1.
Do you think that your
products are distinctive? If so, what makes them distinctive from other Scotch
and Islay whiskies on the market?
I would suggest that
Bruichladdich is distinctive in a number of different ways. We make a
very wide range of whiskies. These are presented under three different
brand names, unpeated Bruichladdich, heavily peated Port Charlotte, and the
super-heavily peated Octomore. We have a history of celebrating the extremely
diverse range of styles possible within the single malt genre rather than
homogenizing.
We do not make whisky
for blending. Everything we do goes into single malts.
We have developed a
style of presentation which is considered to be quite radical with our aqua coloured
bottles and minimalist, modernist styling. Our aim is to make
the most thought-provoking whiskies possible.
2.
From what I have read,
Jim McEwan (Bruichladdich’s Master Distiller), worked at Bowmore since he was
15! Does Jim remember the first whisky he bottled as a distiller? How did it
turn out?
Jim was apprenticed as
a cooper at Bowmore from the age of 15, steadily developing his skills in all
different areas of the business. This included invaluable experience at
the Roseburn Bonding Co in Glasgow’s Bridgeton as a trainee Blender and his
subsequent promotion to manager of The Tannochside Bonding Co in January
1978, a large blending facility owned by Bowmore. Jim has a great
admiration for Bowmore whiskies.
The first new spirit
Jim distilled was at Bowmore in 1968. His first blend was one that was
designed for South Africa in c1978. It is called Three Ships and the
brand is still available, although Jim does not know whether the style remains
the same.
Jim still has a bottle
of Three Ships in his house – and recalls it as being a good quality
Speyside-style blend of comprising around 75% grain and 25% malts. He
describes it as medium bodied with a fair amount of age to it.
3.
Bruichladdich regards
itself as “progressive hebridean distillers”. Why is there a need to be
“progressive”? What progress are you trying to make?
This is a précis of
our company philosophy…. It has been published before in various forms,
but I cannot really improve on it…
We are proudly
non-conformist. We believe the whisky industry has been stifled by
industrialisation and self-interest – huge organisations have developed that
require a stable status quo to ensure that their industrial processes can run
to maximum efficiency, producing the maximum “product” with the minimum input
and variation, all to the lowest unit price.
We reject this.
We believe that whisky should have character; an authenticity derived from
where it is distilled and the philosophies of those who distil it – a sense of
place, of terroir that speaks of the land, of the raw ingredients from which it
was made.
We believe in
variety. We believe the world needs an antidote to homogeneity and
blandness.
Our raw ingredients
are paramount. We use 100% Scottish barley - we believe it's called
"Scotch" for a reason. We are the major distiller of organic barley
in Scotland and have been instrumental in support for organic farming in the
single malt category. In 2010 we released the first single malt whisky to
be made purely from Islay Barley, probably the first in the island's history.
We believe our spirit
should speak of where it comes from and where it is matured – Bruichladdich is
the only major distiller to distil, mature and bottle all its whisky on Islay.
We passionately
believe in terroir - in authenticity, place and provenance, in ultimate
traceability. We seek to produce the most natural, thought-provoking,
intellectually stimulating & enjoyable spirit possible. Obsessive? Probably
– but if all you want is a whisky, the world is awash with the stuff.
4.
What do you think of
age statements?
We do not reject age
statements, but feel they have made the industry a bit lazy. A 10 year
old must be better than a five, but not as good as a fifteen etc. etc.
This is not necessarily the case. We accept that age is
important – but we don’t’ believe that it is necessarily as important as the
quality of ingredients or the cask or the method of distillation.
Age is just one of the myriad variables that are brought into play when
creating a whisky, and it is not necessarily a reliable indicator of quality.
Leaving whisky in old tired wood will result in old tired whisky.
5.
Bruichladdich make it
clear that 100% of the barley you use is from Scotland. Why is it important to
use barley from Scotland and Islay?
Essentially, we are
fascinated by the qualities and variety imparted by provenance. We start
with the premise that Scotch whisky should be made from Scottish
ingredients. We believe it is called Scotch for a reason.
As a reasonable analogy, we would also suggest that a product
calling itself “Australian wine” ought to be made from grapes grown in
Australia.
There are also good
technical reasons as to why Scottish barley is particularly appropriate for
distilling, relating to the growing season and soil types.
And then we have set
out to explore the variety possible under the Scottish barley umbrella.
We are fascinated by the qualitative differences extant between barley crops
from different places. The analogy with wine is strong here. Wine has
developed a hierarchical classification based on perceived quality that has
developed over centuries. The exploration of terroir in wine can be
extremely complex and challenging to appreciate.
