A FARMER’S BREAKFAST WITHOUT THE BACON – Score: 6/10
When Bruichladdich reopened in 2001, its new owners set out to prove that terroir matters in whisky as much as in wine. The Islay Barley series is the clearest expression of that idea: barley grown on the island itself, here from the Claggan, Cruach, Island and Mulindry farms, harvested in 2009, then distilled, matured and bottled at the distillery on the shores of Loch Indaal. Unpeated, un-chill filtered, free of colouring and bottled at 50% ABV, it is a whisky with a manifesto.
Manifestos, however, don’t always make the best company at the dinner table. The glass opens on a fresh hint of mint, quickly joined by citrus – grapefruit above all, sharp and slightly bitter, more pith than juice. Behind it sits the cereal note the whole project is built around: raw, grainy barley, honest and clean, but a little plain.
The palate follows the same script without adding much to it. The grapefruit keeps things lively, the cereal grows stronger, the mint flickers in and out, and the finish is short and rather dry. Everything is in its right place, nothing is wrong – it simply never takes off. A worthy idea and an interesting lesson in Islay terroir, but in the glass a fairly ordinary dram. The barley did its job; the magic stayed on the farm.
