Too many Bruichladdich editions?

Mark Reynier of Bruichladdich took some time to expand on and respond to the issues I raised in the recent story "The Laddie" - specifically the discussion of whether or not there are simply too many Bruichladdichs in the market.

As always, Mark is blunt and to the point.

Read on...

The point about editions is interesting. The critique of our bottling policy shows a woeful misunderstanding of what Bruichladdich is really about: is Bruichladdich, like other Islay malts, found in every corner shop, bar and club in every country around the world? Does Bruichladdich sell 160,000 cases? Does Bruichladdich have a marketing budget of £20m? Or are our bottlings only aimed at collectors? Are all bottlings available at the same time, in the same country? The answer is a definite no; this is simply not the case.

Sure we are pioneering - how many distilleries do you know that were closed down, resurrected and relaunched successfully? – and have chosen a path that does not conform to the Industry norm much to the annoyance of some, I know. But there are several practical factors that lead us to our Editions Policy, such as company ethos, distillery closure, stock profile, and innovation.

Our ethos includes a self-imposed discipline where we never chill-filter or colour our whisky. We perform small scale bottlings (by industry standards) preferring the flavours and textures present in this natural state which we have been doing with Murray Mc David since 1996. We are therefore unable to replicate exactly from one bottling to the next even if we wanted to, as other companies do with colour standardization. Colour for us is obtained from the wood alone – not caramel.

Stocks of Bruichladdich dating back to 1964 purchased on December 19, 2001 are spread erratically throughout that 40 year period, with certain barrel types predominant in some years and absent in others. Vintage characteristics vary from harvest to harvest. And remember, Bruichladdich was closed down from 1994 to 2001 (except 1998). Continuity is therefore something we can rarely provide - even if we wanted to - and it is definitely not since we abhor standardization, homogenization, colouring and chill-filtering.

Instead, we have pioneered "cuvees" or bottling styles of which there are 4 categories: Mood Malts, Multi Vintage, Vintage, and Specials. We maintain these by innovation - and a great deal of skill - hence our Edition program. For example the Fifteen from the Mood Malt range - the mellow yellow Bruichladdich for that laid back, relaxing afternoon dram: the 1st Edition (and remember, since 2001 it is referred to on the back label and elsewhere as the 1st Edition, so no surprises there) had sherry casks included to add the sweetness and richness that we were looking for. Four years later there were not enough sherry casks available to us in that specific age profile. To obtain the same cuvee characteristics we required an alternative source of richness, hence the experimentation with top quality Sauternes casks that happen to come from Chateau d’Yquem. The result is the Mellow Yellow continuation of the ‘contemplative cuvee’ that we want. But with a different nuance obtained from Semillon grapes as opposed to Palamino grapes of sherry casks. That’s why it is the Fifteen 2nd Edition – because it is and had to be. Personally, I find it interesting to compare and contrast the 1st and 2nd editions.

Innovations, such as ACEing (Additional Cask Evolution) or the "Multi-Vintages" like Rocks, 3D, and Infinity, allow us to select casks for bottling from across the spectrum of our stocks – not just one single year; equally it allows us to introduce younger, more vibrant spirits to older more mature whiskies providing a greater degree of complexity and enjoyment. It gives Jim the chance to design specific flavour profiles from the Laddie stable without being restricted to what is available in any one year. It is not new in the drinks world, the Champagne boys have been doing this for centuries.

If Jim discovers a special run of casks that merit being bottled alone for their extraordinary individuality of flavour and style, as in heavily Olorosso influenced Blacker Still, then a Vintage bottling is made – usually just one a year, and of a specific number of bottles. Consequently there is usually just one in the market place at any one time though theoretically there may be overlap.

The Specials category includes the limited releases of our oldest casks such as in the Legacy series where there has been one a year released since 2001. By definition, these are very small scale bottlings – 600 bottles or so from different years - limited by the stock we have available; I wish we had more. There are also the ‘accidental’ or one-off fun cuvees such as the Yellow Submarine bottling, and the highly successful golf course related Links range. Of course you can collect them if you like – but drinking them would be more fun.

