Making the experience of super-luxury spirits crazily affordable and accessible!
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- Suggested retail price: $399
- Thursday, June 11 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring a one-ounce pour for $12
Bunnahabhain is one of our favorite distilleries in Scotland. It stands on the shores of The Sound of Islay, which separates Islay from Jura on the east. The ship that seems to be waiting there has been there since 1974, when it ran aground on the rocks. Tourists once bought Bunnahabhain (‘Boon-a-havn’) (or more affectionately 'Boon-a-hubby') almost by mistake. For a certain period it was the top selling brand at the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre in Edinburgh. It is one of the soft Islay malts, founded in 1881 – the same year as Bruichladdich – and for the same reason: to meet the rising demand for whisky for the blending industry. Due to the isolated nature of the zone, the first owners had to build roads, houses and grocery shops for the distillery workers, as well as a school for their children. Bunnahabhain became an example of a self-sufficient community.
The malt whisky produced on the isle of Islay are generally pungent and salty. Since 1883, Bunnahabhain has contradicted this commonplace. They produce a smooth almost winey whisky, with an impressive constancy and regularity. A few years after the construction of Bunnahabhain, the owners joined up with two other distilleries, forming Highland Distilleries. They closed for a short period in the early eighties and re-opened almost immediately. Since 1963 Bunnahabhain has operated two pairs of stills. (For Whisky Lovers)
I look forward to sharing a glass with you Thursday, beginning at 6:30 precisely.