Fèis Ìle 2022: Abhainn Araig

Abhainn Araig meaning ‘Araig River’ in Scots Gaelic, is a river located on our beautiful Isle of Islay. This feeds in to the Margadale River, the pure spring water source for all of our Bunnahabhain whisky. The Araig water is vital to the production process at the distillery, feeding cooling water for the condensers.

Abhainn Araig single malt is a marriage of Bunnahabhain spirit that has been matured in ex-Bourbon casks and ex-Pedro Ximenez Sherry Octave casks, made from the finest specially seasoned European oak. 

Octave casks are approximately on eigth the volume of sherry butts and, as such, are highly concentrated so were hand-selected by our blending team to push the boundaries of sherry maturation. Not all whiskies stand up to full maturation in sherry casks, let alone specially seasoned octaves. Bunnahabhain, however, really stands up to this challenge.

This special, limited festival whisky is quintessentially Bunnahabhain - unpeated, sherried, bold and complex. Bottled at 50.8% ABV with no-added colour and non-chill filtered.

Nose
Chocolate and powdered ginger sprinkled over a cigar box.

Taste
A velvety rich texture, initially creamy milk chocolate then sweet raisins and dried raspberries. Followed by notes of balsamic vinegar and honeyed macadamias come through.

Finish
Deep and rich, with dark toffee and a final spicy burst of cinnamon.