For many whisky enthusiasts, visiting Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay is akin to a pilgrimage. Bruichladdich distillery continues to utilise Victorian-era equipment and produces phenomenal whisky suitable for every palate, from the unpeated Bruichladdich to the heavily peated Port Charlotte and the super-heavily peated Octomore.
Situated on the southern coast of Islay, Bruichladdich stands out for its commitment to terroir, transparency, and Islay-focussed processes - Bruichladdich is one of few Islay distilleries to mature and bottle all their whisky on the island and they only use 100% Scottish-grown barley. Whether you partake in a detailed distillery tour or a relaxed tasting session, you will leave with a deeper appreciation for the craft of whisky-making and the innovative spirit that defines Bruichladdich.
Bruichladdich Tanker - Progressive Hebridean Distillers
How to Pronounce Bruichladdich
How to pronounce Bruichladdich (Brook-laddy) courtesy of Brian Cox
Bruichladdich Whisky
Bruichladdich put out a huge number of whiskies every year, including two Valinch (single cask releases) every month which are only available from the distillery. All Bruichladdich whiskies are non chill-filtered and do not contain colour enhancers (E150a).
Bruichladdich (Unpeated)
While the other two flagship brands are known for their peat, the Bruichladdich label itself is unpeated. There is a wide range of complex flavour profiles under the Bruichladdich label, including my favourite, Bruichladdich Black Art – a series of very impressive whiskies made from the finest casks Bruichladdich has to offer. Bruichladdich Laddie 8 (duty free exclusive, be sure to grab this next time you're at the airport!!) and Classic Laddie are all superb, easy-drinking, well-balanced whiskies. The Islay Barley range is equally tasty, using grain sourced entirely from Islay.
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Made exclusively with barley grown on Islay. Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2013 is matured in 75% first-fill Bourbon barrels and 25% wine casks, giving a fruity, unpeated whisky with rich vanilla and oak spice. The Islay Barley 2014 is in the new bottle, matured 80% first-fill bourbon casks, 5% second-fill sherry butts and 15% second-fill wine casks with "notes of peach, popcorn and porridge on the palate".
Port Charlotte (Heavily Peated)
Named after the town of Port Charlotte, two miles south of Bruichladdich, in honour of the now-defunct Lochindaal Distillery. The Lochindaal Distillery ruins are still visible as you enter Port Charlotte (the vacant lot on the right just after you come over the wee bridge). Established in 1829, the Lochindaal Distillery was known for its heavily-peated spirit, and production ran for 100 years until its closure in 1929. Sadly, only a few crumbling walls and the warehouses remain, though these are put to good use storing Port Charlotte (PC) whisky. At 44ppm, Port Charlotte deserves its Heavily Peated title and is a worthy tribute to a lovely town and an old distillery. Port Charlotte whisky retails at a considerably lower price point than sister-whisky Octomore, and as such, is a great value alternative.
While not as heavily peated as sister spirit Octomore, Port Charlotte is still a full on peaty smack around the ears, but without the heavy price tag. The PC 10 Year Old is like a warm peaty hug, and one of our favourite drams.
Octomore (Super Heavily Peated)
If you’re not sure whether you like peat or not, definitely don’t start here! To be classed as Octomore, the barley's peat concentration has to be over 80ppm, which leaves most ‘heavily peated’ whiskies in the dust. That said, Octomore is one of the few whiskies my dad will drink (peated or otherwise) and it has a cult following among Bruichladdich Distillery fans.
My personal favourite is the limited edition Octomore OBA: C_0.1. Octomore OBA was a 2016 Feis Ile Masterclass special – Octomore Black Art – it was never intended for release, however, at the insistence of Bruichladdich fans, head distiller Adam Hannett bowed to pressure and released this masterpiece for general (though limited) consumption.
The key to the different numbering you'll see on the bottles:
- x.1 = distilled from 100% Scottish barley, generally matured only in ex-American oak, in varying ratios of different ex-bourbon and ex-Tennessee whiskey casks
- x.2= distilled from 100% Scottish barley and matured in European oak e.g. ex-Amarone, ex-Sauternes, ex-Austrian sweet wines. You'll rarely see x.2 for sale anywhere other than at the airport though, as it's a duty free exclusive release.
- x.3 = distilled from 100% Islay grown barley. Single estate, single vintage bottlings from barley grown on Octomore Farm by James Brown (who also provides the water for the Distillery). Generally x.3 Octomore is matured in ex-American and ex-European oak (a varied mix that changes with each edition).
