Whisky - UK (2020-05)

Distillery Focus Bunnahabhain

Issue 167 | Whisky Magazine 41

Opening pages:

Bunnahabhain

Distillery warehouse.

These pages,

clockwise from far

left top:

The mash room;

Sampling the

maturing whisky;

The still room;

The distillery;

Bunnahabhain from

the sea.

Just as Distell has invested in its

Tobermory distillery, so it is putting

•‹‰‹β‹…ƒ–⋐ƒ…‹ƒŽ”‡•‘—”…‡•‹–‘

Bunnahabhain as well.

ƒ”Ž›Žƒ•–›‡ƒ”ǡ–Š‡…‘’ƒ›

ƒ‘—…‡†‹–•‹–‡–‹‘–‘‹˜‡•–

£10.5 million in the Islay site, with

‹•–‡ŽŽǯ•„”ƒ††‹”‡…–‘”ˆ‘”ƒŽ–•‡”‡

…‘––Šƒ˜‹‰’”‡˜‹‘—•Ž›†‡…Žƒ”‡†–Šƒ–

Bunnahabhain had been “under-

invested in.”

Distillery manager Andrew Brown

explains that, “The distillery is almost

ͳͶͲ›‡ƒ”•‘Ž†ǡ•‘™‡†‡…‹†‡†–‘

—†‡”–ƒ‡ƒ…‘’Ž‡–‡’”‘‰”ƒ‡‘ˆ

upgrades and modernisation.

DzŠ‡™‡ƒ‘—…‡†–Š‡ˆƒ…‡Ž‹ˆ–

„ƒ…‹ʹͲͳ͹ǡ–Š‡™ƒ”‡Š‘—•‡”‘‘ˆ•

needed repair and in general, the

‹ˆ”ƒ•–”—…–—”‡”‡“—‹”‡†‹˜‡•–‡–Ǥ

But the upgrades that have been going

‘•‹…‡Žƒ•–›‡ƒ”ƒ”‡–‘‹’”‘˜‡–Š‡

˜‹•‹–‘”…‡–”‡ƒ†‘˜‡”ƒŽŽ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ˆ‘”

–Š‡–Š‘—•ƒ†•‘ˆ™Š‹•›ˆƒ•™Š‘™‡

™‡Ž…‘‡‡˜‡”››‡ƒ”Ǥ

Dz—”‹˜‡•–‡–‹•ƒ„‘—–ǡβ‹”•–ƒ†

ˆ‘”‡‘•–ǡ‹’”‘˜‹‰–Š‡‘’‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ

•‹†‡‘ˆ–Š‡†‹•–‹ŽŽ‡”›ˆ‘”–Š‡Ž‘‰Ǧ–‡”

ˆ—–—”‡ǤŠ‡’Žƒ•™‡”‡ƒŽ™ƒ›•–‘ƒ‡

ƒ˜‹‰ƒ–‹‘‘ˆ–Š‡•‹–‡—…Š‡ƒ•‹‡”ˆ‘”

visitors, and to do this, we needed to

†‡…Ž—––‡”ƒ†Š‡Ž’‘—”•–ƒˆˆƒ†‰—‡•–•

‡Œ‘›–Š‡”‡Žƒš‡†ƒ†”‡ƒŽ™ƒ›‘ˆ

—ƒŠƒ„Šƒ‹Ž‹ˆ‡Ǥdz

‹–Š™‘”‘‰‘‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ›‡ƒ”‘™ǡ

Brown says that, “Several warehouses

Šƒ˜‡ƒŽ”‡ƒ†›„‡‡”‡‘˜‡†ˆ”‘–Š‡‹”

•Š‘”‡Ž‹‡’‘•‹–‹‘ƒ†™‹ŽŽ„‡”‡’Žƒ…‡†

™‹–Š–Š‡‡™†‹•–‹ŽŽ‡”›˜‹•‹–‘”…‡–”‡

™Š‹…Š‹•…—””‡–Ž›•–‹ŽŽ„‡‹‰™‘”‡†‘Ǥ

Š‡•’ƒ…‡‹••‡––‘‹…Ž—†‡ƒ…ƒˆ±ƒ†

retail area, and will have stunning views

‘ˆ–Š‡„ƒ›ƒ†‘—†‘ˆ•Žƒ›Ǥ

“The renovation plans that begun

Žƒ•–›‡ƒ”‹…Ž—†‡†–Š‡”‡˜‹–ƒŽ‹•ƒ–‹‘‘ˆ

•‹š…‘––ƒ‰‡•‡‹‰Š„‘—”‹‰–Š‡†‹•–‹ŽŽ‡”›ǡ

ƒ†–Š‡’Žƒˆ‘”–Š‘•‡‹•–‘—•‡–Š‡

ƒ•Š‘Ž‹†ƒ›ƒ……‘‘†ƒ–‹‘ƒ•ƒˆ—”–Š‡”

™ƒ›‘ˆ‹–”‘†—…‹‰˜‹•‹–‘”ˆƒ…‹Ž‹–‹‡•Ǥ

DzŠ‹Ž‡‘–ƒŽŽ‘ˆ–Š‡‡™ˆƒ…‹Ž‹–‹‡•

ƒ”‡…‘’Ž‡–‡†›‡–ǡ™‡…ƒ‰—ƒ”ƒ–‡‡

that visitors will still have an

‡š…‡ŽŽ‡–‡š’‡”‹‡…‡–Š‹••‡ƒ•‘ǡƒ•

–Š‡”‡‘˜ƒ–‹‘•ƒ”‡…ƒ—•‹‰‹‹ƒŽ

†‹•”—’–‹‘–‘‘—”’”‘†—…–‹‘’”‘…‡••

and our tours.”

”ƒ††‹”‡…–‘”‡”‡…‘––’‘‹–•‘—–

–Šƒ–ǡDz‡ƒ”‡…‘‹––‡†–‘”‡†—…‹‰

–Š‡‡˜‹”‘‡–ƒŽ‹’ƒ…–‘ˆ–Š‡™‘”•Ǥ

Š‡™Š‹•›‹†—•–”›‹••–ƒ”–‹‰–‘„‡

more environmentally aware and our

ƒ…Š‹‡˜‡‡–‘ˆ”‡…›…Ž‹‰‘˜‡”ͻͻ’‡”

…‡–‘ˆƒ–‡”‹ƒŽ••Š‘™•ǡ™‹–ŠƒŽ‹––Ž‡„‹–

‘ˆ‡š–”ƒ‡ˆˆ‘”–ǡ‹–‹•”‡ƒ”ƒ„Ž‡™Šƒ–™‡

…ƒƒ…Š‹‡˜‡Ǥdz

‡•’‹–‡–Š‡†‡‘Ž‹–‹‘‘ˆ

™ƒ”‡Š‘—•‡•ǡ†”‡™”‘™‹•‡‡

–‘•–”‡••–Šƒ–ǡDz‡ǯŽŽ•–‹…–”—‡–‘‘—”

…‘‹–‡––‘–Š‡“—ƒŽ‹–›‘ˆ‘—”

•‹‰Ž‡ƒŽ–ƒ†ƒ••—…Š™‹ŽŽƒ‰‡ƒ

•‹‰‹β‹…ƒ–’”‘’‘”–‹‘ǡ‹ˆ‘–ƒŽŽǡ‘•Žƒ›Ǥ

ƒ”‡Š‘—•‡…ƒ’ƒ…‹–›™‹ŽŽ•–‹ŽŽ„‡ͳͶǡͷͲͲ

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