Bruichladdich Regeneration Project Whisky Review!

Bruichladdich's first single grain whisky, Islay's first single grain whisky since the term came into existence, and the first Scotch whisky to include Islay-grown rye. This should be interesting!

I've seen plenty of confusion about the term "single grain" out there in the whisky world, even recently from a certain beloved YouTube reviewer, and I've gotten into plenty of online arguments about the Scotch whisky definitions in general. So let's clear it up right now! Many seem to misinterpret the term as defining a whisky that is made from one variety of grain, which is wildly incorrect. Just like the term "single malt" does not mean one type of malted barley and actually means malt whisky made at one single distillery, "single grain" does not mean one type of grain, it means grain whisky that was produced at one single distillery. The word "single" only refers to the whisky being made entirely at one "single" distillery. In Scotch whisky, anything that does not meet the definition of a single malt - which can only be made from 100% malted barley and must be distilled in pot stills - or a blended whisky that is a blend of whisky from different distilleries - whether a blended malt whisky, a blended grain whisky, or a blend of malt & grain whisky - can only be a single grain whisky. It may help to think of these Scotch whisky definitions as being a process of elimination. Does it meet the criteria for a single malt Scotch whisky? No. OK, is it a blend of Scotch whisky from different distilleries? No. Well then it's a single grain Scotch whisky. At present there is no other legally recognised category in Scotch whisky, and to go outside these categories would mean you could not label your product as Scotch whisky or even as whisky, since Scotch whisky is the only whisky that can be made in Scotland. If you're unsure, have a read of the Scotch Whisky Association's Scotch Whisky Regulations. Looking at some examples; if your Scotch whisky is made from 100% malted barley at one single distillery but it is distilled in column stills, it is then a single grain Scotch whisky (this is Scotland, not Australia or England). If your Scotch whisky is made from 99% malted barley and 1% unmalted barley and is distilled in pot stills at one single distillery, it is then a single grain whisky (this is Scotland, not Ireland). If your Scotch whisky is made from 100% malted rye and is distilled in pot stills at one single distillery, it is still a single grain whisky. And if your Scotch whisky is made from 55% unmalted rye and 45% malted barley and is distilled in pot stills at Bruichladdich Distillery, then yes, it is a single grain whisky! 

Enter Bruichladdich's The Regeneration Project Single Grain Scotch Whisky. Apparently they did initially want to call it "The Rye Project" but the SWA objected to this since it wasn't distilled from 100% rye grain. Personally I think they missed a huge opportunity by not calling it "The RYEgeneration Project". Sure, that may have still raised some eyebrows at the SWA, but let's not forget that this distillery used to have "The Dog's Bollocks" printed on it's packaging! Come on Bruichladdich, you used to be fun... "The Regeneration Project" was the brainchild of Islay farmer Andrew Jones and Bruichladdich's Production Director Allan Logan. Jones had been growing barley for Bruichladdich at Coull Farm on Islay, but decided to add rye to his farm's crop rotation in an effort to improve the health of the soil and reduce the need for fertilisers and other augmentation. Barley is quite an aggressive crop as far as its effect on the soil, and it's also quite picky if you want to get a decent yield. Rye is much less picky and also replaces some of the nutrients that the barley crops have stripped from the soil, hence "regeneration". There have been three "Project" releases from Bruichladdich so far, all distillery exclusives (website or physical shop). These began with "The Ternary Project" in early 2021 which was a vatting of all three single malts that are produced at the distillery - unpeated Bruichladdich, heavily peated Port Charlotte, and super-heavily peated Octomore. At an absolutely ridiculous £275 and without an age statement, I'm not surprised that it's still available - in fact all three of these "Project" bottlings are. Next was "The Biodynamic Project" released in late 2021, which was a 10-year old that was distilled from biodynamic (basically organic) English grown barley. To my knowledge that's the first and only time since the reopening in 2001 that Bruichladdich have made new make spirit that was not distilled from Scottish barley. Which seems a bit of a shame - we can't blame Remy Cointreau for that either, it was distilled in 2010 during the Reynier era. And that brings us to today's subject, The Regeneration Project single grain whisky, bottled in early 2023.

While still a rarity, this Bruichladdich single grain is not the only single grain Scotch whisky to use rye in its mashbill, nor was it the first released. Highland distillery Arbikie was the first to release such a thing, and Fife distillery InchDairnie has since added to that. But this Bruichladdich is the first single grain whisky to be made on the island of Islay since the term was coined, and there will be more of it from Bruichladdich in future. Three distilleries making relatively tiny amounts of whisky will not be enough to get the SWA to add a "Rye Scotch Whisky" or "Scotch Rye Whisky" category to their regulations, but that could certainly change in future if there's enough demand - particularly if one of the large corporations takes an interest in the potential for a new category. Bruichladdich have played it a little safe with this first appearance of their single grain whisky, in that they've used 55% unmalted rye grain in the mashbill, with the remaining 45% being malted barley that was also Islay grown. Back in 2017 the distillery did experiment with different percentages, starting with the 55/45 ratio but trialling a 70/30 mix - which wreaked havoc on the ancient equipment used at Bruichladdich. Rye is a difficult grain to work with, particularly in mashing where it can take much longer to mash and can cause problems with drainage and cleaning. This of course makes it more costly to work with than barley, and in this case using unmalted rye means that you're getting significantly less enzymes in comparison to a 100% malted barley mash, meaning there are less fermentable sugars available in the mash, which means a lower alcohol yield in the wash and subsequently in the spirit. Since rye had never been used at Bruichladdich before, the production team also had to play around with the fermentation times and distillation cut points, and also the filling strength when it was being filled into casks. 

