SMWS 10.207 WA-WA-WOOM! Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old

A 2008 vintage single cask expression of Bunnahbahain matured for 12 years in a refill ex-bourbon barrel. This expression is in the peated profile of the society, suggesting it is a Moine/Staoisha expression of Bunnahabhain. Bottled at 56.2% Abv.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Originally founded in 1983 by a small group of friends in Scotland, the Scottish Malt Whisky Society has grown to be one of the world’s premier independent bottling companies. With branches across the globe and over 30,000 members, the SMWS has established itself as the go-to for quality single cask whiskies. The society began its journey when a group of friends purchased a cask of whisky from the Glenfarclas distillery, intended to be shared and drunk as they saw fit. When a portion of the Vaults building in Leith became available the friends decided to set up a membership only society in the premises. Bottling that very Glenfarclas cask and labelling it “1.1” referring to the 1st distillery they bottled and the first release of said distillery. They continued to purchase casks and release them month by month, later dubbed “Outturn”. In 1995 the society would open their Greville St premises in London and 2004 the Queen St location in Edinburgh. Also in 2004 the SMWS was sold to Glenmorangie who were then purchased by Moet-Hennesy shortly after. In 2015 the society was then sold to a private collection of investors, now known as “Artisanal Spirits Company”.

With almost 40 years of experience bottling whisky under their belt it's no surprise that the Scottish Malt Whisky Society has seen the evolution of the worldwide whisky industry. As of 2021, the SMWS has bottled 150 different distilleries/styles of spirits including bourbon, cognac, brandy, armagnac, rye and even rum from brand new distilleries to those closed many decades ago. In 2021 the Australian branch of the SMWS selected the first ever Australian whisky for the Society in the form of a two year old Apera matured single malt from the Archie Rose distillery in Sydney. Shortly afterwards a six year old, also Apera matured, whisky was selected from Starward distillery in Melbourne.

Bunnahabhain

The most northern distillery on Islay, Bunnahabhain is situated right on the seafront and the isle of Jura can be seen in the distance from its pier. For the majority of its history Bunnahabhain was in the hands of Highland Distilleries company limited, being purchased in 1887 and only being sold to Edrington in 1999 when the companies merged. Production was essentially mothballed, but a few weeks of production were permitted each year until in 2003 Burn Stewart Distillers purchased the site. In 2014 Burn Stewart merged with South African giant Distell and Bunnahabhain remains in their possession, along with the Tobermory and Deanston distillery.

Production at Bunnahabhain is unique amongst Islay, typically producing an unpeated spirit for roughly 65% of the year, with the other 35% of production being their Moine expression. Moine is a 35-45PPM peated expression first distilled in 1997, but only really seen in the last decade. Bunnahabhain typically matures their spirit in ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks, although sherry maturation is preferred for their unpeated spirit. Significant emphasis is placed on the provenance of the sherry cask used, with many rare styles of the fortified wine such as Palo Cortado utilised. As bunnahabhain has spent much of its life under one owner it has one of the largest stocks of well aged single malts on Islay, able to age their spirit well into the later 40 years. Their core range offerings are consistent, with the 12, 15 and 18 year olds utilising sherry matured, unpeated spirit. Also of note is their ability to bottle a semi consistent release of 25, 30 and even a 40 year old expression. Yearly releases are important for Bunnahabhain with a number of cask finished expressions bottled for the yearly Feis Ile Islay festival as well as frequent wine cask releases.