Bruichladdich 2013 Islay Barley Review
In-Depth Review
Bruichladdich distillery is one of the most fascinating stories on Islay. The posterchild for boom-and-bust cycles, Bruichladdich has enjoyed the highest highs and the lowest lows over the last few decades. From its sudden closure in 1994, to its reorganization and reopening under the watchful gaze of Jim McEwan in 2001, to its current ownership under Rémy Cointreau, Bruichladdich has felt like Scotland’s dark horse for years. Former Master Distiller Jim McEwan took it to stratospheric heights, establishing its Octomore series as quintessential Islay (with its super heavily peated character) and injected a heavy dose of mystery through his Black Art expressions (whose components continue to remain a mystery to everyone but the Master Distiller).
Today, the distillery seems to embrace a little bit of rock n roll attitude in everything they do. From experimenting with their Biodynamic Project, to the love of Islay terroir, Bruichladdich seems to be satisfied with never marching to anyone else’s drum. The team at Bruichladdich effortlessly move between styles, dipping into heavy sherry, dynamic wine casks, clean and beautiful bourbon casks, all while creating a beautifully diverse core range of whiskies. If there’s a core belief that holds Bruichladdich together, it’s to never do the predictable thing.
For today’s review, we are going to dive into the 2013 iteration of their Islay Barley expression (bottled in 2022) which takes barley grown exclusively on Islay and uses it to create an unpeated love letter to the island itself. Bottled with natural color and at 50% ABV, Islay Barley has been released regularly since 2013 and has become one of their most approachable limited releases. Boasting a relatively young 8 year age statement and an MSRP of around $75, is it worth picking up a piece of Islay history? Let’s dive in and find out.
Age: 8 Years Old
ABV: 50%
Cask: 75% first fill American oak, and 25% second fill French oak (wine casks)
MSRP: $75
Distillery Name: Bruichladdich Distillery
Review Date: 2/25/25
Color: Light Straw
Nose: The nose starts off with heavy cream, lemon zest, roasted seaweed, with a light maritime quality. Overall, not as robust as I was expecting, with a lighter character that evolves into delicate fruit, warm peaches, and malty funk that borders on sourdough starter. Gentle and inviting but can disappear quickly.
Palate: The palate bursts with sweet, ripe, crisp apples, warm honey butter, sea breeze, vanillas, and a light touch of oak. A few sips in and the yeasty malt builds into more of a fresh baked lemon pie. This is unmistakably a young whisky, but one that has had all its bright, brash, unrefined elements stripped out of it. This leaves an even keeled, easy drinking young malt with a creamy mouthfeel and a well-contained heat.
Finish: Short to medium length finish with of more baked bread, cardamon, and white pepper. It’s sweet and spicy, with the crisp fruits and lemon pie replaced with more oak and green grass.
Final Thoughts: Every time I pour a glass of Bruichladdich whisky, I expect something remarkable… but I’m not sure the 2013 edition of Islay Barley lives up to the expectation. Sure, it’s a clean, young unpeated malt, with lots of classic character, but to me its missing the unmistakable special Bruichladdich quality. Perhaps it was the youngness of the malt, the overly bready or yeasty character, or its singular focus on the barley itself that caused me pause. Or maybe this is more of a reflection on just how much I have come to expect from Bruichladdich (their Black Art 11.1 was truly one of the best whiskies I’ve ever had the chance to taste after all). But despite my personal reservation, this 2013 iteration of Islay Barley a well-made whisky that feels like Bruichladdich’s latest love letter to its island home. For me, it just might be better as a pour at a bar than a required bottle on the shelf.
