Bruichladdich Distillery combines strong growth across all brands with progress on sustainability, publishing its first ever impact report as a certified B Corp.
2021/2022 was another year of solid growth for the Islay Single Malt Whisky portfolio (Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Octomore), despite the enduring pandemic. Government restrictions to curb the spread of the virus continued to dampen on-trade sales but this was offset by strong at-home consumption and direct sales.
Bruichladdich did extremely well worldwide, with a sharp increase in sales driven primarily by its flagship whisky, The Classic Laddie, on which the brand has focused its commercial efforts. Volumes were up significantly in the United States, China and the EMEA region - all key markets for Bruichladdich. In the UK, the unconventional "We Also Make Whisky" campaign was launched as a market first - appearing on Channel 4, in The Guardian and on painted billboards from London to Edinburgh and Glasgow - and was very well received. Coupled with this, the "No Hidden Measures" campaign, focusing on traceability, continued to bring more transparency to single malt Scotch across the key markets.
Global sales of Port Charlotte were also up significantly across all strategic markets, but most significantly in China and the United States, buoyed by demand for heavily peated malts as well as by the brand’s unique positioning. The Whisky Exchange (the world’s leading whisky retailer) named the Port Charlotte 10 Year Old its "Whisky of the Year".
Octomore’s limited edition releases continued to meet with resounding success: demand for the Octomore 12 series greatly exceeded expectations with two-thirds of the 3,000 bottles of Octomore 12’s 10-year-old release snapped up within 24 hours of going on sale online.
Having become a certified B Corp in 2020/2021, Bruichladdich Distillery published its first ever annual impact report in 2021. Not content to rest on its laurels, the distillery continues to reflect on how best to balance people, planet and performance. Its efforts focus on four sustainability pillars:
Also of note among the distillery’s sustainable economy efforts was the launch of the Bruichladdich Biodynamic Single Malt, the first ever biodynamic single malt Scotch. The 3,000 bottles of this limited-edition whisky show that alternative farming methods can be good for the planet without compromising on taste. A perfect example of Bruichladdich Distillery’s efforts over the past two decades to realise its vision of connecting its spirits back to the land.
Lastly, Bruichladdich Distillery worked with Edinburgh-based Vault City Brewing to help make a limited B Corp Beer. Sales of this beer funded the supply of more than 3 million litres of clean drinking water to communities around the world as part of the "Billion Pint Pledge" run by fellow B Corp, Brewgooder.
Bruichladdich Distillery has big plans for its brands in 2022/2023. Innovation will remain the watchword, with the launch of new products, new direct sales experiences and the rollout of more sustainability initiatives. Port Charlotte will ditch outer packaging as part of its drive to make the whisky business more sustainable. As well as reducing waste, this will cut down on weight and carbon emissions. And in marketing, the "We Also Make Whisky" campaign is set to go global.
