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Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Review

Is Bunnahabhain 12-Year-Old the perfect balance of savory and sweet? Dive into this Islay single malt's unique flavor profile to find out.

OVERALL RATING

8
$45
  • Mark Bostock, a whisky enthusiast specializing in independent bottlings.
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Tasting Notes

About:

The flagship release from Islay’s Bunnahabhain distillery, this 12-Year-Old single malt was originally launched in 1979. Matured in a mixture of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, since the Bunnahabhain brand was relaunched in 2010 the 12-Year-Old expression has been bottled at natural colour and is non-chill filtered, at 46.3% ABV.
Appearance:
Russet Amber
Nose:
Opens with notes of dark fruits, including raisins, blackcurrant, and plums, accompanied by a hint of sweet vanilla, before hints of clove and charred oak which leads into a slightly salty coastal note with a touch of seaweed. There are also notes of orange peel, liquorice, leather, roasted walnuts, and malt.
Palate:
Notes of sherry and dark fruits open on the palate. These give way a combination of malted barley and nutty flavours, led by roasted walnut. There is a savoury element as a salty maritime note gives way to earthiness and a combination of baking spices, clove, oak, and ginger. In the background, there is a note of slightly tart blackcurrant.
Finish:
Long, and slightly drying. Maltiness and earthy notes remain accompanied by slightly bitter blackcurrant. The coastal character is less apparent on the finish.
Comments:
This review is my first return to Bunnahabhain’s 12-Year-Old expression in quite a while. There is some batch variation with this whisky as I remember previous samplings demonstrated more sherry cask influence with stewed and dark fruits.

It’s the savoury element which sits front and centre on this batch, with some enjoyable bold nutty notes with malted barley and earthy spice. This is some sweetness, fruits, and sherry but these are more muted, as is Bunnahabhain’s maritime character at the finish. The score is probably closer to 7.5, but I enjoyed the savoury notes so it goes up to 8 out of 10.

For an entry level bottling, the Bunnahabhain 12-Year-Old demonstrates an engaging layered experience of fruits, sweetness, nuts, and spices balanced against a distinctive coastal quality. A whisky worth exploring against the more heavily peated expressions from Bunnahabhain’s Islay rivals.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Mark Bostock

Mark Bostock, an integral part of the Mark Littler LTD UK content writing team since 2019, brings a genuine passion for whisky, especially independent bottlings, to his work. His commitment to expanding his knowledge through attending tasting events and building his own collection enriches his contributions, blending expertise with enthusiasm.

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