Bunnahabhain

Bunnahabhain stands at the end of a road near Port Askaig on the north-east coast of Islay, looking across the Sound of Islay to Jura. It was built in 1881, with its own pier and houses for the workers, in what was then a very remote spot.

Unlike most of its Islay neighbours, Bunnahabhain is mostly unpeated. Its water is piped from a spring so that it does not pick up peat on the way, and its stills are large, which helps give a softer, rounder spirit. The house style is malty and nutty, often with sea salt and plenty of sherry cask influence. The distillery also makes a peated spirit, sold under the name Mòine.

The core bottlings are age statements such as the 12 Year Old and the 25 Year Old, bottled at 46.3% without chill filtration or added colour. Buyers will also meet the no-age-statement Stiùireadair, travel retail releases like Eirigh Na Greine, and festival bottlings for Fèis Ìle, many of them Mòine casks with wine or port finishes.

Bunnahabhain is one of the Islay malts most often bottled by independents. Our catalogue lists bottlings from Signatory Vintage, Douglas Laing, Duncan Taylor, Hunter Laing, Gordon & MacPhail, Adelphi and That Boutique-y Whisky Company, among others, which makes it a good distillery for comparing single casks.