Of the new releases for autumn 2006, four are updated editions of existing bottlings: 12 Second Edition (to replace the sold out 10). 3D-3 (the debut of Octomore, replacing the 2nd). Infinity II (more peaty). And Links 5 (Liverpool). Three are totally new concepts that celebrate our 125th anniversary and our first ever distillation: 125 Anniversary (2500 bottles of an extraordinary ACE’d 1970 Vintage) and PC5 (6000 bottles of 1st bottling of Port Charlotte) as well as Blacker Still (2500 bottles very heavily sherried – that’s all there was). Are we not allowed to recognize these landmarks? There is also an exciting new concept reserved specifically for the US market…

We are a small, private company and as such our business model and company ethos is somewhat different to the rest of the industry - which I accept can be disconcerting for some and cause jealousy in others. But I see no need to apologise for producing whisky for drinking – all with the Bruichladdich hallmark floral spirit. We go to great lengths to provide exciting and alternative takes on Bruichladdich Single Malt, as anyone who has attended the Academy can see for themselves, and after all no one is compelling the public to buy every single bottling.

Unless you are a collector, why would you buy every single bottling?

We have great fun producing these new and updated bottlings, and if some find keeping up is too demanding now, they had better look out: Since 2001 to date, Bruichladdich uses 4 different types of Barley; 3 peating levels; 3 levels of distillation; 8 different barley origins – per year. All of which are milled, mashed, fermented and distilled in total isolation. And then there are 20 wood origins; 7 cask sizes etc. etc..

In case any one was still unaware, we rather like variety – even it takes a great deal of work, money and effort. So if blandola standardization is your thing, Bruichladdich is most definitely not for you. After all, we have a bottling hall and we ain't afraid to use it.

Comments

[marcus fischer]

Hi Mark !

not a bad reply, but you also have to think about, that it isn`t easy for us "normal" lovers, collectors and not at least drinkers of premium scottish single malt whisky to get every bottle of this fine nectar from bruichladdich.

On the other hand, you have forget to name the extraordinary single cask bottling at the shop :-). This is one of the reasons to visit Bruichladdich once a year.

So, hopefully you keep on movin`

[Redleg]

I think it's great that Bruichladdich has such a nice variety of product. The single malt market seems to be evolving quite rapidly and it's nice to know that companies like Bruichladdich have thought about how they're going to compete. Mark Reynier did a great job expressing the Bruichladdich vision and values and how the products support that. Damn, I think I'll leave work early today and pop down to the store for a bottle of Bruichladdich I haven't tried!

[Douglas Mitchell]

Of this I am certain...after hearing Jim McEwan on Tom Leykis's "Tasting Room" Show this last weekend, I'm on the hunt for as many Laddie's as I can find. Get McEwan out there talking more and give me an easy way to buy these multiple releases...and I'll figure things out just fine!

[Walter Moore]

While spending two days with Jim McEwan I discovered a wonderful Gaelic saying so to those who would Homogenize the World of Wine and Spirits I QUOTE "AWAYANBILEYERHEID" (IE Gaelic for: Go Away and Boil Your Head)

[John Partee]

I also thank Mark Reynier for taking the time to respond so carefully and completely to the question posed of whether or not there are too many bottlings at the Laddy. As Marcus said, it isn't always easy for many of us to get as much information as we might feel we'd like to to fully understand and enjoy our hobby of drinking and/or collecting single malt whiskies.

I was also fortunate enough to have met Jim McEwan at a tasting event in Taichung, Taiwan a few months ago and to have heard him talk about his love for distilling whisky and his thoughts on tasting and evaluating the same. I also think that it's wonderful that the folks at Bruichladdich aren't following the mainstream marketing trends of diluting the spirit and mass producing it for a quick easy turnover. Yes, it's more time consuming and difficult to produce the varieties, and from buying and tasting scores of other brands (also trying to use different woods and techniques), I now know that it is both an art and a gift to be able to get it right as often as the Laddy does. I recall what the old Bruichladdich stuff tastes like; still have several of the old bottles. It's amazing what they have been able to do with it in 5 years time!

The variety intrigues both drinkers and collectors and fetches higher prices per bottle on the market. If you do the math, you find that they actually have some marketing genius of their own. A simple problem of supply and demand. Even if you're willing to shell out the huge amount of cash to buy a limited or special release, you still might find that you can't get your greedy little hands on a bottle at any price, as is the case with the PC-5 and especially, the Blacker Still recently released here in Asia.

In a nutshell, Bruichladdich brings new excitement to the hobby of collecting and tasting single malt whiskies. Keep up the good work folks, and keep the barrels rolling