End Date : Mar 20 2024 08:00 PM
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Bunnahabhain 1964 - 1990. 25 Year Old. Bottled by Signatory Vintage. Cask numbers 4852-4856. One of 900 bottles. 70cl. 46%. In presentation box.
A fascinating and significant historical dram from Bunnahabhain, this 25-year-old from the 1964 vintage was distilled shortly after the distillery moved from peated to unpeated production, and sensitive palates may catch a faint lingering phenolicity, presumably a residual note from the distillery’s pipes and holding vessels. Bottled at 46%, this lovely ‘inkpot’ dumpy bottling was an edition of 900 bottles released in 1990 from a batch of five sister casks, though Signatory bottled more of the same liquid in a handful of different subsequent bottlings.
Bunnahabhain was founded in 1881, the same year as the other traditionally unpeated Islay whisky, Bruichladdich. Bunnahabhain was owned by Highland Distillers for over a century; when Edrington took full control in 1999 the distillery was mothballed, and in 2003 Bunnahabhain was sold to Burn Stewart Distillers. Distell International bought Burn Stewart in 2013 after previous owners CL Financial went bust.
Highland Distillers bottled Bunnahabhain’s unpeated Islay malt whisky as a 12-year-old from the 1970s onwards. Burn Stewart added older expressions to the core range and now release many single casks and limited editions, some of which use peated Bunnahabhain, which has been produced since the late 1990s. In 2010 the bottling strength of Bunnahabhain’s whiskies was increased to 46.3% and colouring and chill filtration were discontinued; sales increased by 160% over the next ten years. Independent bottlings of both unpeated and peated Bunnahabhain are easy to find and generally high quality.
Signatory Vintage Whisky Company was founded by Andrew Symington in 1988 after a spell as assistant manager at the Prestonfield House Hotel, where he had the opportunity to buy a cask of Glenlivet 1968. A robust and canny businessman, Symington had soon acquired some outstanding parcels of casks from great distilleries, and quickly established a reputation among single malt fans for good value, high quality single casks, the majority of which were released at full strength.
Throughout the 1990s and beyond, Signatory released outstanding whisky from Ardbeg, Glenfarclas, Springbank and many more, with frequently remarkable examples of lost or obscure distilleries. Soon established as one of the leading new wave independent bottlers, Symington was also an early exponent of bottling whiskies without colouring or chill filtration, a policy that has also served Signatory well at their Edradour distillery, which was purchased in 2002.
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| BID | DATE | TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| £400.00 | 20th March 2024 | 07:21 PM | |
