Review: Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III

To mark 25 years since its resurrection, Bruichladdich is releasing a new whisky, Yellow Submarine III, a companion to its similarly honorific Bruichladdich Old Skool (which we have not seen, sadly) and a follow-up, of course, to Yellow Submarines I and II (which we also have not reviewed).

Bruichladdich’s Yellow Submarine series begin in 2005 with its Whisky of Mass Distinction: Yellow Submarine and continued with Yellow Submarine II: The Legend Resurfaces. The series “pays tribute to the distillery’s irreverent 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.” The story goes that U.S. Military Intelligence mistakenly flagged Bruichladdich as a potential site for weapons of mass destruction at the time, leading to further comedy — and now three whiskies.

For Yellow Submarine III, the whisky is an unpeated 14 year old single malt made from 100% Scottish barley, matured in a combination of first fill bourbon barrels (75%) and first and second fill French red wine casks (25%). It is bottled at 54.2% abv.

Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III Review

The formula for this whisky is hardly unique for Bruichladdich, aside from the inclusion of those red wine barrels in the mix. I didn’t expect a massive departure from the house style on the nose, and sure enough, the aromatics here are in line with much of Bruichladdich’s recent output. The higher abv stands out from the start, however, giving the nose an uncommon raciness that finds tempering in the form of substantial florals, blood orange peel, sesame oil, and some gently spicy notes of white pepper. It’s a busy little whisky, but ultimately there’s nothing that feels overwhelmingly out of the ordinary, and all the elements come across as well-balanced.

Things heat up on the palate, again abetted by the higher than usual abv. A base of shortbread and gingerbread gets a dosing of sweeter, candied orange, a hint of heady incense, and ample notes of vanilla, driven by the bourbon barrels. Peppery and spicy in equal proportions as it develops, the whisky eventually settles into a groove that Bruichladdich fans will likely find to be familiar. Gentle notes of lemon, tea leaf, and plenty of biscuity notes give the whisky a soothing quality that almost comes across as curative as the finish approaches. While less creamy than your typical Bruichladdich release, it makes up for this shift in body with a late-game focus on mint and anise.

108.4 proof.

A- / $135

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