Cover Andrew Brown, the distillery manager of Bunnahabhain, known for its unpeated whisky (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
Andrew Brown, the distillery manager of Bunnahabhain, known for its unpeated whisky (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
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We speak to Andrew Brown, distillery manager of Bunnahabhain, to find out the ins and outs of whisky drinking
Just off the coast of Scotland, in Islay, an island renowned for its peated whisky, lies a distillery known for its unpeated styles. Its manager, Andrew Brown, recently visited Malaysia to unveil Bunnahabhain’s 2024 Fèis Ìle Collection of limited edition bottles, including the 14-Year-Old Ruby Port Cask Finish and the 23-Year-Old Triple Sherry Wood Finish.
Having been with Bunnahabhain since 1988, we decided to pick his brains about the ins and outs of whisky. From the correct ways to drink it to what makes Islay whisky especially unique, here’s what you need to know about the spirit, according to Brown.
What’s the correct way to drink whisky?
Above A whisky tasting flight (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
A whisky tasting flight (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
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The way you want. There is no right and wrong way of drinking whisky. It really depends on where in the world you are and how you drink it. If I’m drinking it in Scotland, I’ll drink it neat. It depends on the whisky and depends on the alcohol. Most of the time I drink it neat. If it comes out of the cask, anything from 40 per cent all the way up to 60 per cent alcohol, I will try it neat, and I will try it with water.
For blended whiskies, any way. Ginger beer, lime, ice. There is no wrong way to drink whisky. In Malaysia, I believe you have it with ice. In Scotland, we would say “No, no ice!” Then again, we’re a lot colder but I drank it with ice last night and it was perfectly alright.
What’s the difference between peated and unpeated whisky?
Above Barrels of whisky at the Bunnahabhain distillery (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
Above Whisky from Bunnahabhain (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
Barrels of whisky at the Bunnahabhain distillery (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
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The barley, when it’s dried, has peat in it. Peat is—you have peat moss—I suppose its almost a precursor to coal. When you burn it, you get this unique flavour from peat. As a kid, we used it to heat the house and that was what it was for. It was a cheap, easy source of heat. That’s why it was used so much in the distilleries to dry out the malted barley.
Distilleries made their own barley, whereas now we buy pre-malted barley. Back in the 1800s, you made your own. In Islay, the easiest thing to get was peat. There was no oil and no coal. It’s that flavour of peat, just as you burn it, the barley absorbs it and that’s what it is. Unpeated just means it’s only had heat pass through it. No peat smoke.
What makes Islay whisky unique?
Above Islay, a small island known for its whiskies (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
Islay, a small island known for its whiskies (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
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So Islay is a small island off the west coast of Scotland. We’re 20 miles north of Ireland and we’re about eight to ten miles off the coast of Scotland. On that island, there are 3300 people. Maybe closer to 3000 now. On there, we have some world famous whiskies. There are nine, and now three are in development. They all do peated styles of whisky. Even Bunnahabhain started off as being peated. This peated style spread through the world.
The people who’ve been doing this since 1874 sort of put Islay, as a region in Scotland, on the map for scotch whisky. Folks began coming to Islay and this unique flavour that we have, this style, became well-known. Bunnahaibhain didn’t do that. We made this unpeated style of whisky in Islay. We now do some peated styles. That’s why Islay, as a whole, has this iconic reputation.
What’s your favourite Bunnahabhain bottle?
Above A bottle of the 14 Year Old Ruby Port Cask Finish (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
Above The 23 Year Old Triple Wood Sherry Finish (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
A bottle of the 14 Year Old Ruby Port Cask Finish (Photo: Instagram / @bunnahabhain)
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If I’m going to drink a Bunnahabhain and I’m drinking it every day, 18 year old. If I want something for a special occasion, I like the 25, I like the 30, but I like the 40. I have some really limited edition bottles. I do have a 40 year old, the first one we’ve ever done. I’m on my last bottle of it but it’s a couple thousand pounds a bottle.
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About
Chelsea is a Dining Writer for Tatler Malaysia. When she’s not eating or writing about eating, she’s probably deciphering which oat milks froth the best for homemade flat whites.
Work
Chelsea writes about where to find great food and is passionate about exploring the cultural significance of different cuisines.
