Bunnahabhain 2004 MacPhails Collection

Young enough, old enough.

Bunnahabhain Distillery was constructed in 1881 by the Greenlees Brothers on the island of Islay where the Jura peninsula reaches out to meet it across the Sound of Islay. While most distilleries write paragraphs about the smallest historical detail, Bunnahabhain doesn't talk too much about their past. Most of the history and reputation is written nowadays by Ian MacMillan, their master distiller.

Under Ian’s guidance, Bunnahabbain has transformed itself from a production-focused distillery to a quality-focused one. These days, chill-filtering is taboo, and so is coloring or anything else artificial. Other than that, Bunnahabhain is first and foremost an Islay single malt and that means smoke. Bunnahabhaim is kinda on the fence when it comes smoke, though. Some expressions are packing peat, some are much more sweet.

This contradiction can be felt with the Bunnahabhain 2004 MacPhails Collection as well. Although bottle says “heavily peated,” we reckon it’s still on the milder side compared to some Islay heavy hitters. The Whisky is part of Gordon & MacPhail's “The Wood Makes the Whisky“ campaign. The campaign focuses on the cask's input on the flavour of the dram.

The dram at hand has been matured for 8 years in refill sherry butts. The end result is an elegant, balanced Whisky. It's old enough to reveal its potential and personality, but young enough not to be pretentious. It lets you feel the oak, feel the salt water, feel the peat, but won't choke you with its intensity. If you're looking for a gateway into the world of Islay Whiskies, this is a wonderful place to start.