Bunnahabhain (pronounced boo-na-hav-en, Gaelic for "mouth of the river") is Islay's great contrarian. Founded in 1881 by the Greenlees brothers at the mouth of the Margadale River on the island's remote northeastern coast, it was accessible only by boat until a single-track road arrived in 1960 — and while every neighbor built a reputation on peat, Bunnahabhain made its name on unpeated, sherry-matured whisky where the coastal salt and oily distillery character lead instead of smoke. It runs some of the tallest stills on Islay, and since 2010 the core range has been bottled at 46.3% ABV, non-chill filtered and natural color, which is why it's so consistently cited as one of the best-value integrity bottlings in Scotch. The lineup starts with Stiùireadair ("helmsman"), the no-age-statement sherried entry point, then climbs through the flagship 12 Year, the widely acclaimed 18, and the 25 and 40 Year at the top. The distillery does make peat when it wants to: Toiteach a Dhà layers assertive smoke over 75% Oloroso casks, and Ceobanach goes further still. Add a steady stream of limited editions and cask finishes, and there's real depth here for anyone who thinks they've mapped Islay.

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