An austere piece of Victorian architecture on the north-east coast of Islay, Bunnahabhain is a relative outsider on the island, traditionally known for producing an un-peated single malt. The majority of this was used for blending, as was its initial intended purpose. The distillery was shut for 2 years in 1982 following the market downturn of the period, and despite being revived at low production, it was eventually officially bottled as a single malt later that decade, with the self-deprecating tag-line, "the un-pronounceable malt." 

The 12 year old distillery bottling is an Islay favourite, widely recognised as the ideal introduction to the island’s whiskies as it has all the Islay flavours but with milder tones. This was the sole constituent of the Bunnahabhain core range for many years, eventually joined by an 18 and 25 year old in a rebranded core range in 2006.