Since its resurrection in 2001, Islay distillery Bruichladdich has prided itself on its engagement with the essential raw ingredient of Scotch whisky, barley. Bruichladdich uses 100% Scottish barley for all its expressions, but the locally grown Islay Barley editions demonstrate a particular commitment to provenance, traceability and the exploration of terroir.

Nineteen farming partners now grow for the distillery, with around 50 per cent of the distillery’s annual production requirements met by those island farms. The distillery has developed a signature maritime, citrus, and barley-forward style, and is unafraid to showcase the ever-changing nature of its distillate, regularly bringing out new and varying editions in long-running exploratory series.

The newest vintage of unpeated Bruichladdich Islay Barley features the harvest from the 2012 growing season, which was distilled in 2013. The crop was raised across seven island farms, with the resulting spirit matured in a combination of ex-American and ex-European oak casks for eight years. Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2013 was then bottled un-chill-filtered and colouring-free.

The new expression is now available around the world and from the Bruichladdich online shop (UK RRP £60).

Find Islay Barley expressions previously tasted by the Whisky Magazine team here.