By Andreas Lykke, The Daily Whisky
Bunnahabhain An Cuan Garbh No.1 is a 15-year-old Islay single malt from Bunnahabhain Distillery, finished in White Port casks from Portugal’s Douro Valley. It is the second release in the Westering Home Collection a three-part trilogy launched in 2025 with Turas Math. Bottled at 51.6% ABV with no added colour or chill-filtration, it is priced from £140 and available via Bunnahabhain.com, Master of Malt, Hard to Find Whisky, The Whisky Shop, and The Whisky Exchange with international shipping available through most retailers
There’s a moment when you open a whisky and it tells you exactly where it’s from before you’ve even taken a sip.
That happened with An Cuan Garbh No.1 from Bunnahabhain Distillery. We got our hands on this limited-edition 15-year-old Islay single malt the first release in the second chapter of Bunnahabhain’s Westering Home Collection and sat down to taste it properly at our local harbour. Here’s what we found.
What is Bunnahabhain An Cuan Garbh No.1?
An Cuan Garbh is Scots Gaelic for The Rough Sea. It’s not a name chosen lightly.
This release is the second in Bunnahabhain’s three-part Westering Home trilogy, which follows a narrative arc of a voyage back to Islay. The first release, Turas Math (Setting Sail), came out in 2025. An Cuan Garbh covers the middle passage: the open water, the rough crossing, the transformation that happens somewhere between departure and arrival.
It’s a whisky built around a journey and once you know that, it changes how you taste it.
Who makes Bunnahabhain, and why this distillery matters
Bunnahabhain (pronounced boo-na-HAV-en) sits at the northern tip of Islay, the Scottish island famous for its peated single malts. Founded in 1881, Bunnahabhain has always been the outlier: an Islay distillery that built its reputation on unpeated or lightly peated whisky, letting the maritime character of the location do the work instead.
The distillery is owned by Distell (now part of Heineken International’s spirits portfolio via Capeburn), and in recent years has leaned into limited releases and collector series with clear narrative intent. The Westering Home Collection is the best example of that direction: a three-part release built around a single idea, executed with specificity in both production and packaging.
If you know Bunnahabhain at all, you know the 12-year-old as an accessible introduction to Islay whisky without the smoke. An Cuan Garbh No.1 shows what the distillery can do when age, cask selection, and storytelling align.
Tasting notes: Bunnahabhain An Cuan Garbh No.1
Nose: Honeyed barley, coastal air, white peach, light beeswax, faint dried flowers
Palate: Beeswax, white peach, briney undertow, stone fruit lift, a restless floral quality that keeps shifting
Finish: Long and warm, oak, maritime character, something sitting right at the edge of salt and orchard fruit
ABV: 51.6%
Cask type: Ex-bourbon, finished in White Port (Douro Valley, Portugal)
Age: 15 years
Price: From £140
The cask finish that makes this different
At 51.6% ABV, this is not a quiet dram. But the most interesting decision here is the finish: White Port casks from Portugal’s Douro Valley.
White Port is an unusual choice for Scotch finishing. Where bourbon or sherry casks add familiar sweetness or dried fruit richness, White Port brings something lighter and more restless: floral notes, a gentle stone fruit lift, a slight salinity that sits underneath everything else. The result on the nose is honeyed barley and coastal air. On the palate, the natural strength opens up into beeswax, white peach, and a briney undertow that reminds you exactly where this whisky was made. The finish lingers with warm oak and something sitting right at the edge of maritime and orchard.
On an Islay whisky with 15 years already behind it, that White Port layer adds complexity without softening the character.
How we tasted it, and what the water does
We tasted An Cuan Garbh neat first, then with a small drop of water.
Neat, the 51.6% ABV holds its shape well. It’s warm but not aggressive, and the White Port influence comes through clearly. With water, the whisky opens up considerably: the floral and fruit elements become more expressive, the maritime quality recedes slightly, and you’re left with something almost delicate at its core. Both approaches work. This is the kind of dram that rewards attention and patience.
The bottle also came with a keepsake print from photographer Bill Baillie, whose work anchors the visual identity of this Westering Home chapter. It’s a small detail, but it signals that Bunnahabhain is thinking about this release as something more than a product. For anyone building the full trilogy, that matters.
Price, availability, and who should buy it
An Cuan Garbh No.1 is a limited-edition release priced from £140 for a 70cl bottle at 51.6% ABV. It’s available from:
At £140, you’re buying into something specific: an Islay malt with serious age, an unusual and well-executed cask finish, and a place within a larger three-part collection that’s clearly going somewhere interesting. If you picked up Turas Mathlast year, this is a natural companion. If you’re coming in fresh, it stands entirely on its own.
Who is this for: Collectors building the Westering Home trilogy, Islay fans who want something that challenges the smoke-first expectation, and anyone looking for a White Port finish done with restraint and purpose.
Who it isn’t for: Drinkers who want a heavily sherried or peated dram, or those put off by natural cask strength at 51.6% though water is your friend here.
The rough sea, it turns out, produces something worth the crossing.
Gifted | 18+ only. Drink responsibly. More information at Drinkaware.co.uk.
Frequently asked questions about Bunnahabhain An Cuan Garbh No.1
What is Bunnahabhain An Cuan Garbh No.1?
An Cuan Garbh No.1 is a 15-year-old Islay single malt from Bunnahabhain Distillery, finished in White Port casks from Portugal’s Douro Valley. It is the second release in the Westering Home Collection a three-part trilogy and is bottled at 51.6% ABV with no chill-filtration.
What does An Cuan Garbh mean?
An Cuan Garbh is Scots Gaelic for “The Rough Sea.” The name reflects the second chapter of Bunnahabhain’s Westering Home trilogy, which follows a narrative arc of a sea voyage back to Islay the open crossing between departure and arrival.
What does Bunnahabhain An Cuan Garbh No.1 taste like?
On the nose: honeyed barley, coastal air, and white peach. On the palate: beeswax, stone fruit, and a briney maritime undertow from the White Port finish. The finish is long and warm with oak and a balance of salt and orchard fruit. Adding a few drops of water opens up the floral and fruit character considerably.
How much does Bunnahabhain An Cuan Garbh No.1 cost?
An Cuan Garbh No.1 is priced from £140 for a 70cl bottle at 51.6% ABV. Prices may vary slightly between retailers.
Where can I buy Bunnahabhain An Cuan Garbh No.1?
It is available from Bunnahabhain.com, Master of Malt, Hard to Find Whisky, The Whisky Shop, and The Whisky Exchange. Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange both offer international shipping across Europe and beyond.
What is the Westering Home Collection?
The Westering Home Collection is a three-part limited series from Bunnahabhain built around the narrative of a voyage back to Islay. The first release, Turas Math (Setting Sail), launched in 2025. An Cuan Garbh No.1 (The Rough Sea) is the second. A third and final release is expected to complete the trilogy.
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