Established in 1881 Bunnahabhain, (pronounced Bun-na-ha-venn) meaning ‘mouth of the river’ from Scots Gaelic, looks out to the Sound of Islay, a vast stretch of sea travelled by many a seafarer, just like the helmsman illustrated proudly on the pack. This is home to the ‘gentle taste of Islay’, the Bunnahabhain single malt.
Since 1881, Bunnahabhain’s gentle malt has always started out the same way, with good quality malted barley, clean pure Margadale spring water and a little yeast.
Bunnahabhain could try and make out that their whisky is made from superior ingredients than that of other Islay malts but, if you know your malt whisky, you will know that all good whisky starts off the same. What we can tell you is that Bunnahabhain's gentle taste is so unique because they have never heavily peated their fine malted barley, their natural spring water source has run clear for over one hundred years and their sea facing warehouses provide the perfect environment for maturing the spirit.
Bunnahabhain allows the whisky to slowly mature in American oak, sometimes for a very long time. When it enters the cask, the liquid is as clear as the Margadale spring water used in its creation, however, the wood tones gradually permeate the liquid and, in time, it evolves into a golden dram. In our seven sea-exposed warehouses, some of which date back to 1881, there are casks from the 1960's, quietly waiting to, one day, become part of the gentle Bunnahabhain taste.
