Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III
Bruichladdich Distillery's Yellow Submarine has resurfaced as part of the progressive Hebridean distillery's 25th anniversary celebrations.
The new limited-edition Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III pays tribute to the distillery’s irreverent early years when a wayward Ministry of Defence submarine was discovered off Islay’s coast in 2005, with an exact replica of the lost submersible still standing proudly in the distillery grounds today, it notes.
The series was born from a notorious mix-up in the early 2000s, when U.S. Military Intelligence mistakenly flagged Bruichladdich as a potential site for weapons of mass destruction, a bureaucratic blunder the distillery answered with humor rather than outrage, it says.
Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III is the latest iteration of the cult classic, following Whisky of Mass Distinction: Yellow Submarine (2005) and Yellow Submarine II: The Legend Resurfaces (2018).
“The Yellow Submarine series captures the spirit of Bruichladdich in its early years, inventive, a bit rebellious and always up for a good story,” said Gareth Brown, global marketing director at Bruichladdich Distillery, in a statement. “In the early days we didn’t have big budgets or slick marketing, we had a tight-knit team, a recovering old distillery and a bright yellow submarine parked outside.
“Bringing Yellow Submarine back for our 25th anniversary is about honoring that spirit,” Brown continues. “It’s a reminder that great whisky can be refined in the glass, but it doesn’t have to take itself too seriously. This release nods to our past, to the people who backed us when we were just finding our feet, and to the sense of fun that still runs through everything we do.”
Bottled at 54.2% ABV, Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III is unpeated and distilled from 100% Scottish barley. The whisky has spent its full 14-year maturation at Bruichladdich on Islay, in a carefully balanced recipe curated by Master Blender Adam Hannett, inspired by the original 2005 bottling: 75% first fill bourbon barrels and 25% first and second fill French red wine casks.
“Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III is one of those whiskies that makes you smile as soon as you nose it,” Hannett said in a statement. “The bourbon and French red wine casks wrap around the spirit beautifully – you get honeyed oats, buttery shortbread, then this ripple of nutmeg, hazelnut, and gentle ginger heat.
“On the palate it’s luxuriously smooth, with orange zest, honeysuckle, apple and pear all playing their part, before crème brûlée richness and a touch of sea salt bring you right back to Islay,” Hannett continues. “It’s playful, layered, and moreish, exactly what a Yellow Submarine whisky should be. Dive in.”
Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III is priced at $134.99 a bottle, available at the company’s website and specialist whisky retailers.
us.bruichladdich.com
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