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Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old Review

Bunnahabhain 18 is a flagship sherry-influenced Islay single malt offering a complex blend of sweet and savory notes without any peat. Ideal for whisky lovers seeking depth and character.

OVERALL RATING

8
$165
  • Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant with over a decade of experience in whisky retail and online whisky education. Best known for hosting Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, he is dedicated to making whisky accessible and enjoyable by cutting through jargon and complexity.
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Tasting Notes

About:

One of the flagship bottles from the Bunnahabhain distillery. A richly sherry influenced Islay single malt with no peat lurking around the smell, taste or finish.

Bottled at 46.3% like the rest of the Bunnahabhain and the Distell range, it is a wonderful expression of saltiness, sherry and some welcome savoury flavours to counter balance the sticky, sweet nature of heavily sherry matured whiskies.
Appearance:
Very Dark Orange
Nose:
All of the wonderful aromas of a Spanish bodega. Dry and sweet sherries that are rich with sultana, soaked raisins and apricots in their own syrup. A wonderful scent of orange wine wafts between the dry and sweet notes, really show casing the highs and lows in terms of the depth of the aroma.

The chocolate notes aren’t as prominent as I would have thought, there’s a touch of milk chocolate but nothing really powerful. The drier notes are so nutty and oily, it really reminds me of Amontillado and Oloroso sherries put together. A slight hit of Islay salinity just to round out those nuttier notes. You could easily mistake this for a HIghland or Speyside style.
Palate:
A little spicy to start out with, but that’s normal for something of this age and a higher ABV. It really opens up the palate to welcome in those still prominent dry and sweet notes of sherry – again we have the Oloroso and what feels like Amontillado, but it could just be Oloroso. Nutty, spicy, a little hint of salted chocolate, rosemary and some sweet sage are bouncing around the palate.

After a bit of time, the dryness really starts to stand out with this. You get some nice barrel spice, a touch of fizzy chilli spice, more of that coastal saltiness, and a lovely welcoming texture that coats the mouth.
Finish:
There’s the chocolate! Lashings of dark chocolate with hose wonderfully contrasting salt and nutty sherry notes. There’s some very fragrant notes of mint, rosemary, basil and sherry vinegar (in a good way) that leave you with lingering, slightly sweet but warming, savoury style of finish.
Comments:
Every time I’ve tried Bunnahabhain 18 year old, it’s always different. A batch I tried a few years ago on Whisky Wednesday was all about those big savoury notes, there was sweetness but not as clear as is in this one. It’s a wonderfully balance style of 18 year old single malt that could given any of them a really good run for their money. If you want a sherry matured whisky that is more than just sweet and 2D, this is the perfect one for you.

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.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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