Review #977 - Bruichladdich 10 Year Old Skool

Like the 14 Year Yellow Submarine [Reclassified] single malt that we looked at several weeks ago, this 10 Year Old Skool is part of Bruichladdich's 2026 celebration of 25 years since the reinvigoration of their distillery. This is an unpeated whisky, and while it doesn't carry the 'Islay Barley' designation on the label like some Bruichladdich whiskies, it is actually made entirely from barley which was farmed and harvested on Islay. In fact, as a part of their transparency initiatives, Bruichladdich tracks where the barley in each batch of distillate comes from, and the grain used for this bottling can be traced back to 14 different farms on the island.

The focus of these anniversary bottlings has been ex-bourbon casks so that the distillate itself can be highlighted, despite the varying ages of the releases. For the 10 Year Old Skool, 95% of the cask makeup is first fill ex-bourbon casks, while the remaining 5% of the makeup is first fill Sauternes fortified wine casks from France.

We use only the flavor of the whisky itself when rating a whisky, but we do have to note here: we love the retro, 1980's-inspired label on this Old Skool bottling. It's very reminiscent of a different era of whisky production, which seems to be what the distillery is going for with this sort of special bottling.

As usual, Bruichladdich gives us great specifications for the whisky: a strength of 50% ABV, and they guarantee that there was no chill filtration or added coloring used at bottling time.

Bruichladdich 10 Year Old Skool

Scotland/Islay - Single Malt

Price: USD 80 (2026)

Age Statement: 10 Years

Strength: 50% ABV

Cask Makeup: First fill ex-bourbon casks and first fill Sauternes wine casks

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; bottled 2026

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 1 month; bottles at 100%, 90%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Classic unpeated Bruichladdich notes - malty, a bit lactic, hay, tart fruits like peach and lemon. There's a soft farmy funk, almost a bit of a sour malt note; mineral scents, honey, brine, and starchy oak build. We also found lychee, bright melon, and cereal notes at times.

Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness. It's tangy, malty, a bit sweeter than the nose with sugary peaches, brown sugar, even tinned peach, and oranges. A nice zing of grapefruit and lemon-lime soda comes next, and those citrus notes build; we also find wood spice, melons, star fruit, and golden grains.

Finish: Warming, malty, hints of honey and a farm-like quality with hay, earthy notes, a bit of industrial oil. Oak spice, starchy peaches, some golden raisin and white pepper arrive, and we also get vanilla, heather, and tinned pear. It's a medium length finish.

Final Note: This whisky just epitomizes the unpeated Bruichladdich profile - exactly what you expect from these specifications. It's like a Classic Laddie which has been leveled up a bit, with slightly better flavor definition and a real emphasis on those fruit notes. We still get strong malt, honey, and the lactic side that we expect from this distillery, but there's a bit more complexity here. Overall, it's a very good whisky, one that we think is a perfect introduction to this 25th anniversary celebration series.

Value for this bottle is very good, too. The price was about $80 here in the US, and it's worth the small premium over the standard Classic Laddie to get this elevated version in our opinion. Because of the continuing demand for special release whiskies, this bottle isn't necessarily easy to find, but we recommend snagging one if you can find it for a fair price.

Our Rating: 7.4 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.81

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.