Review 278. Bruichladdich 8 yo Islay Barley

As I write this, it seems as if another heatwave is showing its nose on the horizon, not even a full two weeks after we had to endure/got to enjoy (if you’re a lizard)  the first one. At the same time, the World Cup is on. So there’s plenty in the way of distractions to lure me away from focusing on whisky. It’s been mere hours since Belgium defeated the US 4 to 1, after what was probably the most controversial game of the tournament, maybe of the past couple of tournaments even. For all the wrong reasons. And I really don’t want to get into all of that, particularly because this is a whisky blog and football has nothing to do with it. Except for one thing: I woke up this morning at the break of dawn, so I could watch the game delayed (it was on at 2 a.m. here in Belgium. On a Tuesday. Staying up to watch the game live would probably mean I wouldn’t get much done the rest of the week with two kids running around enjoying Summer vacation) and when I switched on my phone, the first thing I noticed was a d.m. from Jerry Miller. For those that don’t know Jerry: he’s a loyal barfly, based in Seattle, and overall a very nice guy. He texted me with the most endearing message about the whole US-Belgium game controversy, which again confirmed to me of what a wonderful community we have going here in our little nook of the whiskyverse. All the bullshit, accusations, cage rattling and name-calling  in the build up to the game immediately washed away by one guy, just being himself: polite, friendly, honest and humble. The world would be a better place if there was more of this to go around.

It’s Miller time!

Bruichladdich 8 yo Islay Barley (2014 – 2023). 50% ABV, ex bourbon and ex wine casks. App. €75-€80/£65-£70

I bought this bottle at the start of 2026, pretty much the first thing I remember doing after coming out of my self-induced food coma post-Christmas and New Year celebrations and festivities.  While I very much adore some releases like the Port Charlotte10 or some of the bere barley releases, I have never been the biggest Bruichladdich fanboy. As such that’s odd as their grainy, slightly funky-farmy profile should be right up my alley. And it’s also quite hard to argue about their policies and ethics as they really are a distillery catering to the enthusiasts markets – always bottling at decent ABV, natural colour, non-chill filtering,  while also helping to build a sustainable future for farmers on Islay. Everything is there to embrace and love, but so far, and apart from the expressions mentioned above, the ‘click’ never truly happened. I don’t really have an explanation for it, but it is what it is. So, does today’s whisky change all that?

Nose

Grainy, funky/musky.  A bit of a lactic vibe here as well. Unripe white fruit (dragonfruit, melon), some subdued citrus notes. I’m even picking up a whiff of washing powder (and yes my glass was properly cleaned and rinsed before pouring the whisky) but it’s not a bad note by any means. Not even weird, more like unusual and a bit unexpected, but somehow it works quite well. Somewhat youthful, but also layered, subtle and complex.

Palate

 Quite mineralic on the arrival – a whiff of chalk, seaspray, flint… a fair dose of salinity and again that funky/musky farm like vibe from grain and straw/wet grass. A vanilla note adds a bit of cream and sweetness to things. Apart from the citrus, I’m not getting much in the way of fruit notes here. On the mouthfeel it’s medium ful and slightly dry, and it has to be said: this suits the flavour profile well.

Finish

Dry, a bit of salinity, not long or outspoke, but gently lingering.

Final thoughts

I’m roughly halfway through this bottle now – over a period of 6 odd months. It’s a slow burner, in that it gets better with time. Initially it was quite closed and straightforward on grain and citrus notes and it really didn’t force my hand to change my opinion on Bruichladdich. BUT! I’m enjoying this more and more as I go through the bottle and now I feel it’s close to hitting the sweet spot as it’s been developing and progressing into something really nice – good balance between spirit and cask, despite the relative youthfulness. Subtle, layered, yet plenty of flavours to work with. Without meaning to be arrogant, this also confirmed me about how Bruichladdich is not a beginner’s whisky. This is a whisky that challenges you (or rather invites you) to explore what it has to offer but it does deliver if you allow it the time it takes to get there. My one ‘gripe’ is perhaps that it took almost half a bottle and 6 months of going back and forth to do this. 85/100

And with that: next week will be the last review before the summer break. Let’s make it a good one…