{"product_id":"bruichladdich-18-year-old-2008-halcyon-spirits-single-oloroso-sherry-finished-cask-islay-single-malt-scotch-whisky-2026-70cl","title":"Bruichladdich 18 Year Old 2008 Halcyon Spirits Single Oloroso Sherry Finished Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2026) 70cl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 28px;\"\u003eBruichladdich 18 Year Old 2008 Halcyon Spirits Single Oloroso Sherry Finished Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2026) 70cl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1 of 185 bottles produced from a single Oloroso Sherry finished cask.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-body text-sm text-vellum\/60 leading-relaxed mb-6\"\u003eHalcyon spirits was founded by Daniel and Craig Milne, two brothers with an enduring passion for whisky. With decades of experience, they have taken time to understand, enjoy and acquire some of the most unique and sought after whiskies, and halcyon spirits is the next step in their long-held ambition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-body text-sm text-vellum\/60 leading-relaxed mb-6\"\u003eHalcyon was also the name of Daniel and Craig's grandfather's fishing boat, sailing from the prominent fishing port of Whitehills on Scotland's Moray coast - a few miles away from the site of the former Banff distillery, and the operational Macduff distillery. The importance of family, recognising this legacy, has been a constant in the brother's endeavours - and like them, many of the casks they will bottle with halcyon were born and began maturation not far from where they grew up in the heart of Scotland's malt whisky country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-body text-sm text-vellum\/60 leading-relaxed mb-6\"\u003eTASTING NOTES\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-body text-sm text-vellum\/60 leading-relaxed mb-6\"\u003eNose: Elegant and coastal at first: sea breeze, wet stone, barley sugar and clean orchard-fruit character. The Oloroso comes in as toasted walnut, dried apricot, orange peel, sultana, polished oak and a little leather. With time, it opens into honeyed porridge, butterscotch, cinnamon, cocoa nib and a faint floral note.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-body text-sm text-vellum\/60 leading-relaxed mb-6\"\u003ePalate: Full, creamy and rounded. Ripe peach, baked apple and tropical fruit sit under a richer sherry layer of raisin, fig, date, toasted almond and brown sugar. A lovely tension between bright, mineral distillate and darker Oloroso notes: treacle, spiced orange, nut loaf, old oak and a touch of salted caramel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-body text-sm text-vellum\/60 leading-relaxed mb-6\"\u003eFinish: Medium-long to long. Drying Oloroso nuttiness, oak spice, dark honey, cocoa, candied citrus and coastal minerality. A final note of walnut skin, malt biscuit and soft leather.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout Bruichladdich\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor many years Bruichladdich was known as the malt which the locals drank, something which surprised many visitors as it was unpeated. The notion that the Ileachs would automatically prefer the big peat bombs from elsewhere on the island was, seemingly, untrue. The lack of smoke wasn’t as a result of this local preference, but dictated by the needs of the blending firms who had always owned the distillery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBruichladdich’s character is sweet, honeyed and floral with a lemon-butter note and an unmistakable freshness. Since 2000, however, other variants have been made – medium-peated Port Charlotte and heavily-peated Octomore. While both are defiantly smoky with plenty of rich, bonfire-like aromas, the inherent freshness and acidity of the distillery character is retained.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExperiments have also taken place with different barley varieties (including the archaic Bere) and a long-term project is currently under way, with local farmers once again planting the crop for the first time since the turn of the 20th century. More than 40% of Bruichladdich’s malting barley is now produced on the island.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition, an old Lomond still has been recommissioned and produces The Botanist gin, whose botanical mix includes herbs and plants from Islay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBruichladdich may have been described as ‘a working distillery museum’, but in its day it was one of Islay’s most modern plants – and today is one of Scotland’s most innovative. It was built in 1881 by the Harvey brothers, who owned the Dundashill and Yoker grain distilleries in Glasgow. Like all of the late Victorian plants, its fortunes were inextricably linked to blends from the outset.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1937, the eccentric Joseph Hobbs (see Ben Nevis) picked it up, but by 1954 it become part of DCL, which quickly offloaded it to AB Grant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1968, Invergordon – whose business was predominantly bulk supplies – became its owner and, after a period of reduced production in the 1980s, it became part of Whyte \u0026amp; Mackay’s portfolio through a merger in 1993. Deemed to be surplus to requirements, the Glasgow firm closed it down in 1995 and it remained silent until 2001 when a group of Islay landowners and a London-based wine merchant bought it for £6 million.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt this point the distillery was transformed. None of the previous owners had modernised the equipment and the new parents couldn’t afford a significant upgrade, so ‘the old lady of Islay’ was nursed back to health. The money was desperately needed elsewhere.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYears of producing bulk had resulted in a less than quality-oriented wood policy, which necessitated re-racking some casks into fresh wood, including a huge range of ex-wine and fortified wine casks. Further investment went into the building of the bottling line (which employs people from the island).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExperimentation and innovation continued – multiple distillates, gin, finishing, local barley – before in 2012 Rémy Cointreau bought Bruichladdich for £58m. This made investment in new plant and machinery possible, and in the intervening years additional warehousing has been built on Islay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn April 2019, Bruichladdich unveiled plans to build its own maltings (although much of its barley is grown on Islay, currently it is sent to Inverness for malting). The distillery has also bought 30 acres of nearby farmland to conduct barley trials and test sustainable farming practices.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e57.3% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70cl\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bruichladdich","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54350550303058,"sku":"BRUI18HALCYON2008","price":189.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1052\/9737\/9666\/files\/Bruichladdich18YearOld2008HalcyonSpiritsSingleOlorosoSherryFinishedCaskIslaySingleMaltScotchWhisky_2026_70cl.jpg?v=1787362575","url":"https:\/\/whiskysituation.co.uk\/products\/bruichladdich-18-year-old-2008-halcyon-spirits-single-oloroso-sherry-finished-cask-islay-single-malt-scotch-whisky-2026-70cl","provider":"Whisky Situation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}