We are not there
yet – we have only been doing this for twelve years and that is nowhere near
long enough but it is a fascinating journey. We are excited by our
demonstrating that different barley varieties produce demonstrably
different new make spirit. And also by the demonstrable fact that the
same barley varieties, planted in different places, also produce subtle
variations. Exactly as you would expect with fine wines.
We are a long way from
being able to quantify these differences, or grade them, but we have literally
set out on a journey of discovery and an absolutely fascinating portfolio is
emerging.
6.
Bruichladdich offers
organic Scotch whisky which is made from organic barley. What exactly is meant
by “organic whisky”? Do you think that organic whisky offers anything different
in terms of aroma, taste and finish?
In the UK, organic
certification is regulated by Government, [sic] The Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and our suppliers and farmers have
to meet the criteria set. As do we.
Does whisky made from
organically grown barley taste different to that distilled from conventionally
grown barley? Yes, but we have never conducted a properly controlled
experiment to test the hypothesis. Our central belief is that barley
varies from place to place, so we would need to grow barley conventionally
alongside an organic crop (on the same farm in exactly similar terroir)
and treat it in the same way. We have never done that, and are unlikely
to do so. It is very easy to demonstrate the difference between our
organic spirit and conventional spirit, but we do not know what causes those differences.
Is it the farm, or the way the grain is grown? Or the climate?
We are also interested
in the ethical/environmental implications of organic farming, and do what we
can to support the principles it enshrines.
7.
How do you select your
oak casks? How do you prepare them before maturing whisky?
All our warehouses sit
on or above the shores of Lochindaal - the sea loch that defines the westerly
Rhinns of Islay. The effect of this Islay-maritime environment on our
suite of casks is very significant. To Bruichladdich, this is fundamental
and non-negotiable. We will not mature our casks of whisky anywhere else.
Combining extensive
wine experience, hands-on barrel coopering, and decades of whisky knowledge, we
have a unique understanding of the complex interaction of wood, air and spirit
- and cwe ontinue to explore it keenly.
We are intrigued by
the effects of oak from America and Europe's greatest forests on the flavour of
Bruichladdich malt; over the years American white oak (Quercus Alba) imparts
lush, vanillin flavours, whereas the influence of French oak (Quercus Robur,
Quercus Petraea) is more subtle and fine.
The finest oak is a
raw material just as important as barley or spring water. We are uncompromising
in our choice of cask; we can work with the best, so we do. The proportion of
ex-American bourbon casks to casks from other sources that we use varies over time,
although we always use a significant majority of bourbon, again from a wide
range of sources. We are privileged to have relationships with some of
Europe’s greatest wine-makers and their estates; from Rioja and Jerez in Spain,
to Bordeaux, the Languedoc, the Loire and Alsace in France, to the Neusiedler
See in Austria we have access to the finest oak casks that have previously
contained the world’s greatest wines. The complexity and subtlety of the effect
these casks have on maturing whisky are fascinating, and for us when our single
malt is put into cask this is the start of a journey of discovery, not a final
resting place.
No two casks of spirit
are the same or mature at the same rate or in the same way. So it is essential
that we are here, on the ground, watching our maturing malt with a hawk’s eye.
Not only is that required for quality, but every now and then the whisky gods
surprise us and give us something rare, capricious and unexpected – the
difference between artisanal craft and commercial production.
The maintenance of
cask quality involves continual monitoring, tasting, and the ruthless rejection
of casks which are not performing as expected. The best indicator of this
is the huge piles of reject casks that build up!
8.
Is there a
flavour profile that you aim to achieve when malting, mashing, fermenting,
distilling and maturing?
Yes, very much so, but
it is impossible to write down. It is very carefully and constantly
monitored by all the stillmen, and by our master distiller Jim McEwan,
distillery manager Allan Logan and his assistant Adam Hannett.
9.
Why did you offer an
unpeated whisky from Islay? Do you think maturing this whisky on Islay allows
it to develop a different character to whiskies that have matured elsewhere in
Scotland?
I
believe that Bruichladdich was designed and built in 1881 by the Harvey
Brothers to produce unpeated spirit. The best evidence for this is
contained within one of the best respected whisky books ever written, Alfred
Barnard’s ‘The Whisky Distilleries of the UK” which specifically describes the malt
drying process of every distillery on Islay. He says that every
distillery uses peat – but does not mention peat at Bruichladdich.
10. Why do you think people choose to buy
Bruichladdich?
Because
they are interested, inspired, curious and like to be challenged.
11. What three words do you want people to
associate with Bruichladdich?
Progressive,
Terroir, Challenging
12. What is a typical day like at Bruichladdich?
Not
long enough. Extremely varied. Interesting.
Stimulating. Challenging. Spectacular. Beautiful.
13. Do you have a favourite whisky?
Black
Art 4
Thank you very much
for your time.
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