[ad_1]
Bunnahabhain Distillery (pronounced ‘bunn-na-ha-venn’) on Islay is one thing of an outlier in comparison with the opposite distilleries on the island. While Islay is legendary for its closely peated malts (see Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Port Charlotte), Bunnahabhain’s foremost output is unpeated malt and has been for a few years. With its notable use of sherry casks for maturation Bunnahabhain whisky is Islay’s reply to the Speyside ‘sherry bomb’.
One such sherry bomb from the distillery is the Bunnahabhain 1968 Auld Acquaintance, which is revered by legendary scotch whisky reviewer, Serge Valentin. So, this week on Scotch Whisky Legends, I assumed I’d delve into the ‘unpronounceable malt’, and what makes the 1968 Auld Acquaintance so particular.
The Bunnahabhain 1968 Auld Acquaintance
The Bunnahabhain 1968 Auld Acquaintance was distilled on thirty first December 1968, and bottled in 2002 in celebration of Hogmanay, one of many greatest annual celebrations in Scotland.
On the packaging of the bottle, Bunna has talked about a number of the important occasions to occur in Scotland within the interval between the whisky’s distillation and its bottling. Such occasions embody:
- The 1973 retirement of Scottish racing driver, and three-time Method One World Champion, Jackie Stewart
- The 1981 launch of ‘For Your Eyes Solely’ by Scottish singer, Sheena Easton, for the James Bond film of the identical title
- The dying of Scottish thriller novelist, Alistair Maclean, in 1987
- The opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995
Such occasions serve to point out simply how lengthy the whisky was maturing for: 34 years in complete. It was bottled at 43.8% ABV.
Serge Valentin’s Tasting Notes On The Bunnahabhain 1968 Auld Acquaintance
Serge Valentin sampled the Bunnahabhain 1968 Auld Acquaintance for the second time in January 2011, and it stays his favourite Bunna expression so far (based on WhiskyFun). Here’s what Serge needed to say:
“Color: amber.
“Nostril: actually an ideal, pretty delicate however fairly assertive sherry, beginning with some flints and touches of earth and unfolding with espresso, chocolate, prunes, raisins and lots of different dried fruits. What’s significantly attention-grabbing is that there are additionally coastal notes behind the sherry, which doesn’t occur too usually. Aside from that, now we have additionally numerous herbs and teas and simply faint touches of tar and liquorice. In brief, it’s each wealthy and delicate and jammy and coastal.
“Mouth: a good suggestion of perfection. An incredible punch at 43.8% and a richness that’s all the things however cloying, as if the coastal notes stored lifting the entire to ‘elegant ranges’ whereas it’s nonetheless fairly large. Nicely, I do know what I imply. Many dried fruits, herbs, nuts and a faint saltiness.
“End: very lengthy, balanced, fruity… Notes of strawberries.
“Feedback: benchmark sherried whisky, filled with… fullness however not heavy. Once I first scored this child in 2002, I got here up with a 93-mark. I’m not removed from pondering it’s quite price 94 however for the sake of simplicity, let’s preserve it ‘low’. In spite of everything, it’s now change into an ‘outdated and unobtainable’ bottling. 93 factors.” – Serge Valentin, WhiskyFun.com, January 2011
Public sale Costs
While nonetheless a relative rarity, the Bunnahabhian 1968 Auld Acquaintance has triple-figure public sale appearances, with 217 gross sales since November 2005.
In that point, the whisky has elevated in worth and now sells for round £1,400-£1,700, up from round £160 in 2005.
The present public sale report for the bottle is £2,841, achieved at a whisky public sale in Australia in 2022.
Behind The Auld Acquaintance’s Title
December thirty first is a public vacation in Scotland named ‘Hogmanay’. Associated to the New 12 months’s Eve public vacation, Hogmanay is the Scots phrase for ‘the final day of the outdated yr’. Scots observe a number of traditions throughout Hogmanay resembling ‘first-footing’, fireball swinging, and the signing of Robert Burns’s Auld Lang Syne at midnight. It’s for the lyrics of this tune that the Bunnahabhain 1968 Auld Acquaintance is known as. See the lyrics to the primary verse under:
“Ought to auld acquaintance be forgot,
And by no means dropped at thoughts?
Ought to auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o’ lang syne!”
A Temporary Historical past of Bunnahabhain Distillery
Bunnahabhain Distillery, established in 1881, is situated on Islay. Based by William Robertson, in partnership with the Greenless Brothers, the distillery’s title, derived from Gaelic, means “mouth of the river,” reflecting its location close to the Margadale River (its water supply).
Initially, Bunnahabhain produced peated whisky, typical of Islay distilleries, however quickly grew to become identified for its unpeated model, setting it aside from its counterparts. Right now, the distillery produces each peated and unpeated malt.
Bunnahabhain’s distant location posed challenges, counting on sea transport for provides and distribution. This isolation, nevertheless, additionally preserved its conventional strategies and distinctive character.
Within the Sixties, Bunnahabhain expanded its manufacturing capability, including extra stills and growing output. Regardless of dealing with durations of closure and adjustments in possession, the distillery survived the Nineteen Eighties Whisky Loch and continued to supply the Bunnahabhain 12 12 months Previous, which had been launched in 1979.
In 2003, Bunnahabhain was acquired by Burn Stewart Distillers, resulting in important investments in its infrastructure. The distillery continued to supply its signature unpeated whiskies, such because the 12 12 months Previous and 18 12 months Previous expressions and shortly added a 25 12 months Previous to the combination.
[ad_2]