One of Islay’s Best Single Malt Distilleries Just Dropped a Rye Whisky

Jonah Flicker
·3 min read

For most people, single malt is associated with Scotland and rye whiskey with America. But those borders have been shifting—the American single malt category is rapidly expanding, and now a new whisky from an unlikely source has been released. Bruichladdich, the Islay distillery known for making some of the most heavily peated scotch you can find, has turned to rye.

The whisky is called The Regeneration Project, and is said to be the first ever Islay rye whisky (it’s referred to as single grain on the label, a designation that separates it from a 100 percent malted barley single malt). The name comes from the fact that, according to distillery, growing rye helps replenish nutrients in the soil that are depleted by barley cultivation, making the ground a more fertile environment for farming. This whisky dates back to 2017 when, after a conversation with Bruichladdich, Islay farmer Andrew Jones grew his first crop of rye—a first for Islay, in fact. “With no market for Scottish grown rye, it begs the question–why would a farmer grow it,” said Bruichladdich CEO Douglas Taylor in a statement. “Well, we could buy it and create a delicious whisky, all while supporting our vital farming partners, helping the environment, and promoting soil health.”

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The mashbill of the whisky is 55 percent rye and 45 percent malted barley (which was also grown on Islay). The barley is unpeated—while the distillery is known for its extremely smoky Port Charlotte and Octomore ranges, the core expression is the similarly smoke-less Classic Laddie. The Regeneration Project was aged for five years in first-fill bourbon and first-fill virgin American oak casks, and bottled at 50% ABV. According to official tasting notes, there are some spicy, peppery notes from the rye grain, balanced out by green fruit notes from the barley and vanilla and marzipan notes picked up during maturation in toasted virgin oak. And as is always the case with Bruichladdich, the whisky is non-chill filtered and no color is added.

The Regeneration Project may be a first for Islay, but not for scotch whisky as a category. In 2021, Johnnie Walker High Rye was released, a blend made from a mashbill of 60 percent rye that was meant to be used in Manhattans or other cocktails. Arbikie has released several batches of its Highland Rye, made from a combination of rye, wheat, and barley. And there are other distilleries with releases on the way, like InchDairnie which will launch its first RyeLaw whisky in the coming months.

This is a small batch release with just 1,800 bottles available, but you can order one from the Bruichladdich website now. The Regeneration Project might not become your go-to whisky for Manhattans (and the distillery would probably prefer you sip this neat), but there’s only one way to find out.

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