Bunnahabhain Whisky 12-year-old 70cl

The island of
Imagine an island where the air is as pure as a mountaintop; an island of sparkling, crystal clear waters where Mother Nature is almost at home... soon your imagination will take you to a beautiful place called Islay, an island with seven distilleries, no two of which are the same. The Bunnahabhain 12-year-old single malt (pronounced "Bu-na-ha-venn") comes from one of these enchanting distilleries, where one of the island's most inviting drops is produced, affectionately known as 'the gentle giant of Islay'. This naming is partly due to the size of the distillery itself (hence giant) and partly due to the soft Islay smoke flavours at the heart of the spirit (hence gentle).

The distillery
The Bunnahabhain distillery sits peacefully on the sheltered north-east coast of Islay, overlooking the Paps of Jura (a range of hills on a sister island). This tranquil, secluded and unassuming area offers visitors peace and seclusion - an idyllic location for distilling Scotch whisky. The distillery was built in 1881, in the late 19th century, at the mouth of the River Margadale, from which the name is derived (Bunnahabhain means 'mouth of the river' in Gaelic). The water for this fine single malt comes from the Margadale spring, which rises just one mile north of Bunnahabhain in the fertile green valley. Although distilling began around this time, the Bunnahabhain 12-year-old single malt was not created until almost 100 years later (the first bottles for the trade were not bottled until the late 1970s).

The taste
The flavour profile of our gentle giant is completely unique and differs from the traditional smoke-heavy Islay single malts - this is largely due to the very restrained use of malted and peated barley and partly due to the fresh Margadale spring water, which is channelled underground from the peaty moorlands on its way to the distillery. Pour yourself a drop and you'll notice the fresh flavours permeating the air, after which some smoke is released, as if it has been trapped like a genie in a bottle. The captivating flavour is slightly fruity and nutty at first and as you get deeper into it, its malty sweetness reveals itself. With the same patience of our gentle giant, we wait with anticipation for the flavour to develop into a wonderfully rich, full and expansive finish.

TastingNotes:
Colour: Golden.
Aroma: Fresh, aromatic, sea air and sweetness, a hint of smoke.
Taste: Clean, light fruitiness, nutty, spectacular sweetness combined with malt. Elegant, hardly any smoke, definitely no peat.