Bunnahabhain

Without doubt Bunnahabhain is the archetypal Islay distillery, standing at the end of the pier stretching out into the Sound Of Islay you take in the stark beauty of Jura on one side versus the white painted walls of the distillery on the other.

Before the road to the distillery was completed, the pier was the heartbeat of the site being where all good arrived and departed from, not just the whisky. The islands were all connected by small coastal steamships called puffers that plied their trade along the west coast of Scotland. Nowadays with the advent of trucks, tankers, and much larger ferries the need for the puffers is gone though a handful do remain seaworthy.

It was only in 1979 with the release of the 12yo that the malts of Bunnahahain started to gather prominence with the past 45 years seeing many range extensions and limited editions coming to market.

Bunnahabhain along with Bruichladdich has for many years been the favourite of the Ileachs (locals), both in their almost unpeated format that surprises many. The whisky has also been the foundation for the Black Bottle blend, another of Scotland’s underappreciated whiskies.

Let’s head back to the sea end of the pier with glass in hand and admire the distillery buildings. Hugging the coastline on the eastern seaboard of Islay it misses out on many of the storms that role in from the Atlantic every year. Protected by nature and by man Bunnahabhain remains one of Scotland’s most iconic islands.