Meaning Helmsman in Scots Gaelic, Stiùireadair, is the first Bunnahabhain release to pay homage to the Bunnahabhain Helmsman, who adorns every bottle. But our Helmsman is no mere icon, he is a reminder of our origins, a link to our past, and a symbol of our enduring appreciation of the sea by which we are surrounded.

To create Stiùireadair, our Master Blender has selected first and second fill sherry casks with spirit of varying ages and warehouse locations to construct a dram that truly exposes the coastal nature of the Bunnahabhain single malt whisky, whilst not losing the sherry influence everyone knows and loves in the famous 12 year old.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber Gold

Nose: Dried fruit and creamy caramel with hints of brine, vanilla, nuts and a touch of spice.

Palate: Creamy mouth feel with a dried fruit influence, sea salt, creamy caramel with hints of nuts and a gentle spice.

Finish: Long and lingering with hints of dried fruit.

Forty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, George A. Dickel was born in a rural town in eastern Tennessee. By 1867, Dickel was an established Nashville merchant but moved his family to the city of Tullahoma (situated in south-central Tennessee), where he purchased the Cascade Hollow Distillery. After working tirelessly at the distillery, Dickel declared that his spirits were of equal quality to the finest scotch, and followed in the Scottish tradition of spelling whisky without an "e". While George A. Dickel Distillery was forced to close its doors as a result of Prohibition, it was rebuilt in 1958 by Master Distiller Ralph Dupps. To ensure the whisky's authenticity, Dupps obtained the original manuscripts in which Dickel detailed his unique recipe and distillation processes. Today, Master Blender and distiller Nicole Austin carries on the tradition of excellence that has made Dickel whisky a symbol of quality for over a century. George Dickel Hand Selected is their private barrel program. The sour-mash whiskey employs the Lincoln County Process, which is a type of charcoal filtering that is typical of Tennessee whiskey. This expression was aged for 9 years, then bottled at 103 proof, making for an exceptionally well-balanced single-barrel whiskey. 

The fighting 69th has long celebrated its Irish heritage, and in this tradition, we bring you their first Irish Whiskey. In the 19th century, Irish whiskey was the most popular spirit in the world, and today, it is the fastest growing whiskey category in the world. This fine whiskey is a tribute to the Irish-American spirit and a perfect tribute to America’s own Irish Brigade!

We use only the finest high quality distilling grains. Our mash bill consists of the finest barley and malted barley, which gives Irish whiskey its unique and distinctive character. We use a variety of mash bills and complete the minimum 3 year aging process in bourbon casks. We then create a variety of distillates using unique secondary cask finishing.

Our whiskey is triple-distilled in handmade copper pot stills, uniquely designed for maximum vapor and copper interaction. Our Fighting 69th Irish whiskey is a unique and superb blend of three distinct distillates, which undergo separate finishing processes. We then choose which finishes, in the right proportions, create the optimal blend.

All of our whiskies are matured in once used bourbon casks for a minimum of 3 years. We then secondarily finish our whiskies in a variety of other casks, including Single-Char casks, Double-Char casks, Oloroso Sherry casks, Rum casks, and Port casks. This uniquely finished blend results in a fine distillate that is both of robust character and a full smooth finish, a fitting tribute to the Fighting 69th Regiment!