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.

A Bunnahabhain distilled in 1988 and bottled in 1998 by Gordon & MacPhail, one of Scotland’’s oldest independent bottlers. Gordon & MacPhail was founded in Elgin in 1895 by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail. As was often the case at the time, the business started out as a delicatessen and wine merchant. In 1915, John Alexander MacPhail retired and a new partner joined the business, John Urquhart. He was joined by his son George in 1933, a few years after James Gordon died in a car crash. Gordon & MacPhail works with many of Speyside’’s leading distilleries, from whom it has accumulated considerable stocks. It is also licensed to bottle whiskies for many of them, including Glen Grant, Linkwood, Mortlach, Macallan and Glenlivet. The business really took off in the 1970s, acquiring distributors in a huge range of countries and selling casks to several Italian bottlers in selections that would become legends in their own right. Gordon & MacPhail is still run by the Urquhart family today, from the same building, and is one of the most iconic bottlers in the industry, with incredible stocks of sometimes very old whiskies.