Bunnahabhain 18

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 completely 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 of the 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 – although it isn’t for the faint-hearted, especially when you encounter a HGV full of whisky coming the other way! 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 (which also release Ledaig). The core range has been expanded to include several additional age statements and no-age expressions, alongside an ever-changing roster of special editions – often from exotic casks sourced from around the world. These have combined to give Bunnahabhain its deserved reputation as an exciting, yet traditional Islay distillery which means you're 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 Bunnahabhain 18 frequently seen as one of the best core range whiskies on the market. It’s made in batches and therefore has been accused of varying quality depending on which one you get. In most cases this tends to take the form of some batches being a little flat compared to others, but I’ve never seen anyone claim one was bad. For what it’s worth I don’t have an issue with batch variation. Single malt whisky is always going to be a batch product blended from whichever casks they have at a given time. If anything the differences between batches should be celebrated more than criticised. If you want something to be the same each time you drink it stick with a decent beer.

I can’t see a clear guide online to interpreting batch numbers so any comments on how to do so are welcome. This bottle appears to have the code 22187 and was purchased in the summer of 2023. As with all 18yo releases, this is matured exclusively in ex-sherry casks, although we do not get any more information as to the type of sherry used. This batch is bottled at 46.3% and is non chill-filtered and of natural colour. Prices in the UK are now at a whopping £125, although it is frequently on sale at about £105. Around the world prices seem to vary massively, with the US and Canada being especially ripped off compared its competitors with recent prices apparently approaching $300, which is insane.

The Neck Pour

The smell is incredible. It’s outrageously rich, like raisins soaked in thick syrupy sherry. I recently had a half bottle of a 30 year old Pedro Ximenez and this is on the same level of syrupiness. While Bunnahabhain don’t say what kind of sherry cask is used, it would be a surprise if there wasn’t a decent whack of PX included. But there’s more, there’s also a roasted nuttiness mixed with nutmeg and mace. Put simply it’s like putting your head into a bowl of freshly mixed Christmas mince meat. This isn’t unusual for Bunnahabhain, with their entry level Stiureadair having the same basic profile. However this is a hundred times stronger. Put simply, it’s easily one of the nicest things I’ve ever smelt.

The arrival in contrast is much more subtle. There’s a freshness of green apple that is slowly overtaken by the sherry. But those sherry notes are not the syrupy PX influence that’s expected. Instead it’s dryer. Not as dry as a Fino, but closer to an Oloroso or Palo Cortado.  Because of this I’m not getting enormous amounts of sweetness. Instead there’s a charred nuttiness that’s followed by a burst of salt on the back of the palate before the oak comes through on the finish.

What strikes me more than any of the above is how smooth and harmonious this dram is. I have to confess I don’t spend a huge amount of time drinking bottles of this age anymore due to cost, so I’ve partly forgotten that extra dimension that comes with this length of maturation. it’s something I didn’t realise I missed until I had it back.

But in addition to that harmony there’s also a density of flavour that I suspect will open up with time. One thing that’s for sure is that it needs a lot of time in the glass to reach its full potential. On that note, it’s easy to become distracted by the way it coats the glass. All whiskies do this of course, but rarely do you get one that’s as thick and oily as this. Again hinting that that rich sherry syrup. 

The Body

Now it’s opened up a bit it’s even better with that green apple making its way onto the nose in addition to the arrival. But it’s still that bitter nuttiness that leads on the palate which then works to dry the mouth followed by a kick of mint. Then comes the sweetness and spice of the char. What strikes me more as time goes on is just how drinkable this is. While it’s still a nudge over 46%, it drinks like a far lower volume. There isn’t much more than a hint of alcohol burn to be found.

I also made what I now consider to be the rather generous mistake of offering this to my tasting group. Naturally it won easily on the night, but I’m now very sorry to have exchanged almost half a bottle for lessor whisky in doing so. But at least more people got to enjoy it.

Final Thoughts

There’s a very obvious problem with this whisky: It’s far too good, and as a result is becoming rather expensive. As noted above it’s possible to get it on sale in the UK, but availability is also low so you need to be lucky at the right time of year for the stars to align. Given the success Bruichladdich recently had at launching their new 18yo at £150 (although I note that stock is yet to disappear. Which suggests that maybe it isn’t selling as much as they would hope), I fear that it won’t be long before Bunnahabhain work out that a similar retail price is possible for them too.

As I finish the bottle, I’m not getting any more notes than what’s described above. I am however, already keeping an eye on auction houses and websites to see when it comes into sale again. I might even pick up two if can be so lucky.