Gordon & MacPhail Bunnahabhain 8 Year Old
  • Category Scotch
  • Country Scotland
  • Region Islay
  • Distillery Bunnahabhain
  • Age 8 Year Old
  • Style Single Malt Scotch Whisky
  • Alcohol 43%*
*please note that the ABV of this bottle may vary California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 WARNING.
  • smoky
  • chocolate
  • caramel
  • vanilla
  • apricot
  • fire
  • malty
  • sweet
  • honey

Gordon & MacPhail

Bunnahabhain 8 Year Old (0.7l, 43%*) *please note that the ABV of this bottle may vary

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Character Goatson
A mouthful name that stands for a mouthful of exaltation.

Bunnahabhain (pronounced the same way Ewan McGregor would say Guten Tag), which of course means "mouth of the river" in Gaelic, found its home on the remote briny coast of the remote Scottish island of Islay. It’s the most northern distillery, which should be enough for them to be knighted the King of the North (of Islay). The distillery was founded by William Robertson and the Greenlees Brothers in 1881. After a few difficulties that included the gale blowing two perfectly good boilers into the ocean, the first bottle of Scotch was filled in 1883.

Unfortunately, the distillery was closed in the year when E.T. came out, but they reopened it in 2002 with new plans and a twinkle in their eye. What’s their secret? Their source of water, which is the cool spring in the Margadale hills. When you taste their Whiskies, it’s like being on a boat: the smell of the sea and a whiff of peat smoke. Don’t tell a soul or this is not a secret any longer.

To experience all that jazz, one needs to taste the 8 year single malt. It’s like sitting by the fireplace in a stone cottage battered by a storm (the cottage is battered, not the fireplace, god forbid). Now this bad boy should be enjoyed either around Christmas for its smoky ember taste or maybe in the early evenings, but you are a goddamn grown-up and you can revel in this creamy dessert of chocolatey-tobaccoesque savor any time you please. This single malt Scotch is watered down to 43% and it's on the brink of being a handful. It teases us by putting one foot over the ledge, but it holds tight and tastes amazing doing it. Compared to its Islay compatriots, it's in a group of more gentle Whiskies. It's like Don Draper to a Tony Soprano; it won't punch you, but you can tell it's complex and flavorful. 
  • Category Scotch
  • Country Scotland
  • Region Islay
  • Distillery Bunnahabhain
  • Age 8 Year Old
  • Style Single Malt Scotch Whisky
  • Alcohol 43%*
*please note that the ABV of this bottle may vary California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 WARNING.
Appearance / Color
Honey, pale ginger. 

Nose / Aroma / Smell
Malt, chocolate, peat, vanilla. 

Flavor / Taste / Palate
Smoky, sweet, apricot, malt, toffee. 

Finish
Medium, smoky, lurking burn.
Flavor Spiral TM
About the Flavor Spiral
What does Gordon & MacPhail Bunnahabhain 8 Year Old taste like?

The Flavor Spiral™ shows the most common flavors that you'll taste in Gordon & MacPhail Bunnahabhain 8 Year Old and gives you a chance to have a taste of it before actually tasting it.

We invented Flavor Spiral™ here at Flaviar to get all your senses involved in tasting drinks and, frankly, because we think that classic tasting notes are boring.

Back to flavor spiral
  • smoky
  • chocolate
  • caramel
  • vanilla
  • apricot
  • fire
  • malty
  • sweet
  • honey
Dog Dogson's Smartass corner
Character Dogson
Whisky distilling goes way back to 1494 when the first recorded batch was made by a posse of monks who acquired about 60 gallons of barley and decided to turn it into "aqua vitae". They created the first 1,500 bottles of Scotch in History.
It yielded 750 bottles, to the delight of fans and collectors around the world, with a special presentation box and artwork to celebrate. This is one of our favorite stories of all the distilleries we have surveyed.
Scotch Whisky is seldom aged in new barrels. Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey casks are usually used for maturation. In addition to that, Whisky is often matured or finished in various wine casks such as Sherry or Port.
Scotland is home to more than 20 million casks of maturing Whisky. That’s four for every person living there. Nuts!
First-class Whiskies are taxed not only by the state but also by the angels. This refers to the 4% of Whisky that evaporates from the barrels every year, a phenomenon known as the angel’s share.
Beer and malt Whisky seem to have quite a bit in common. Both drinks begin with malted barley, which deliver the enzymes and sugars needed for fermentation when steeped in hot water. The two go their separate ways at the wash stage, where they're fermented or aged to become the adult beverages you know and love.
Similar drinks
Dog Dogson's Smartass corner
Character Dogson
Whisky distilling goes way back to 1494 when the first recorded batch was made by a posse of monks who acquired about 60 gallons of barley and decided to turn it into "aqua vitae". They created the first 1,500 bottles of Scotch in History.
It yielded 750 bottles, to the delight of fans and collectors around the world, with a special presentation box and artwork to celebrate. This is one of our favorite stories of all the distilleries we have surveyed.
Scotch Whisky is seldom aged in new barrels. Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey casks are usually used for maturation. In addition to that, Whisky is often matured or finished in various wine casks such as Sherry or Port.
Scotland is home to more than 20 million casks of maturing Whisky. That’s four for every person living there. Nuts!
First-class Whiskies are taxed not only by the state but also by the angels. This refers to the 4% of Whisky that evaporates from the barrels every year, a phenomenon known as the angel’s share.
Beer and malt Whisky seem to have quite a bit in common. Both drinks begin with malted barley, which deliver the enzymes and sugars needed for fermentation when steeped in hot water. The two go their separate ways at the wash stage, where they're fermented or aged to become the adult beverages you know and love.
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