PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Every Connoisseurs Choice release tells its own complete story right on the label — cask type, bottling date, strength, vintage, and tasting note, all laid out plainly, because that's precisely how George Urquhart built the range back in 1968. Referred to by whisky writer Charlie MacLean as "the father of single malt," Urquhart created Connoisseurs Choice at a moment when the overwhelming majority of Scottish spirit went straight into blends, giving lesser-known distilleries a genuine platform to be tasted and appreciated in their purest, simplest form. This particular release, batch 19/045, bottled specifically for the USA market, is a Bunnahabhain distilled in 1989 and bottled on October 24, 2019 — nearly three decades in cask — matured entirely in a refill American hogshead, and bottled at cask strength, 47% ABV.
Bunnahabhain itself sits on the northeastern shore of Islay, and it's genuinely the odd one out among the island's distilleries — where Islay built its global reputation on heavy peat smoke, Bunnahabhain has always leaned the opposite direction, producing a gentler, maltier, more coastal-mineral spirit with only the faintest whisper of smoke, if any at all. Gordon & MacPhail, founded in Elgin in 1895 and now in its fourth generation of Urquhart family stewardship, has spent decades sourcing and maturing casks like this one — evaluating each individually at natural cask strength, deciding cask by cask whether a whisky is ready to be liberated for bottling.
The official tasting notes for this exact release describe sweet honeycomb and vanilla aromas giving way to ripe banana and juicy pear, with an undertone of soft oak developing alongside red apple and light floral notes throughout. On the palate: smooth, with subtle traces of mint, red apple flavors, and sweet liquorice transforming into zesty lime, with malted cereal notes complemented by roasted hazelnut. The finish is medium in length, mouth-coating pear and lime with nuances of aniseed. This is genuinely singular whisky — one specific cask, bottled specifically for the American market, carrying a distinctly honeyed, fruit-forward character shaped by nearly thirty years in refill American oak.
Gordon & MacPhail was founded in Elgin in 1895 and remains one of Scotland's oldest and most respected independent bottlers, still family-owned across four generations of the Urquhart family. The company built its reputation sourcing and maturing casks from distilleries across Scotland, releasing rare and long-aged single malts under its own labels, and has since expanded into distilling in its own right through ownership of Benromach and, more recently, The Cairn.
Connoisseurs Choice was created in 1968 by George Urquhart, "the father of single malt" per whisky writer Charlie MacLean, specifically to give lesser-known Scottish distilleries a platform to be enjoyed as single malts, at a time when the vast majority of Scotch production went into blends. The range has since grown to more than 2,000 individual bottlings drawn from nearly 100 distilleries across Scotland, with every release telling its own complete story directly on the label. This specific bottling, batch 19/045, is a Bunnahabhain single malt from Islay, distilled in 1989 and matured for nearly 30 years in a refill American hogshead before bottling on October 24, 2019, at cask strength — 47% ABV, released specifically for the USA market. The whisky carries the lightest gold color.
No numerical critic score is confirmed for this specific release at this time.
Gordon & MacPhail (official tasting notes):
"Nose: Sweet honeycomb and vanilla aromas give way to ripe banana and juicy pear. An undertone of soft oak develops alongside red apple and light floral notes throughout. Taste: Smooth with subtle traces of mint. Red apple flavours and sweet liquorice transform into zesty lime. Malted cereal notes are complemented by roasted hazelnut. Finish: Medium; mouth-coating pear and lime with nuances of aniseed."
Nose
Lightest gold in color. Sweet honeycomb and vanilla lead, giving way to ripe banana and juicy pear. An undertone of soft oak develops alongside red apple and light floral notes.
Palate
Smooth, with subtle traces of mint. Red apple flavors and sweet liquorice transform into zesty lime, with malted cereal notes complemented by roasted hazelnut — a genuinely honeyed, fruit-driven profile reflecting nearly three decades in refill American oak.
Finish
Medium in length, mouth-coating pear and lime with nuances of aniseed closing things out cleanly.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Cask Strength |
| ABV / Proof | 47% ABV / 94 Proof |
| Distilled | 1989 |
| Bottled | October 24, 2019 |
| Age | Approximately 30 years |
| Batch | 19/045 (USA) |
| Cask Type | Refill American hogshead |
| Distillery | Bunnahabhain — Islay, Scotland |
| Bottler | Gordon & MacPhail — Elgin, Scotland |
| Bottler Founded | 1895 |
| Range | Connoisseurs Choice — created 1968 by George Urquhart |
| Colour | Lightest Gold |
| Markets | USA |
| Style / Identity | A honeyed, fruit-forward Islay single malt — gentle, maltier, and only lightly touched by smoke |
| Aromas & Flavors | Honeycomb, vanilla, ripe banana, pear, red apple, mint, liquorice, lime, malted cereal, roasted hazelnut, aniseed |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Best enjoyed neat, in a Glencairn glass, allowing the full complexity built from nearly thirty years of maturation to unfold. A few drops of water can help open additional layers.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
Your cart is empty
Start shopping
