Three years ago I went on a whirlwind tour of Islay. Starting at Bowmore, they had a glamorous "clean" looking modern visitor's centre and reception greeting you straight from the street.

With water this whisky becomes far more lively. More dark fruits on the nose, with some nuttiness joining the party. More akin to walnuts than hazelnuts. There's a little bit of brine on the nose as well. On the palate, the brine continues alongside some baking spices and brown sugar. The figs and dates are still there but more subdued. The finish is a bit less tannic and pulling with a touch (about 1/4 teaspoon) of water added. This is very different from the 12. The coastal, gently smoky house style is ever-present, but this is much sturdier. I like it. The bran note here is really special, and I also enjoy the calm, but powerful wood notes. But when compared to the 12, there’s by far less dynamism here.I bought a bottle after hours of investigation of Bunna 18, I tried the 12 earlier this year and wanted to go for the 18, because it's widely said to be one of the best 18 out there. The 12 was ok, but the main thing about 12 is the alcohol note, it's a bit high. Finish: More bran, malt, and chocolate. The oak is powerful in a very controlled way. Big coffee, cherry wood, star anise, Irish Cream, molasses, and almonds. Palate: Medium body with an olorosa center. The barley tries its best to keep up but the sherry wins out. Stewed fruit (prunes, rhubarb) fruitcake, and Vermont dark maple syrup. The oak makes an appearance and spices begin to buzz. A tad salty. I'm gearing up for Sober September starting on Tuesday, September 3, ergo I'm trying to get through some samples this weekend. This review is of a 2012 bottling of Bunnahabhain's 18 Year Old. I'm assuming the abv is/was 46.3% though I may be wrong here. The sample was graciously provided by @ fiddich1980 Nose: As expected, this is briny and coastal, with soft smoke and rich caramel. Then we get some rather muffled dark sherry notes, mostly sultanas and dark fruits. There’s also ginger, blood oranges, cinnamon, wine tannins, molasses, dark chocolate, and damp leaves. A previous review mentioned bran, which is also a BIG part of this whisky.

We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets. Nose: Upon pouring I immediately get apples and spices. Sitting in the glass for a while it opens up to reveal raisins, red berries, (yep -typical sherry cask profile), along with sugared fruits. A bit like a stewed plum pudding. Sugared almonds are in there somewhere. Warm spiciness remains throughout. We deliver to a number of international destinations including the USA. Please use the 'Change Location' link above for an estimate in your local currency or find out more about international delivery One such magnanimous chap is Michael, who got in touch following my recent review of a Bunnahabhain, specifically one bottled independently under the “Staoisha” name. He wanted to know if I had tried the 12 Year Cask Strength expression, or the 18-year-old member of the core range. Learning I hadn’t, he made sure samples got into my hands, for which he has my heartfelt thanks. Bunnahabhain is a distillery situated on the north coast of Islay. The distillery was founded in 1881, and today it produces a variety of whisky styles. Bunnahabhain is best known for its unpeated whiskies, which are light and fruity in style. The distillery also produces peated whiskies, which are more robust and smoky in character. Regardless of style, all of Bunnahabhain's whiskies are renowned for their smoothness and balance.This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. Last year’s release has set quite a high bar for its successor. Let’s see if Bunnahabhain can turn in a repeat performance with this year’s entrant? Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Cask Strength 2023 Edition – Review

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. I don’t have a lot of formal experience with Bunnahabhain. I just reviewed another Bunnahabhain and so I thought this would be a good time to review something from the same distillery, so that I could get a better idea of the house style. This is my first review of an official bottling, and my third overall. I have @ Fiddich1980 to thank for this sample, which he gave me a year and a half ago! Sorry to wait so long to try it. If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. The nose promises more than the palate delivers. The bitterness is a bit overpowering of the other flavours.

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