Bruichladdich The Laddie Twenty Two 22 Year 750ML

Bruichladdich The Laddie Twenty Two 22 Year 750ML is a 22-year-old unpeated Islay single malt Scotch whisky bottled at 46% ABV in a 750ml bottle. Scoring 89/100 from All Things Whisky and carrying an 87.36 average across nearly 350 ratings on Whiskybase, this expression represents one of the most mature releases in the now-discontinued Laddie age-stated series.

Quick Facts: ABV: 46%  |  Origin: Islay, Scotland  |  22 Year Age Statement  |  Distillery: Bruichladdich

Production & Heritage

Bruichladdich Distillery was founded in 1881 on the Rhinns of the Isle of Islay and has been owned by Rémy Cointreau since 2012. The Laddie Twenty Two was matured for over two decades exclusively in American oak casks within Bruichladdich's lochside warehouses, where the spirit slowly absorbed maritime character from its coastal surroundings alongside vanilla and citrus notes from the wood. True to Bruichladdich's philosophy, this expression is bottled at 46% ABV without chill filtration and without artificial coloring, allowing the full complexity of 22 years of Islay maturation to come through uncompromised. As part of a limited age-stated series alongside the Laddie Ten and Laddie Sixteen, this bottling is no longer in active production.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: All-butter shortbread and salted marmalade open the nose, followed by vanilla, apricot glaze, and lemon rind. An elegant coastal freshness threads through the background, joined by a barley water quality that signals the spirit's unpeated purity.

Taste: The entry is sweet and smooth, with fresh barley, apricot jam, and vanilla shortbread arriving immediately. Mid-palate, coastal salinity emerges alongside oily cashew nut richness and ginger-spiked flapjacks drizzled with runny honey. Juicy stone fruits — peach and pear in particular — build in intensity, sweetened by toffee and underpinned by real oak flavor from the extended American oak maturation.

Finish: Long and elegant, beginning with peppery vanilla and drying oak before ginger, lemon curd, and salty apricot take hold. Herby, vermouth-like notes and a final wave of coastal influence linger well after the last sip, leaving a heathery, gently floral aftertaste.

How to Drink The Laddie Twenty Two

A whisky of this age and complexity is best enjoyed neat in a tulip-shaped glass at room temperature; a few drops of water can further open the citrus and floral dimensions without diminishing the finish. For those who prefer cocktails with aged spirits, the Twenty Two works in a Rob Roy, where its herby vermouth-like finish harmonizes with sweet vermouth rather than competing with it; a Penicillin (substituting for a peated malt), where the honey and ginger notes in the whisky amplify the cocktail's core ingredients; or a refined Blood and Sand, where the apricot and citrus character adds depth to the drink's fruit-forward profile.

Best For

• Gifting a serious Islay whisky collector seeking discontinued bottlings
• Milestone celebrations that call for a well-aged, elegant single malt
• After-dinner sipping alongside dessert or a cheese course
• Adding a rare age-stated Bruichladdich to a curated whisky cabinet

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Laddie Twenty Two taste like? The Laddie Twenty Two delivers sweet barley, apricot jam, and vanilla shortbread layered over coastal salinity, oily cashew nut, and honey, with a long, peppery finish marked by lemon curd and ginger.

How does The Laddie Twenty Two compare to The Laddie Ten or Sixteen? The Twenty Two shares the same unpeated, American-oak-matured DNA as its younger siblings but delivers significantly more oak-driven complexity, dried fruit character, and a longer finish owing to its additional years of cask interaction on Islay.

Is The Laddie Twenty Two good for sipping neat? Absolutely — at 46% ABV and non-chill filtered, this whisky was specifically designed to be savored neat, with enough body and concentration to reward slow, contemplative drinking.

Where is The Laddie Twenty Two made? The Laddie Twenty Two is distilled and matured at Bruichladdich Distillery, located on the Rhinns of the Isle of Islay on Scotland's west coast, in lochside warehouses directly exposed to Atlantic maritime air.

What foods pair well with The Laddie Twenty Two? Aged Comté or Gruyère cheese complements the vanilla and nutty oak notes; smoked salmon mirrors the coastal salinity; lemon tart echoes the citrus finish; honeycomb pairs naturally with the whisky's honey sweetness; and dark chocolate with sea salt draws out the apricot and maritime character.

What sizes does The Laddie Twenty Two come in? The Laddie Twenty Two is available in the standard 750ml bottle size.

Is The Laddie Twenty Two worth the price? As a discontinued 22-year-old Islay single malt from a respected distillery, The Laddie Twenty Two positions firmly in the premium-to-collectible tier, and its critical ratings — 89/100 from All Things Whisky — support its standing as a high-quality aged expression with increasing scarcity value.

Why The Laddie Twenty Two?

This bottling represents something increasingly rare in Scotch whisky: a well-aged, unpeated Islay single malt that lets terroir and time do the talking rather than relying on peat smoke for Islay identity. Over 22 years in American oak at Bruichladdich's seaside warehouses, the spirit developed a layered interplay of orchard fruit, vanilla, and coastal minerality that younger expressions simply cannot replicate. With production discontinued and the age-stated Laddie series no longer active, remaining bottles carry genuine scarcity. For drinkers seeking proof that Islay produces world-class whisky beyond the smoky stereotype, The Laddie Twenty Two makes an emphatic case.