With National Scotch Day falling in high-summer, the idea of drinking single malts may seem at odds with the balminess of the season, but for Bruichladdich (pronounced Brook-lad-dee), a small, entrepreneurial scotch distillery on the remote Hebridean island of Islay (population 3,200), July is the height of the barley growing season across the island.
Bruichladdich is one of EIGHT single malt whisky distilleries on Islay, which is located off the West Coast of Scotland, and is home to some of the best raw ingredients for making scotch: barley from the local farms, fresh, pure rock-source spring water, thousands of years’ worth of peat bogs (for that distinct smoky flavor) and salty sea air from the Atlantic Ocean that gets absorbed into the casks during maturation.
Bruichladdich Islay Barley showcases the influence of a merciless Atlantic environment on growing barley on Islay, where yields are on average 1/3 lower than on the Scottish mainland.
Developed by Ashley Santoro, Beverage Director at The Standard, East Village, the Bruichladdich Midsummer Sour highlights the saltier taste of the local Islay Barley grain this unpeated spirit is made from.
About the Distillery
The original 19-Century distillery, Bruichladdich was revived in 2001 by two former wine merchants who were committed to the idea of making whisky in a transparent way: concentrating on the raw ingredients, restoring all the original Victorian-age equipment for distilling, and considering the terroir in peated and unpeated whiskies that are entirely distilled, blended and aged on Islay,
Bruichladdich is now renowned for its preservation of traditional hand-distilling methods and a non-stop exploration of barley, peat and cask in its diverse, innovative range of single malts (it also makes The Botanist gin).
Bruichladdich has become the largest private employer on Islay, providing nearly 100 full-time jobs to make scotch this way — by hand, by sight, and by smell (with no chill-filtering or caramel coloring) — for a superior flavor profile.
Made exclusively from local grain, Islay Barley is Bruichladdich’s unpeated introduction to the distillery’s intense focus on ingredients transparency and terroir.
Islay Barley Midsummer Sour recipe
- 1.5 oz. Bruichladdich Islay Barley scotch
- 1 oz. Amontillado Sherry
- .5 oz. Aperol
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Stir all the ingredients in a mixing glass and strain into a rocks glass over a giant cube.
Garnish with an orange peel and enjoy that Midsummer sour taste.
Bruichladdich Islay Barley is available at $64.99 on Caskers and in premium liquor retailers.
For more details on Bruichladdich, visit www.bruichladdich.com and follow along at @bruichladdich.
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