The Bunnahabhain Love Affair
Today is allegedly a special affair, according to my nearest and dearest; it's certainly numerically significant. Born on this day in 1963, a day when "Sweets for My Sweet" by The Searchers was number one in what we called the Hit Parade back then, 60 certainly seems a large numerical figure to lay claim to.
August 1963 was a significant month otherwise
The "Great Train Robbery" occurred in Buckinghamshire, England. A gang of robbers intercepted a Royal Mail train and stole £2.6 million (equivalent to about £50 million today).
The Berlin Wall was closed for the first time since its construction in 1961, preventing East Berliners from visiting West Berlin. Significant in the context of this subject as we visited the Berlin Wall for the first time this year.
American civil rights leader James Meredith successfully graduated from the University of Mississippi, becoming the first African American to do so.
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place, where approximately 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during this event.
The Hotline between the United States and the Soviet Union became operational, providing a direct communication link between the two superpowers during the Cold War to prevent misunderstandings and reduce the risk of nuclear conflict.
But let's return to Bunnahabhain and the need to establish a tale for the title. For my birthday, my dear brother sent me a bottle of Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair; he knows what I like, but significantly, upon receiving it, it propelled me backward through my memories to a visit to the Bunnahabhain Distillery on the Isle of Islay in 2018. It was a marvellous tour in our Motorhome, setting off from Ardrossan towards Brodick, a 55-minute ferry ride to Arran initially, then another ferry ride from Lochranza to Kintyre and Mull and Kintyre before catching the boat to Islay. This trip was one of our favourites, up there with the Outer Hebrides and the Isle of Mull as a place to visit. Once on Islay, we used our bikes to get around, and on one day pedalled to the Bunnahabhain distillery. To be fair, there are a number of distilleries on the island, and we did visit them all but not on the same day. Here’s a few pictures I took on this tour.
Among the numerous birthday blessings I received, and for which I am sincerely grateful, this one in particular, sparked a flood of memories, transporting me back to the beginning of my enchanting relationship with Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair and Islay. This delightful gift has reignited my passion, and I eagerly look forward to my next rendezvous with this beloved whisky.
Hope you have enjoyed this little birthday story.
