Bunnahabhain 18 Year

good. Better than most peated scotches I've had. The peat is subtle, which is nice. smooth.

More wood Takes away from the brilliant distillery character.

46.3% Unchillfiltered Natural color Nose: chocolate covered raisins but good ones; deep dark fruits like plum and fig; very dense and concentrated Taste: full, rich and mouth watering; big, sweet fruits take center stage like apple, pear, mango, currants pineapple and orange; chocolate; slight pepper, chili and spearmint and a whisp of faint smoke and brine. Finish: medium length; dark fruit slowly drying to a warm, rounded and drying spiciness along with chocolate and dark fruit and a hint of vanilla-frosted pastry. Value: $125-150 in the U.S. and worth it. Final thoughts: this is a deep, concentrated and complex dram which demands (and earns) your patience. The more time and focus you give it the more rewards are revealed. One of the better 18 year olds you can buy. Score: 4.5/5 Highly recommend buying a bottle

Delightfully smooth, not overly peaty.

This bottle was opened summer 2018 and finished on 1/16/19 Bunnahabhain OB 18 years old 46.3% ABV Bottled 2015 Price: 155 USD First time I tried this, my wife and I were having some Nookta Sound oysters (sweet Pacific oysters) with a flight of 18 year olds from Bunnahabhain, Glendronach, and Macallan. I felt the Bunna won, although the other two were delicious, and I was happy to overpay for a bottle in order to buy local. It turns out Bunnahabhain (12 and 18) pairs well with food, but isn’t as mindblowing when sipped alone. This 18 is fairly complex, with both sherry and bourbon influences strongly present, but the ordering of arrival is wrong. What I loved about the old Hightland Park line, before the Viking nonsense, is that the whiskies had a bourbon arrival, and then the sherry, before fading into a soft, flowery peat. The story is harmonious. Bunnahabhain 18 gives you a luscious Oloroso greeting with raisins and chocolate, before the bourbon notes of caramel and vanilla take over. Not that the individual notes are bad, but the story is backwards, if you know what I mean. The finish is spicy and woody, and really does spectacular with the right food pairing. Try a dark and salty piece of chocolate… or sweet Pacific oysters. At 120 USD, I would consider buying this again. Rating (price not a factor): 89 / 100 Purchase satisfaction (price factored): 3 / 5