Whisky - UK (2020-05)

38 Whisky Magazine | Issue 167

Distillery Focus Bunnahabhain

B

unnahabhain is one of

the trickiest Scottish

distillery names to spell and

pronounce (Boo-na-HAV-

uhn) and its name translates

from the Gaelic as ‘the mouth of the

river.’ The distillery was established in

the same year as fellow Islay distillery

Bruichladdich, with production

commencing two years later, in 1883.

Although all of Islay’s distilleries,

with the exception of Bowmore, are

comparatively isolated in location,

Bunnahabhain takes remoteness to a

whole new level, being situated at the

‡†‘ˆƒˆ‘—”Ǧ‹Ž‡•Ž‘‰ǡ—…Žƒ••‹β‹‡†

road, just outside the island’s northern

ferry terminal of Port Askaig.

The distillery’s spectacular site was

chosen by founders William and James

Greenlees and William Robertson for

the local availability of pure water

and high-quality peat, along with its

sheltered coastal location, which was

important in the days when Islay’s

distilleries were served directly by

sea. The remote site necessitated the

construction of houses for distillery

workers, a lengthy section of road, and a

pier to accommodate vessels supplying

the site. The total cost was £30,000, the

equivalent of £2.6 million today.

After distillery chronicler Alfred

Barnard visited Bunnahabhain in 1886,

he wrote that, “Ten years ago there

were but few distilleries in Islay, but the

encouraging demand for this valuable

make of whisky for blending purposes

encouraged further enterprise in the

extension of existing distilleries and the

erection of new ones. One of the most

successful of these new ventures being

the subject of our sketch.”

Noting that the distillery had an

annual capacity just short of 100,000

litres, Barnard added that, “The works

have a frontage towards the bay, and

…‘ƒ†ƒ⋐‡˜‹‡™‘ˆ–Š‡‘’’‘•‹–‡

shore, and the celebrated ‘Paps of Jura.”

The year after Barnard toured

Bunnahabhain, the distillery became

part of the newly-formed Highland

Distilleries Company Ltd, and remained

so until 1999, when The Edrington

Group took over Highland Distillers.

The increasing popularity of blended

Scotch, especially in the USA, during

WORDS GAVIN D. SMITH

Our man heads to one of Islay’s

most remote distilleries

WESTERING

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PICTURES THIS FEATURE BY CHRISTOPHER COATES AND BUNNAHABHAIN

038 - 042 - Bunnahabhain-WM 167 .indd 38 09 / 04 / 2020 09 : 58