The whiskies division comprises five single malts that share the same values of excellence: Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Octomore are made at Bruichladdich Distillery in Islay, Scotland; the Westland distillery, already iconic in the United States, is located on the West Coast, in Seattle; the Domaine des Hautes Glaces distillery, located in the French Alps, stands out for its perfect integration into the local ecosystem.
Always at the cutting-edge of innovation, in 2022, the Bruichladdich distillery proposed “The Regeneration Project”, the first whisky made mainly from Islay rye. This limited edition of 1,800 bottles was born from a passionate conversation with a local agricultural partner: how to improve soil health and reduce inputs through crop rotation?
By alternating barley and rye crops.
This grain is commonly used in the production of American whiskey, but very rarely in Scotland. This regeneration project is another example of the distillery’s partnership with the farming community to find solutions to climate change, while inviting consumers to discover new experiences.
Bruichladdich Distillery is committed to using less packaging. By removing the tube from its Port Charlotte Islay Single Malt, it has cut steel consumption and saved more than1 kg of CO2 per bottle. In addition, it reduces energy and emissions related to production and transport, but also the impact on the island, where whisky is fully designed, distilled, aged and bottled. Port Charlotte is a progressive brand committed to ecological transition. This approach is an additional step towards fighting waste.
This disruptive campaign was launched worldwide in 2022 to highlight the brand’s values. It firmly establishes the “aqua” colour of the Bruichladdich graphic guidelines. The multi-channel “We Also Make Whisky” campaign focuses on sustainability and has been deployed in various media: billboards in shopping areas with “carbon-eating” paint, panels on electric car charging stations, unprecedented partnerships with The Guardian, Le Monde, Channel 4, etc. Performance has been high in all markets, especially the most strategic for the growth of the brand: China, the United States and the United Kingdom.
“Parcours paysans” is a series of documentary portraits, about fifteen minutes each. They relate the agricultural and peasant life of the members of the Graines des Cimes association, which federates the farms of Trièves that produce organic mountain cereals. This association jointly manages farm-grown seeds from members, forges technical and human relations between farms, creating supportive bonds between breeders, collectors and processors.
With Graines des Cimes, the Domaine des Hautes Glaces now has around fifty plots with different soils and expositions to further explore the influence of the terroir on the expression of its whiskies and eaux-de-vie. Through these portraits, the Domaine des Hautes Glaces wished to pay tribute to these remarkable Men and Women, true lovers of the land.
Woska, Domaine des Hautes Glaces’ rye eau-de-vie was voted Innovation of the Year by the team at Cocktails Spirits Paris, the leading trade show for the bar industry in France.
This atypical spirit, resulting from a triple distillation over a wood fire, was presented as part of the “Bar of innovations” which previews the drinks of the future. The selection criteria were as follows: bring a new and unparalleled insight into its category, whether it is raw materials, manufacturing process or packaging. The ultra-local production, the total traceability of the raw materials grown, the highlighting of the expression of a terroir and the unprecedented flavours of Woska convinced the judges.
It proves that it is possible to be “old-school” while embracing state-of-the-art innovation.
