Bunnahabhain 12yo cask strength [2023 Edition]
- Triple Tipple
- Aug 19
- 4 min read
The Maker
Bunnahabhain is one of the great Islay distilleries. Founded in 1881 on the shores of the Sound of Islay overlooking Jura, Bunnahabhain (meaning ‘mouth of the river’) has its roots in the original Islay Distillery Company. For decades the distillery was cut off from the rest of the island, with the only way in and out being by sea – hence the image of a helmsman which can still be found on the distillery logo. During those years many distillery workers lived on site in a series of small stone cottages which are now part of the expanded distillery site. This all changed in the 1960s when a single track road was finally constructed that is still in use today. The road allowed Bunnahabhain to significantly increase production. This was quickly followed by the launch of the 12yo expression in the late 1970s which firmly placed the distillery on the world stage, and is still the centre of its core range today.
These days Bunnahabhain is under the ownership of Burn Stewart/Distell Distillers which also own Deanston and Tobermory/Ledaig. The core range has been expanded to include several additional age statements and non-age expressions, alongside an ever-changing roster of special editions – often from exotic casks. These have combined to give Bunnahabhain its deserved reputation as an exciting, yet traditional Islay distillery which means you are likely to find several bottles on any Islay loving whisky shelf. While the majority of the products are unpeated (itself unusual for Islay) there remains a peated line released under the Staoisha name. In recent years more Bunnahabhain has been making its way into ‘unnamed Islay malts’, offering some competition to a market that has traditionally been dominated by Caol Ila. However this production is thought to only make up a very small part of the three and a half million litre production capacity they are capable of.
The Expression
The 12yo Cask Strength release has become an annual treat from Bunnahabhain. This one is from 2023 and is a full maturation in ex-sherry casks. It is not clear what kinds of sherry were used. It is a very punchy 60.1% and as you would expect is non-coloured and has not been chill-filtered. When it came out it could be got in the UK for around £84 ($113US), but has sadly long since departed retail shelves for reasonable prices.
The Neck Pour
Wow this is a proper sherry bomb! There are all kinds of sherry flavours here, from a dry nuttiness through to the richest of raisins. It all amounts to a sumptuous Christmas pudding laced with marzipan, hazelnuts and winter spices. It immediately puts me back in the world of the amazing 18yo I reviewed a few years ago.
All of this follows through to the palate. Despite its strength it drinks, at least initially, closer to a 50% than over 60%. It does have more fire than the 18yo as you would expect, but this is never overpowering. I do wonder where this can go from here as I do not want it to change.
The Body
After four months on the shelf and a good half of the bottle gone for a tasting session the sherry still leads, but it seems to come in waves of flavour. There is the sharpness of a Manzanilla, the bitterness of a well balanced Oloroso, and then the deep date-syrup of a PX. Rarely are these all got in one go.
Again this continues to the palate where the flavours have opened up to include a big dose of caramel. Even more winter spices and hazelnuts. And even a good dose of dark roasted coffee beans on the finish. The only time I have had such a wavy experience with flavour in the past was with a GlenAllachie 10yo Cask Strength - Batch 6 that I reviewed several years ago.
With this time on the shelf it has also started to taste its strength. It is now a whisky that slaps you around the face in all the right ways, but works just as well with a little water.
Final Thoughts
Somehow I have managed to make this bottle last a total of eight months, despite it clearly being one of the best whiskies I have had in a long time. Over that time the flavours have only intensified on the nose and palate. Now it is firmly in PX territory with dark chocolate joining the caramel and coffee notes. Through this the nuts and spices have remained to create something very special indeed.
I got this bottle for a tasting I hosted with my whisky club. We called it the 'Champion of Champion' evening where I sourced bottles from our top six distilleries (based on scores) over the first five years of our group. Unsurprisingly this bottle scored an easy victory, and as such is the last entry added to this blog. For anyone interested the other entries, in the order they finished, were:
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