Bruichladdich Octomore 8.1

Built in 1881, Bruichladdich passed from owner to owner over the next 80 years, eventually closing their on-site maltings in the early 1960s. Demand for this distinctly fruity Islay malt was so great during the 1970s that additional stills were added to allow for an increase in capacity. Whyte and Mackay acquired Bruichladdich in 1993, but shut down production in the mid-1990s, with Murray McDavid taking over operations in the year 2000. The 15 years thereafter saw a golden era for the distillery as many superb older whiskies were assessed by the new owners and bottled as superb limited edition single casks. The core range was reimagined and two new labels were added that allowed for more heavily peated expressions - Octomore and Port Charlotte.

Bruichladdich run two wash stills and two spirit stills, producing around 1.5 millions litres a year and a number of local Lochs provide the water required for the mash, cooling and bottling. Notably, Bruichladdich maintain and use an array of vintage equipment, including a large wooden mash tun and an adjustment Lomond still, which is used in the production of the distillery's Botanist gin.