisis. On the sustainability front, Bruichladdich was using residual heat from the stills to heat offices, the visitor centre, and the bottling hall. They also switched to 100% green electricity. This is interesting as it relates to choosing a green energy tariff from the electricity supplier – which any of us can choose to do – however the production process still requires non-renewable energy. There is a target to change this by 2025. Bruichladdich have other offerings available, from travel retail specials to the hugely expensive Dark Arts range or Rare Cask bottlings. However the distillery also offers other “brands” within the Bruichladdich umbrella (also available in their shop, FYI) - Port Charlotte is the peated side of the business and features a number of different expressions in the range, from the respected PS10 through to their MC, OLC and PAC acronymed, uniquely casked alternatives. Octomore is their insanely peated range of whisky, currently the most peaty of all peaty whiskies in the world, and has a sliding scale of peat perspiration to choose from. The slogan is ”Explore or Expire”, which should give you enough insight into the Octomore’s position in the whisky experience - have your wits about you.

How has Bruichladdich embraced the change? First certified in May 2020, notable aspects of the business that helped them qualify included commitments to their workers that included:

Awards for Bruichladdich Laddie

With some water added its actually quite enjoyable. The acidity calms down and becomes citrus fruit, pineapple juice and green apple. There's an underlying sweetness and a floral note though I couldn't identify it if I tried. There's just a touch of vanilla as well. Governance: code of ethics; financial information disclosure; whistle-blower policy; mission and engagement