Bunnahabhain Eirigh Na Greine

Bunnahabhain Eirig Na Greine is the perfect dram for a cold winter day.

Bunnahabhain distillery was constructed in 1881 by the Greenlees brothers and first opened its doors in 1883. It's located on the island of Islay, with 11 employees and four massive stills – among the biggest in the industry, alongside Glenmorangie.

In this tale, the part of Prince Charming is played by Ian MacMillan. Ian is the Master Distiller for the Scotch Whisky arm of Distell Group, who own the Bunnahabbain distillery. 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.

First, this is a “travel retail” bottling. Experienced Whisky-lovers know that this means a full 1-liter bottle (as opposed to the 70 cl standard bottle) — basically, you get about 1/3 more spirit than the bottles sold down at the mega mart. Second, remember that it is an Islay Single malt, so the peat smoke is present. And you know… there’s always something about Bunnahabhain Whiskies that makes us think of a roaring fire on a cold winter day.

That said, Bunnahabhain Eirig Na Greine is a 46.3% ABV bottle of Islay Single Malt love. It is a limited edition mixed up by their master blender each year, so there are a bunch of ages and casks in there. But all of those casks are premium red Wine casks. This means that you get the body and texture without the extra sweetness of a Sherry or Port cask. So we say that this is a great Whisky to drink with a steak or roast and it is beefy enough to stand up to your favorite cigar.