Bunnahabhain 12 Year Cask Strength (2021 Edition)

Color: Bright amber. Nose: Tart berries, lavender, and apple blossoms. Also reminiscent of freshly stained wood with a pleasantly dry spice. Palate: I know they say it's not peated, but I could swear... Almost a lighter, more delicate highland smoke. Otherwise, the sherry notes are pleasantly subtle, with a fruited dryness and cinnamon. Finish: More of the sweet notes, with some brown sugar and toffee. The malt character is really clean and clear, and shines most here. Diluted: Opens up more of the sherry, with raisins and roasted nuts on the nose and candied dates on the palate. Finish is mellow and rich, but just a little shorter with water.

Nose: Orange, toasted oak, vanilla Palate: Dried fruit, sherry, cloves Finish: Dried fruit, baking spices Rich, fruity, spicy 7.5/10

Notes of apples, little spice. Med dark color Neat: complex notes of spice maybe a little citrus. Mellow after taste On the rocks: brings a little more sweetness out. Very good

I am going to spoil this review for you. I will start with an statement that will normally go on my conclusions about a single malt. That statement is: THIS IS A FANTASTIC, OUT OF THIS WORLD WHISKY. So, Bunnahabhain released on 2021 this 12yo Cask Strength expression, and it immidiately caught my attention. I searched for a bottle and bought it as soon as i found one; but i was keeping it to taste it along a group of people in my whisky masterclasses. Finally, almost one year later, i opened it, along other 3 fantastic whiskies, but this one impressed everyone. Bottled at 55.1%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is incredible. Starts with an artificial alcohol note like liquid paper, but then the chocolate takes control. Chocolate bathed raisins, dark cake and almonds. Cinnamon and wet paint. Barley, skin lotion, chocolate powder. Red fruits and mini oranges. On the palate, it is perfect. It is like a chocolate lotion. Strange but incredible. Acid prunes, pepper bombs and milk chocolate. It actually relieves you from any stress you might have. It is chocolate with chocolate, bathed in more chocolate. Nesquik formula. Aftertaste was simply sublime. Raisins; Crunch chocolate. Super dry, Cinnamon and a 100% pure dark chocolate. Overall, there is no reason why you shouldn't try this. Every whisky should be like this one. Incredibly well delivered, it is full of flavor and it is super enjoyable for a 55.1%abv single malt. Is this the best "Bunna" i habe ever had? Maybe it is. My score for it is an uncanny 97 over 100, and for the price it goes, it should be rated 10000 over 100.

“Bunnahabhain & Friends” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 15 June 2022. Whisky #4 Nose: Golden syrup, figs, prunes, liquorice, rum, leather, oak, soy sauce and some noticeable ethanol. It’s a wall of strongly sherry-cask driven aomas. Palate: After the intense nose, the palate has a surprisingly soft and gentle entry with dried fruits, malt extract, dark chocolate, salted mixed nuts, caramel, and espresso. The development starts suddenly with a hit of alcohol that is closely followed by emerging pepper and spice notes, tobacco, dark chocolate and bitter black coffee. The texture is dense and has an almost chewy quality. Finish: Medium/long. Dried fruits, coffee beans, dark chocolate, oak tannin. The texture becomes creamy in the aftertaste. This is a big whisky intended to appeal to lovers of intense sherry flavours at higher proof. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but that’s what it is. The profile is not particularly complex, but what is there is delivered at full volume and it does have balance, albeit a balance of heavy components. This is not just the regular 12 year old at higher proof. The casking is different and this expression contains noticeably more sherry (probably mainly oloroso but I would not be surprised if things have been spiced up by the addition of some PX). I diluted my tasting down to what I estimated was 46% and it tasted similar but different to the regular 12 year old, which is sweeter and shows more vanilla and lighter fruit. I enjoyed it equally both neat and diluted. I think, however that it would be fair to say that this whisky is how most enthusiasts (including me) would think the 12 year old *should* taste at cask strength. This all might sound like I did not like the dram but that’s not the case at all – I just don’t think it deserves the level of hype it has been receiving. It’s an agreeable whisky, but not outstanding. I almost bought a bottle. Is it twice as good as the regular 12? No. However it is more intense and has a larger personality. Is it worth almost twice the price? Yes, if the bold profile sounds like the sort of thing you enjoy and you like the 12 year old to start with then you will most likely find this delicious and consider it good value. I have the Bunnahabhain 12 and Stiùireadair expressions (which I consider different but equal) both at 83/100. This expression is "better" than those, but it does not quite seem like a "4 star" whisky to me. So ... “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)