Bruichladdich Distillery resurfaces Yellow Submarine as part of the distillery’s 25th anniversary.
The new limited edition expression pays tribute to the distillery’s 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.
Bottled at 108 proof, 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,” said Bruichladdich Master Blender Adam Hannett. “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.”
The series was born from a notorious mix-up in the early 2000s, when US Military Intelligence mistakenly flagged Bruichladdich as a potential site for weapons of mass destruction, a bureaucratic blunder the distillery answered with humour rather than outrage.
“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 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 added. “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.”
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).
Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III is available now for $134.99.
