Bunnahabhain : 18 Year Old

Characteristics and Tasting Notes for the Bunnahabhain 18 Years Old

Tasting

Nose
Distinctive maritime notes carried by the sea air, accompanied by subtle touches of smoke or iodine naturally derived from the waters of the River Margadale.

Palate
A palate that reveals the full complexity of meticulous maturation in sherry casks, marked by a deeply authentic saline and maritime character.

Other Characteristics
This single malt stands out for its unpeated profile, offering a genuine alternative on its home island. It is bottled at 46.3% ABV, without any chill filtration or colour adjustment.

A Great Islay Single Malt with a Maritime, Unpeated Character

Bunnahabhain: The Unpeated Exception of the Isle of Islay

Founded in 1881 on the island's remote north-eastern coast, the Bunnahabhain distillery embodies a singular approach to Scotch Whisky (Islay). Historically geared towards blends, it established itself as an essential reference thanks to its bold decision, initiated in the 1960s, to focus primarily on unpeated production. Its name, meaning "mouth of the river" in Gaelic, reflects its vital connection to the River Margadale. Equipped with a 1964 Porteus mill and one of the largest mash tuns in Scotland, the distillery continues to uphold traditional craftsmanship. Today, Bunnahabhain belongs to CVH Spirits (with a strategic minority stake held by the Italian Campari group), which continues to champion this unique maritime terroir, where the casks mature within reach of the sea spray from the Sound of Islay.

The Meticulous Production of the Bunnahabhain 18 Years Old

The Bunnahabhain 18 Years Old perfectly illustrates the distillery's modern philosophy and its commitment to authenticity. This exceptional Whisky is a Single Malt made from unpeated Concerto variety barley, sourced primarily from the Simpsons Berwick maltings.

The production method relies on deliberate wort clarity, achieved through a vast copper-topped Lauter-style mash tun. This technique extracts a lighter, more delicate character, fundamental to the house style.

This 18 Years Old is aged entirely on site, in traditional earthen-floored warehouses with thick stone walls, located right by the sea. This meticulous maturation in sherry casks, combined with the sea air the casks breathe, shapes the complexity of this Single Malt. Natural evaporation in this humid coastal climate results mainly in a loss of alcohol rather than water.

To capture the purest expression of this terroir, the spirit is bottled at 46.3% ABV, without any chill filtration or colour adjustment, offering a sophisticated alternative to the intensely peated profiles that traditionally dominate the island.