Bruichladdich’s moniker of being “Progressive Hebridean Distillers” seems more and more like a mission statement than a marketing ploy. On top of their three named/branded house styles (Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte, and Octomore) there are numerous series and projects that are exploring how their whisky is made and challenging the norm: their recent rye whisky release being the first official one to come from Islay, for example.
One of the longer standing series since their 00s reincarnation is the Barley Exploration series. The Organic explores the impact of certified-organically grown barley; Bere Barley explores the oldest known strain of barley in the UK; Scottish Barley explores grains that have been 100% grown in Scotland; and the Islay Barley drills down further and uses barley purely grown on the island.
The 2022 releases of the Barley Exploration series includes this 2013 Islay Barley edition. This is the eighth edition of the Islay Barley releases and despite not carrying an age statement, per se, this is an 8 year old unpeated single malt, which has been matured in a combination of 75% first fill American oak casks, and 25% second fill French oak casks having previously contained Ribera del Duero, Syrah, and Pauillac wines.
Not only does the bottle give that level of detail in the recipe, but they also list the seven farms on Islay and their farmers that the barley harvest came from: 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.
Ultimately this is captured at their new standard of 50% ABV in the Stockholm style bottle branded with a map showing the locations of the farms on Islay. This was also one of the last products to be released by the Ileachs with a presentation tin, as they aim to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging.
Bottles of the Islay Barley 2013 are still available at the time of writing with an RRP of £70 GBP (hiked after the alcohol tax increase in the UK effective 1st August) though you can still find it for cheaper in numerous places atm.
Nose
It is a classic Bruichladdich nose, for sure. Their signature barley malt nose and coastal scent, are front and centre coupled with a little citrus and barley sugar sweetness. It’s got a little floral flavour to it too with little apple and pear fruity flavours popping off throughout.
Taste
It’s more of the same on the tongue, as those barley sugars arrive upfront along with some salted caramel and a delicious light fruity sweetness courtesy of apple and peach flavours. A couple of sips in and the fruity flavours start to remind me more of apricot or mango too. A late oaky spice starts to build up with white pepper and nutmeg.
Finish
A decent white oaky spice and boozy finish close the show with a touch of citrus and a good tingle of the tastebuds.
Verdict
I love it. I’ve drank over half the bottle now and have never been awash with tasting notes but it’s just the good ones in there, balanced and delivered really well.
For a series of malts that says it’s about exploring their raw material – i.e. the barley itself – this is a very barley-led whisky. It is relying on the original source and spirit made without the need for heavily promoting various cask finishes or gimmicks [ed: I am well aware, of course, that the Islay Barley itself is the gimmick/hook for this whisky!].
On that note, despite being “Islay” branded there is still no discernible peat element either. Moreover, this is an exploration of that clean spirit and some of the coastal influence that you regularly get from Bruichladdich.
Over the last few years it seems like Bruichladdich releases have set a new standard of being bottled at 50% ABV, and this is no exception, with the alcohol content providing a good bit of zip to the tasting experience and it complements the oak spice well.
As ever, the packaging from Bruichladdich is gorgeous too. This might be one of the last bottles with a presentation tin but the tin itself is covered in extra info that couldn’t possibly fit onto the bottle. In recent years, buying directly from Bruichladdich have you the option of receiving the bottle with it without the tin, but the recent redesign of the Classic Laddie and mission to reduce CO2 omissions has signed that off forever now. See the recent post from Bruichladdich here – along with the hint that their 20+ year usage of the Stockholm bottle will be going too.
This is all very glowing, and for full transparency, I’m probably very biased as it is very reminiscent of my favourite/gateway malt the Laddie Ten. Even more so because it was distilled in 2013 – the year that I first visited Bruichladdich and Islay itself. Happy times indeed, and what a way to try and relive those moments. I’d be keen to try its Port Charlotte counterpart too in the PC Islay Barley 2013!
Speaking of trying things side-by-side, I have had a drop of this Islay Barley 2013 alongside Bruichladdich’s flagship Classic Laddie. When tasting them next to one another, you can appreciate the slightly deeper flavour and oak influence in the Islay Barley. Despite still having the signature barley-led spirit base, the Islay Barley has a noticeably warmer and softer body with more discernible fruity and oaky influences. Both delicious, but delivering something different, and I’d say worth the extra bit of asking price to taste that warmer difference and (if you’re like me) buy into that Islay based provenance and story.
Ultimately, a very pleasing malt which builds on the signature Bruichladdich style with extra provenance and Islay-focus to boot.
M
Sample disclosure: I bought this bottle myself and, despite being from one of my favourite distilleries, all notes are intended as an honest, fair, and independent review of the whisky itself and not as a promotion. Please drink responsibly. Please drink wisely.
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