Gordon & MacPhail's Bunnahabhain 8 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Gordon & MacPhail's Bunnahabhain 8 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Founded in 1881, Bunnahabhain (pronounced "BOO-na-HAven") Distillery is situated along the banks of the Sound of Islay in the Inner Herbidies archipelago. For over a generation, the distillery was only accessible by sea, and a large port, costing approximately 3,500 pounds at the time, was constructed in order to allow ships to unload barley and yeast near the distillery and load finished casks of whisky. While technological improvements have made it easier to get to the distillery over the last century, little has changed in terms of Bunnahabhain's distillation process. Bunnahabhain Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made from fresh Optic barley, which is lightly peated to approximately 3 phenol parts per million. Once the barley arrives at the distillery, it is milled and mashed with pure spring water drawn from the Margadale River. The water, which travels through an ancient bed of limestone, is transported by pipeline to the distillery and as a result, avoids travelling through the peatbogs of Islay. Once the barley has been mashed, it is fermented in washbacks made of Oregon Pine for nearly three days. While wooden washbacks are more expensive and difficult to maintain as compared to stainless steel washbacks, they absorb a portion of the heat generated during the fermentation process and thus, create a lighter and more rich whisky. Following fermentation, the wash is distilled twice, first through Bunnahabhain's copper-pot wash still and again through its copper-pot spirit still. Then, the heads and tails of the distillate are removed by Robin Morton, Bunnahabhain's stillman (Morton began working at the distillery in 1978), before the whisky is allowed to mature at Bunnahabhain's, seafaring warehouse. This beautiful Gordon & MacPhail bottling is crafted from 100% barley, aged for eight years in oak casks and bottled at a perfect 43% ABV. Pick up your bottle today!