The Bunnahabhain 11 year old is one of Gordon and MacPhail’s brand new ‘Discovery’ range. Each expression in this range is aged to highlight a particular flavour profile – Sherry, Smokey or Bourbon. This months Bunnahabhain pays homage to ‘Sherry’ with an 11 year old non-peated whisky from Islay (and I must say – it feels a little weird to write that).
This whisky is exactly what it sets out to be – a fantastic sherry flavour profile. The nose is sweet with stewed fruit, jam, toffee and raisins. The palate is a luscious blend of plum pudding, chocolate, and fruit-mince with feint wafts of salty kelp (iodine) floating around the edges in keeping with it’s maritime aging location. Finish is smooth, rich and chewy with a spice on the back of the tongue that builds to offset the fruity sweetness nicely.
Islay is renowned for its heavily peated whiskies. Some say as a general rule, the further south they are the heavier the peat smoke. I’m not convinced this is actually true – but if it is, Bunnahabhain certainly sets the tone being both the most northerly Islay distillery but also being renowned as the only Islay distillery who specialises in non-peated whisky. In fact, this months malt of the month is from our old friends Gordon and MacPhail has been specifically bottled and aged to showcase a ‘Bold, Sherry profile’. There is NO peat in this Islay.
BUNNAHABHAIN 11 YEAR OLD – BOTTLERS NOTES
ABV: 43%
Bottle Size: 700ml
Region: Scotland – Islay
Peated: No
Colour: Golden
Aroma: Sherry aromas with orange marmalade, dried fruit notes develop, subtle spices weave through vanilla toffee.
Taste: Deliciously smooth and creamy. A gentle warming cinnamon spice matures into flavours of chewy dates and stewed plums with walnut undertones.
Finish: Smooth milk chocolate with lingering dried fruit and hints of nuts.
ABOUT THE DISTILLERY
The Bunnahabhain Distillery was established in 1881 with full production commencing in 1883 and is long credentialed with maritime exploits. The name itself means ‘Mouth of the River’ and as it’s name suggests, the distillery sits on the mouth of the Margdale Spring. In it’s infancy, the distillery relied heavily on the small merchant fleet – it’s wares transported by boat to the mainland and beyond. The ingredients brought in by boat. In 1960 a HUGE development – a road – was constructed which made the use of the small-boat merchant fleet obsolescent.
In an industry rife with tales of bootlegging, illicit stills and general shenanigans, Bunnahabhain is notable for the complete and utter lack of such tales in it’s history. The distillery itself a product of pure calculated corporate expansion – costed out, planned and built [by the Islay Whisky Company] to capitalise on the 19th Century ‘Whisky Boom’ that was in full swing at the time. Even the town of Bunnahabhain – complete with school – was created by the distillery to house it’s workers.
The distillery itself is, perhaps, one of the most instantly recognisable distilleries in the world. It’s iconic North-East facing, branded wall lying right on the beach is the subject of countless Instagram and Facebook posts. Interestingly, even though all records of the distilleries creation are housed in trust in the University of Glasgow’s archives – no record of the architect who designed it exits.
At the time of it’s construction, it was a state of the art facility. Steam powered grain lifts and other machines made it the most automated distillery of its day. The stills and washbacks at Bunnahabhain remain among the largest in Britain.
Bunnahabhain is used in both the Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse blended whiskies.
