The name Bruichladdich is from the gaelic Bruthach a' Chladaich, meaning Brae (hillside) of the Shore. Built on the western side of Islay in 1881 by the Harvey brothers, the distillery at Bruichladdich was state of the art in comparison to other Islay distilleries. 

Between January and May 2001 the whole distillery was dismantled and reassembled, with the original Victorian décor and equipment retained. Having escaped modernisation, most of the original Harvey machinery is still in use today. No computers are used in production with all processes controlled by a pool of skilled artisans who pass on information orally and largely measure progress using dipsticks and simple flotation devices.