- x.4 = partially matured in virgin oak (and usually also American oak), producing a tannic, spicey, brutish whisky. Occasionally a totally random Octomore will be released in place of a x.4, such as with the Octomore 9 series, when a 10 year old Octomore was released instead. Most Octomore is released at around 5 years to maximise the heavy peat influence.
Where is Bruichladdich Distillery
Bruichladdich Distillery is located in the town of Bruichladdich, on the beautiful Isle of Islay (55.7659360, -6.3619070).
Bruichladdich is one of the more accessible distilleries on the island, as the local bus stops right out the front. Note: the buses do not run on Sundays. The Islay bus itinerary can be found at http://www.travelinescotland.com
Bruichladdich Distillery Tours, Pricing & Bookings
A visit to the Bruichladdich Shop is a must as there are a large number of distillery only releases available, including single cask Valinch, and these are always an excellent buy. From March to October, Bruichladdich are open 7 days from 9:45 am to 5:30 pm, and from November to February, they're open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Tours of the distillery are not available from 1st July to 27th July 2025 due to planned maintenance - tastings are still available, including the Warehouse Experience.
Bruichladdich Distillery Tour and Tasting
An expertly guided tour of the distillery, learning about the history of Bruichladdich and how they make the different styles of whisky (unpeated Bruichladdich, heavily peated Port Charlotte, and the super-heavily peated Octomore) and The Botanist Gin (in the lovely Ugly Betty Still). Having a look in in the open-topped mash tun (she's a beauty) and enjoy a tasting (or two) in the shop afterwards. Approximately 90 minutes duration, £25 per person. Children welcome (and free) if accompanied by a paying adult. Online advanced bookings are highly recommended as there are limited places and the tour is once a day at 10:00 am. The tour is not available from 1st July to 27th July 2025 due to planned maintenance. Children of all ages are welcome (free) on this tour, though their attendance must be booked at the same time as the adult booking.
Warehouse Experience (Tasting Only)
Sample 3 unique expressions straight from the cask, each hand selected by Bruichladdich's head distiller Adam Hannett. Sample bottles and a complimentary glass to take home are included. Doesn't include a distillery tour - approximately 90 minutes duration, £50 per person. Online advanced bookings are essential as there are limited places and the tour is once a day at 11:30 am. This is an adults only experience (aged 18 years and over).
Bruichladdich Experience (Tour and Tasting)
The ultimate Bruichladdich experience, a guided tour of the distillery before moving on to Warehouse 6 for an exclusive cask tasting session, where you’ll sample three of Bruichladdich's finest whiskies, straight from the barrel. The Bruichladdich Experience Tour and Tasting is £75 per person and lasts approximately 2.5 hours. Online advanced bookings are essential as there are limited places and the tour is once a day at 1:30pm. This is an adults only experience (aged 18 years and over). The tour is not available from 1st July to 27th July 2025 due to planned maintenance.
If you miss out on booking a tour, or would like a sneak peak, check out this fantastic Minecraft Tour of Bruichladdich Distillery, built by the very talented David Hope Jr.
Accommodation Near Bruichladdich Distillery
For Bruichladdich accommodation recommendations, see our guide to Islay Accommodation: The Best Hotels, B&Bs and Holiday Cottages.
Bruichladdich Distillery Images
Click on the gallery images below to open at full size.













Bruichladdich Distillery History
Bruichladdich Distillery was built in 1881 by the Harvey Brothers, William, Robert and John. The Harvey family had been in the distilling business for a century and owned two distilleries already. Robert Harvey designed Bruichladdich (built on a slope) so that gravity would do much of the work moving the various stages of producing spirit. "The brewing tanks sat above a downward run of mash tuns, cooker, refrigerator and tun room. This kept pumping – then powered by steam – to a minimum. William’s son Rudd claimed that his uncle Robert also invented a double-ended key device for preventing a vacuum forming in the system, which went on to become widely used in other Scottish stills." [Source: Spirit of Place]
Internal conflicts between relations, coupled with tough external forces (World War One and fixed pricing), meant Bruichladdich was on unstable ground from its inception. The Harvey family sold Bruichladdich in 1936, and while refurbishment works were completed in 1938, the outbreak of WW2 meant the cessation of distilling from 1940 to 1945. The distillery was sold several times in the Post-War years, undergoing another refurbishment in 1971 (replace the spirit still) and 1975 (increase mash room capacity and add a new pair of wash and spirit stills). Bruichladdich limped through the 80s and 90s before being closed in 1994/5.
