Website with explanation of distillation process and the people who work there as well as a shop and details of the tours available. You can now also sign up for regular updates from the distillery by joining their North Star mailing list.
VisitingBunnahabhain has a Visitor Centre and is open for visitors seven days a week, but opening and tour times vary through the year, so check the website for details, tours should be booked in advance on 01496 840557.
Standard tours cost £7. Other Tours are also available - including a Warehouse Tasting with a bottle your own option. Check website for times/prices. Vital Stats
Bunnahabhain means the mouth (or foot) of the river, the Margadale River drains into Bunnahabhain Bay just to the north of the distillery.
Bunnahabhain was founded by William and John Greenlees, local farmers, and William Robertson of Robertson & Baxter in 1881, though production didn't start until 1883. The distillery soon merged with William Grant & Co (owners of Glenrothes, not to be confused with William Grant & Sons of Glenfiddich) to form Highland Distilleries, which was later to become Highland Distillers. Robertson & Baxter became Edrington, who with William Grant & Sons bought Highland Distillers in 1999 for £600m. Confused? Edrington sold Bunnahabhain to Burn Stewart Distillers (who already owned Deanston and Tobermory) in 2003. Along with their other single malts, Burn Stewart relaunched Bunnahabhain at 46.3% unchilfiltered in 2010. Traditionally, Bunnahabhain is an unpeated whisky, but peated Mòine spirit now accounts for around 20% of production - this was partly to expand the availability of peaty whisky for Black Bottle, but they have also released Toiteach and an even peatier travel retail product called Cruach-Mhòna (Gaelic for "peat stack"). Bunnahabhain is the home of the Black Bottle blend which includes all Islay malts. Burn Stewart were bought by South African drinks company, Distell, in April 2013. Distell also produce the excellent Bain's Cape Mountain Grain Whisky, but their most visible brand in the UK is Savanna Dry Cider. (Not to be confused with the West Lothian based Distell, who make Fish Freshness Meters). Malt Madness, Undiscovered Scotland, Wikipedia, WhiskyMerchants.co.uk Whisky Classified scotchwhisky.com |
Getting ThereClick the map's Google logo to go to Google Maps - for Directions, Street View etc.
Open Cycle Map Bing Map Caol Ila Jura Bowmore Bunnahabhain Distillery is about 4 miles north of Port Askaig. The track shown on the map linking the Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain roads is not a public road. From Port Askaig the second road on the right leads to Bunnahabhain - it's a rather longer trek than that to Caol Ila, but a pleasant ride in good weather, particularly if your journey along the narrow winding road, doesn't coincide with a tanker bound to or from the distillery! And now, you will pass the new Ardnahoe Distillery on the way! Port Askaig is one of the two ports on Islay served by CalMac from Kennacraig Winter Summer). Getting to Kennacraig? - see main Islay page. RangeThe core range is 12yo, 18yo, 25yo, all bottled unchillfiltered at 46.3%. A limited edition of 750 bottles of 40yo has been released at 41.7%. The peated NAS Toiteach (46%) (Gaelic for "smoky" - pronounced Toch Chach) is now also regularly available, and has been joined by a less peated Ceòbanach - "smoky mist" - pronounced 'kyaw-bin-och'.
Plenty of independent bottles available of both the standard Bunnahabhain and the peaty variety. RMW TWE MoM CyclingIslay Cycles 07760 196592
Run from a house in Port Ellen, so not a shop as such, but hire, sales, accessories and repairs available - see website/ring for further details. Brian Palmer 01496 810653 describes himself as "the only cycle repairer and spare parts person in Bowmore". Again run from his house. There's a load of cycing reated information on Brian's washingmachinepost website. See also islayinfo.com Bike Hire in Persabus (near Port Askaig on the road to Bunnahabhain) 01496 840753; Bowmore Post Office 01496 810366; Port Ellen 01496 302349.and Islay Cycles as above; Port Charlotte 01496 850488. Nearest Cycle Shops Lochgilphead (18 miles from Kennacraig), Oban Nevis Cycles 87 George Street, Oban 01631 566033 David Graham 13-15 Combie Street, Oban 01631 562069 Crinan Cycles 34 Argyll Street, Lochgilphead 01546 603511 |
Photos on this page were taken by me. Click on photo to enlarge. Full size versions of all my photos of Bunnahabhain Distillery are available on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynjenkins/sets/72157627524138522/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynjenkins/sets/72157627524138522/