Bunnahabhain Distillery
Port Askaig, Isle of Islay
History
Bunnahabhain may not shout as loud as some of the other distilleries on this iconic whisky Island but don’t let that make you think it’s small fry. Even its bottle shape is smaller and more unassuming than the others but this for me is the unsung hero of Islay. It has a loyal following and for good reason.
Compared to most of the other distilleries on the Island it is relatively new, well kind of, its was opened in 1883 by William Robertson of Robertson and Baxter Blending House, joined with the Greenlees Brothers to create the Islay Distillery Company.
The build cost around £30,000 (£2.6m in today’s money) and its purpose was to create a quality single malt for the blended Scotch market which was booming at the time. Like all the older distilleries it wasn’t always plain sailing, with brief closures (or mothballed) periods in the 1930s and 1980s as the whisky market dried up.
Toward the end of the 1980s the market started to pick up and Bunnahabhain started focussing not just on selling its liquid for blends but on creating its own single malt, one they put under the tagline ‘the unpronounceable malt’ for obvious reasons. After changing hands several times in 2017 its owners Distell announced a £11 million investment with a three-year upgrade programme which began this year improving all facilities and the addition of a new visitors’ centre.
The Whisky
When they started making single malt for their own bottles it was very different from the rest around the island, as it had no peat. While everyone associates Islay with big, powerful, smoky whiskies, Bunnahabhain was creating a house style that was on the lighter side but with a very drinkable sweet side. This wasn’t always the case as the distillery had created peated single malt for blends throughout its history. Recently, though, they have started to bring back peated expressions with the main one being their Toiteach bottling.
Why Visit?
This year they started work on a new visitors’ centre, which will include a cafe and shop and six cottages. It should be open in early 2020.
Interesting fact Their mash tun, which extracts a sweet liquid called wort from the barley, is one of the biggest in Scotland and holds 12.5 tonnes and their fermentation process after this can last up to 100 hours which is more than likely where you get their fruity and more rounded flavour in their single malt.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here