The Regeneration Project is a 5-year old single grain whisky, distilled in 2017 from 55% unmalted rye and 45% malted barley, all grown on Islay, and it was matured in a combination of first-fill ex-bourbon casks and virgin American oak casks. Interestingly those virgin oak casks were not charred prior to filling, they were only toasted in an effort to limit the level of wood influence in the whisky and let the spirit itself, and therefore the grain itself, show through. But if that was the goal then why use virgin oak casks at all? I'm assuming that was to give the maturation a boost and get the whisky ready at a younger age, so hopefully we'll see different cask types used in future older examples. The Regeneration Project was bottled at a diluted strength of 50% ABV in March 2023, with no chill filtration or added colour. There were only 1,800 x 700ml bottles released in this batch and it was only available from the distillery's website or from the physical shop on Islay. Pricing was a rather staggering £125, plus shipping and local charges for those of us that are playing overseas - in Australia with our dastardly customs department, the final cost landed at your door would be around $350 AUD. Which is a huge chunk of money for a 5-year old whisky at 50% ABV, even one this unique. But that's the price of entry to try the first Bruichladdich single grain whisky, and the first Bruichladdich ever made with rye grain. Funnily enough there still seems to be stock available on said website at the time of writing, but the sample for this review was generously donated by David from Australian whisky retailer The Old Barrelhouse. Let's see how it goes!

Bruichladdich 'The Regeneration Project' Single Grain Whisky, 50% ABV. Islay, Scotland.

Distilled 2017 from 55% unmalted rye and 45% malted barley. Aged in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and toasted virgin American oak casks. Bottled March 2023 at 5-years of age. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Amber. 

Nose: Spicy, sweet, oaky. Rye spice (i.e. toasted rye bread), sweet fresh oak, touches of intense spearmint and cayenne pepper. A little eucalyptus / tea tree, and nutmeg too. Sweet tinned peaches, dry pie shell pastries, vanilla essence. Dried bitter orange peel, and a touch of maltiness further in. 

Texture: Medium weight. Oily, very sweet, oaky, spicy. Slight heat. 

Taste: More sweet tinned peaches, plus some apricots in syrup, and a little blueberry as well. Powdered ginger, buttery pastry, sweet toasted oak, and sweet vanilla essence. The rye influence is much harder to spot here than it was on the nose, obscured by the oak and the sweetness. 

Finish: Medium length. More spearmint, cayenne pepper, and eucalyptus. Aniseed, and more powdered ginger. More sweet oak, and vanilla essence. Dried orange peel again, milk chocolate and sweet tinned peaches to finish. 

Score: 2.5 out of 5. 

Notes: Interesting. Too sweet for my tastes, and also a little strange! The spicy rye character shows through nicely on the nose to start with, but it faded with breathing time and was obscured both on the palate and in the finish, which is a shame. Overall this is really quite a sweet whisky, which I assume is down to the virgin oak involvement, and I'd have preferred a 100% ex-bourbon maturation instead. That would've showed more spirit character, but I'm not sure if that was the goal with this Bruichladdich release, it feels like they're trying to ease into it with that aggressive virgin oak sweetness. Then again even with that virgin oak it still comes off as a little feisty and youthful, so maybe we'll see more spirit character in some older releases in future. Personally virgin oak isn't my bag, particularly in unpeated whiskies, and if I'm having a rye whisky/whiskey then I want to the rye to show all the way through, otherwise I don't see the point. So bear that in mind if you've scrolled straight to the score! I can see lovers of American-style rye whiskeys liking this one with the extra sweetness and the lighter rye grain influence that seem to be in their wheelhouse. In my view as a malt whisky lover this Bruichladdich single grain is quite a strange one; it's obviously unlike any other Scotch whisky that I've come across so far, and in all honesty it's not one that I'd rush out to buy. I'm sure we'll see more adventurous variants in future, hopefully with some more age and also less cask influence - or at least hopefully without virgin oak!

Kudos to Bruichladdich for having the guts to do produce Islay's first single grain whisky. If any of Islay's malt whisky distilleries were going to do it, it was always going to be these guys! And if it helps support Islay's grain farmers and their barley crops then I'm all for it, and I look forward to trying more examples in future. 

Cheers!