Scotland, Isle of Islay. Distillery operational. Owner: Burn Stewart Distillers – Distell Group

Developed by the Highland Distilleries company in the late 19th century, before joining the Edrington group (Macallan, Glenrothes, Highland Park, Tamdhu) in the 20th century, Bunnahabhain was, until the early 2000s, only Islay's second malt to opt for an unpeated profile. A major supplier for blends (over 90% of production) such as Black Bottle, Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark and Scottish Leader, Bunnahabhain made a name for itself in 2002 with the releases of a magnificent 1968 vintage named Auld Acquaintance, a 1966 Feis Isle, a 1980 single cask and a black label 34 year old. It was a prosperous year for a distillery which until then had only a single expression, Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old, presented in a stocky green bottle and strongly influenced by its sherry cask maturation. Since being bought in 2003 by Burns Stewart Distillers (Distell group), Bunnahabhain has released numerous limited editions and finally made the most of its potential.

This Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old released in the 1980s remained the only permanent bottling in the official range up until 2006, when it was joined by the 15 Year Old and 18 Year Old. This particular version was released between 2010 and 2018, when the range was updated and the statement ‘small batch’’ added to the label.