Bruichladdich’s most recent resurrection was in December 2000 when the distillery was purchased by a group of private investors led by wine merchant Mark Reynier for £6.5m. Jim McEwan became Director of Production and spent five months restoring the Victorian machinery and buildings that had been built by the Harvey brothers. Production resumed again on May 29th, 2001.
A subsequent changing of the guard occurred though in 2012, when investors forced a sell out to Rémy Cointreau for £58 million. In 2015 Jim McEwan retired as Head Distiller, and the very capable Adam Hannett took over.
Aside from malting the barley (done by Bairds on the mainland), Bruichladdich whisky production is 100% Islay, and still very much done ‘how it was’ back in the 1800’s. Whether it’s mashing in their Victorian-era open-top mash tun, the saddle-leather belts that drive the 1913 Boby mill, or their use of Douglas Fir washbacks; from birth to bottle, Bruichladdich whisky is made on Islay. They’ve even been sourcing much of their barley from Islay fields in recent years, with several ‘Islay Barley’ releases available.
One of the few areas where they’ve conceded to modern technology is Bruichladdich’s state of the art bottling lines, an essential item for any distillery trying to keep up with demand.
Bruichladdich is one of few remaining Scottish (and Islay) distilleries to still store all their cask at or near the distillery. The number of warehouses is increasing, with new installations sprouting on a nearby hillside, overlooking Loch Indaal. You need a maritime environment to create a maritime dram.
Production and processing water comes from 3 sources, but the source for bottling (whisky and gin) is a natural spring on nearby Octomore farm, owned by farmer James Brown. James initially hand-pumped the water into barrels/casks before driving it down to Bruichladdich but has since upgraded to a 10,000-litre tanker that fixes to the back of his tractor. The spring water is about as pure as it gets, having filtered down through ancient gneiss rocks, formed some 1.8 billion years ago. Octomore farm also produces some of the Islay barley for Bruichladdich.
The yellow submarine at Bruichladdich Distillery, on the shores of Loch Indaal, during Feis Ile. The Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine appears on the WMD bottlings. The sub is a UK Ministry of Defence PAP - a mine detection and disposal remote operated vessel - that was found bobbing in the waters near the Oa. It was returned to the MOD, but later appeared on eBay, and was purchased by Bruichladdich.
What Other Distilleries Are Nearby
References & Further Reading
In A Passion for Whisky Ian Wisniewski provides an excellent education on the processes involved in making whisky, and details Islay's whisky heritage. Ian profiles of each of Islay's ten open distilleries and their different styles of whisky, and even includes an introduction to three Islay distilleries that are currently under construction (Laggan Bay, Portintruan and Ili). A Passion for Whisky will suit whisky fans and novices alike (as there is a lot of educational content for all levels), and was selected as one of Waterstones Best Books of 2023: Food & Drink and featured in Forbes: Whisky Books That Whisky Lovers Will Actually Read. Available in paperback and Kindle.
Ingvar Ronde's annual guide to all things Scotch whisky, The Malt Whisky Yearbook is your go-to guide for distillery facts and stats. With comprehensive and up-to-date distillery summaries, editorials on the state of world whisky, profiles on global whisky trail blazers (the people having the most impact on the industry), the Malt Whisky Yearbook packs in a lot of facts and figures and is an essential Almanac for whisky fans.
One of Amanda's favourite books. Around 1885, Alfred Barnard was secretary of Harper's Weekly Gazette, a journal dedicated to the wine and spirit trade. In order to provide his readers with the history and descriptions of the whisky-making process, Barnard decided to visit all distilleries in Scotland, England and Ireland. Accompanied by friends, he visited and sketched over 150 distilleries. This is a wonderful step back in time and a must have book for a whisky history geek. Last printed in 2023, copies of Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom are disappearing from retailers, so get yours while you still can.
Whiskies Galore is not your average whisky book. It is not simply a catalogue of distilleries, but a story of discovery and adventure. Join Ian Buxton on a personal journey across Scotland's islands, combining his expert knowledge of whisky with his fondness for anecdote, as he provides a special treat for all who love Scotland's islands and their drams.
Treating Scotland as eight distinct regions (splitting the Highlands into Central, North, East, and West, plus the usual designations of Lowlands, Islay, Speyside and Islands), the Spirit of Place provides insight and imagery for fifty of Scotland’s greatest distilleries. Beautifully photographed by Lara Platman and Allan MacDonald, this is a captivating modern companion to Alfred Barnard’s great Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom.
[…] Thank you Amanda Reed for letting me post this photo: The yellow submarine at Bruichladdich Distillery. Click here to see our Bruichladdich Distillery profile https://wanderingspiritsglobal.com/bruichladdich-distillery/ […]
You are very welcome Rombout!