The popular Bonnie & Wild Food Hall in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter is hosting the exclusive UK launch of two new whisky expressions - an unpeated Bruichladdich and heavily peated Port Charlotte single malt - before they go on sale around the world.
Bonnie & Wild opened its Scottish Marketplace on Thursday July 15, and has recently welcomed its 10,000th guest.
Now Bonnie & Wild is hosting the launch of two new whiskies from Bruichladdich Distillery: the Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2011 and the Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2013.
Both whiskies will be available exclusively at Bonnie & Wild from 27 July until 2 August, when the two expressions will go on sale across the UK and overseas.
In 2020, Bruichladdich became one of the only distilleries in the world to be B Corp certified.
It is the first gin and whisky distillery in Europe, and one of three globally, to be recognised for balancing profit and purpose.
B Corp reflects 20 years of work by Bruichladdich Distillery to develop career opportunities for their 80 permanent Islay employees, a commitment that has seen them become the island’s largest private employer.
Douglas Taylor, CEO of Bruichladdich, said: “Bonnie & Wild’s passion for showcasing high quality Scottish food and drink and for championing local sourcing and sustainability truly echoes our own core values at Bruichladdich.
"It’s a stunning new venue, a brilliant addition to Edinburgh, and a great partnership for us to launch our new vintages within the UK.
“Like Bonnie & Wild, our Bruichladdich Bere Barley and Port Charlotte Islay Barley vintages demonstrate the incredible flavour Scotland has to offer when you take exceptional steps to find it.
"Grown on the island of Islay and the Orkney Isles, the barley distilled for these editions are a demonstration of how remote communities can be supported to deliver impeccable provenance and traceability.
"We’re proud to be working with 27 farming partners across Scotland and we’re delighted to be bringing their wares to the Edinburgh public through Bonnie and Wild’s Marketplace.”
The Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2011 and the Port Charlotte Islay Barely 2013 will be exclusively available from all three of Bonnie & Wild’s bars, as well as its boutique bottle shop operated by well-known drinks wholesaler, Inverarity Morton.
Steve Annand, sales director of Inverarity Morton, said: “New releases from Bruichladdich always provoke excitement, and these latest two are no exception.
"We are absolutely delighted the bars and the IM bottle shop are hosting this exclusive launch. In partnership with Bruichladdich, we’ll be running a series of tastings using the beautiful display Bruichladdich have within Bonnie & Wild.”
Kate Russell, general manager of Bonnie & Wild, added: “At our heart, Bonnie & Wild is committed to working with brilliant producers of the highest quality who are themselves committed to sustainable sourcing.
"This is true of our food stalls as well as our speciality retailers, including Inverarity Morton and MacDuff 1890, and something that is really chiming with the thousands of guests who have visited the Food Hall since we opened just over a week ago.
“Last weekend we hosted a ‘meet the maker’ event with Edinburgh’s Secret Garden Distillery, and we now have this very exclusive launch of Bruichladdich.
"At Bonnie & Wild, we’re using our venue and events space to showcase the very best of Scotland, from smaller brands such as the Secret Garden to world renowned whiskies like Bruichladdich.
"This is very much the start of things to come.
"I’m very grateful to everyone who’s visited and supported this fantastic new Food Hall that celebrates the best of Scottish food and drink.”
