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Bruichladdich Bere Barley

malty spicy
3.9
(4)€54Scotland, Islay, Single Malt

Flavours

Whisky character

Fresh
Warm
Mild
Full
Smooth
Spicy

Taste mentions

Facts

The barley in this bottle grows on small farms in Orkney, not on Islay. Bere is an ancient strain, one of the oldest grains in Scottish farming. Bruichladdich revived it with help from the Agronomy Institute in Orkney, and now distils it as a single malt. The result tastes noticeably of grain. Warm bread and porridge oats come first, then a bright peppery bite. Orange peel and cut grass follow, with a herbal, slightly medicinal finish. It is a whisky where the field matters more than the cask.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich distillery is located on the Isle of Islay, Scotland, and was founded in 1881. It was closed in 1994, but then re-opened in 2001 under new ownership. The distillery produces a range of single malt whiskies, including heavily peated, unpeated, and triple-distilled varieties. Bruichladdich uses only Scottish barley and sources its water from nearby Loch Indaal. The distillery also produces a gin called The Botanist, which is made with 22 different botanicals, many of which are sourced locally on Islay.

4.1Average rating

96Whiskies on Distilld

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About the Bruichladdich Bere Barley

Bruichladdich Bere Barley is an unpeated single malt Scotch whisky from Islay. The name on the label points to the grain, not to the age or the wood. Bere is an ancient barley strain, one of the most genetically diverse grains still farmed today. It makes up the whole mash bill here. Bruichladdich bottles the whisky at natural colour, without chill filtration, using Islay spring water. Bere barley dates back to the dawn of Scottish agriculture. Since 2005, the distillery has worked with the Agronomy Institute at the University of the Highlands and Islands. Together they have reintroduced the grain to whisky making. The crop grows on small Orkney farms, at places such as Weyland, Muddisdale and Burray. That harvest travels the length of Scotland before it reaches the mash tun. Few distilleries take on a supply chain this awkward. Cereal leads the aroma. Warm bread, raw barley and a trace of yeast come first, then vanilla and sweet corn. A light floral note sits above all of it. The palate turns sharper, with black pepper and spice up front. Orange and fresh fruit follow, cut by a grassy green streak. Vanilla holds the middle steady. Herbal and grassy flavours run through the finish, alongside a faint medicinal edge and lingering pepper. Most single malts are made from modern barley varieties. Bruichladdich Bere Barley goes back to a much older one, and the difference shows. The malty, doughy weight in the glass is not a cask effect. It comes from the field. That is the whole point of the release. Anyone curious about barley variety should try this bottle. It teaches more than a shelf of standard Islay malts.