Islay, Scotland
Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old
- Dried fruit
- Sweet
- Maritime
Distillery
Bunnahabhain whiskies
Bunnahabhain is the northernmost distillery on Islay, isolated in a bay facing the Isle of Jura, near Port Askaig. It is the island’s big exception: most of its whisky is made without peat, so it offers a smooth, briny Islay with dried fruit. A ship’s wheel appears on its label, a tribute to its link with the sea. It is a malt much appreciated by those seeking Islay’s maritime character without the intense smoke.
- Founded
- 1881
- Owner
- No data
- Origin
- Islay, Scotland
- In the catalogue
- 4 whiskies
History, style and where to startSee it on the world mapBunnahabhain official website(opens in a new tab)
Photos of Bunnahabhain
Photo: Eberhard Kaiser · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted) 
Photo: Martin Cígler · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted) 
Photo: Reading Tom from Reading, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
Islay, Scotland
Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair
- Sweet
- Dried fruit
- Spicy
Islay, Scotland
Bunnahabhain Toiteach A Dhà
- Smoky
- Sweet
- Dried fruit
Islay, Scotland
Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old
- Dried fruit
- Toasted
- Sweet
Guide to Bunnahabhain
History
The distillery was built in 1881 in what was then a very remote spot, together with housing for the workers and a pier, because the road came later. For much of the 20th century its whisky went into blends, including The Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. In the second half of the century it was expanded and, at the end of the 1990s, passed to Burn Stewart Distillers, which promoted the house malt. Since then it has changed owning groups. In the 2010s the house stopped chill filtering and raised the strength of its range, which greatly improved its reputation.
House style
Bunnahabhain distils in large, tall stills that give a light, clean spirit, and uses mostly unpeated barley. The house style combines sea salt, nuts, ripe fruit and a touch of sherry, with an oily, smooth texture. The distillery also produces peated batches for some editions, but its hallmark is smokeless Islay, with a long, briny finish.
Average flavour profile of its 4 whiskies in the catalogue
Where to start
Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old is the emblematic expression: unpeated, with sherry, nuts and a very marked briny note. It is a great choice if you want to discover Islay without smoke or if you like sherried malts with a maritime character. It is bottled at a good strength, so a few drops of water help open it up.
This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors. Founding year, owner and official website come partly from Wikidata.
The colours of this page are inspired by the look of Bunnahabhain. WhiskyMatch is independent and has no connection with the brand.