CKarmios
Bunnahabhain 12 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
March 13, 2021 (edited January 4, 2023)
With a good blend, the master blender has put in a lot of work for you; the vatted malts and grains have been selected to work together and to produce well-meshed flavours, a homogenised bouquet of aromas. A good blend's flavourscape is like a sphere; regardless of the angle of approach, the flavour surface is presented the same.
On the opposite side, single malts tend to lean individualistic in character, presenting a more discreet set of flavours; sniffing and sipping over time, the drinker can more easily identify, classify and name individual flavours. Good single malts do this well. Better ones take it up a notch and release new and balanced notes as they breathe out in the glass, or are diluted with water. The top malts can give an impression of unfolding structure, indulge you to a geometrical mind game of flavours. Some malts present their flavourscape vertically, the unfolding taking place one peeled-back layer at a time, with flavours such as "Christmas cake", "tarty apple pie" and "smoked herring" used to describe each layer. Other malts present their flavourscape horizontally, in a series of columns, inviting the drinker to go back and forth, one column at a time.
Bunnahabhain 12 is one such "horizontally-orientated" top single malt. There are flavour columns of fruit, spice, herb and nuts, all bound together by a circle of Islay sea salt.
On the nose, the Column of Fruit shows up with dried plums, figs, and darkest of raisins. At the top of the column there's a bunch of overripe but still fresh pinot noir grapes.
The Spice Column is prominent and stacks up clove and nutmeg, a most enticing spice mix of cumin, thyme and ginger, and a couple of vanilla pods perched right at the top.
Right next to it stands the Column of Herbs, not as tall as Spice, but wider, with heather, fennel and Alfalfa hay, recently cut.
The Column of Nuts is short and thin but elegantly made; it gives out waxy walnuts, blanched hazelnuts, and cleaned and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Bunnahabhain 12 is unchillfiltered and it shows in the mouthfeel with a soft, full and engaging texture.
The arrival on the palate is of a sweet intensity, similar to that of a PX sherry, but only for a second; the tongue quickly recovers from that initial shock, flattens the sweet, amplifies the bitter and salty, until a balance is reached midway through, a warming malty development that includes dark fruit, wood spices, a touch of pepper and tendrils of smoky nothingness - this last is either a semblance of peat, or the mind is playing tricks from knowing this to be an Islay dram.
You don't really want the taste to end and are rewarded by a long, luxurious recap of a finish; despite the 46.3% ABV, there's no residual heat, but instead you're passed from one flavour column to the next, visiting the fruits, the spices, the herbs and that nutty aftertaste for as long as you choose, until the next sip.
This is easily one of the best 12 year olds out there. Similar to a goodly bar of +70% dark chocolate, a bottle of the Bunna 12 needs always be stocked in the house - just knowing it's available and at arm's reach should be enough to increase dopamine levels.
Side note: The distillery is known for its very large onion shaped stills; their large copper surfaces combined with low fill levels help to produce a clean, light and elegant distillate. Bunnahabhain 12 yo is vatted from three different casks: sherry, ex-bourbon first-fill and second-fill. There's a count of a measly 2-3 ppm of peat in it, which, together with Bruichladdich, practically makes them the only two distilleries on Islay to offer unpeated whisky in their core lineup.
43.0
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I will pile on to the fantastic GD12. Im going Deanston 12 and this wonderful Bunna 12 to round out 3. If Mac hadnt jumped so high in price the sherry cask would be in the running. LL12 is easily the best value for$ 12 yr
@Anthology @1901 A man after my own palate - present review not withstanding, I see your Balvenie and raise you a Glendronach 12! @WhiskeyLonghorn with the surprise blend and @ctbeck11 with the Craig 12+1? Now I must get both. I wonder what @cascode and @ContemplativeFox would pick?
@Anthology always interesting to ponder these top x questions 👍. I think I’d go for Caol Ila 12, Old Pulteney 12, and also the Balvenie Doublewood 12 for sentimental reasons as it was one of the white rabbits that led me down this whisky rabbit hole. Given a bit more time to get acquainted I think Kilkerran 12 and Springbank 12 might ultimately nudge some of those 3 of the perch.
@ctbeck11 Great list! And don’t worry, there’s no fun if there’s not a little bit of “cheating” in these top x games. So I welcome your C-llachie 13. I actually picked one up from Costco a couple years back in a set with Aberfeldy 12 & Dewars 12 but haven’t cracked it yet. Definitely looking forward to it now. @WhiskeyLonghorn surprised to Dewars in your list. As mentioned it came with my value pack from Costco and I already killed the bottle. I wasn’t dropping reviews then but I recall it being light, fruity and really smooth. As for my top tres 12yr olds, I haven’t decided yet but there’s a STRONG dark house who I suspect @Ctrexman would agree with. (Hint: it rhymes with Loch Lomond. Ooops, Freudian slip 🤣
@Anthology Great question. I haven’t had many, but my current top three are Springbank 12, Lagavulin 12 (2020), and Bunnahabhain 12. I’ll also cheat and throw in Craigellachie 13, because it’s close enough.
@Anthology it varies from moment but I always enjoy a pour of Glendronach 12, Highland Park 12, and of all things, Dewars 12. Say what you will about corporate multinationals and over-processed whisky, but I find those three consistently tasty!
Not sure how I missed this review but as always, you’re bringing the heat @CKarmios . The sphere “flavorscape” as a concept for a great blend is spot on! Takes a complex idea and breaks it down to a very digestible bite. So heads-up that I WILL be borrowing it someday 😊 With that out of the way, I’d like to hear from those on this chain @WhiskeyLonghorn @spacemoth77 @Ctrexman @1901 and @ctbeck11 what are your top 3, 12yr old scotch (region-agnostic)?
This review is ..well, To quote Bill Pullman "not bad...not too bad at all"
@1901 You are much too kind, sir. I blame the Bunna.
Excellent analysis and beautifully crafted review. Top marks,sir!
@ctbeck11 I think when memory is triggered so intensively, as in the case of recollecting smells from a past walk in a forest, that is when you know that dram is a special one
@WhiskeyLonghorn @spacemoth77 Thank you. Very much appreciated
nice post, thx for the details.
I had never considered the idea of vertical vs horizontal flavorscapes, but it absolutely makes sense. When I’m identifying tasting notes for some spirits, it’s just a matter of running through the categories, e.g. fruit, spice, herb. Others beg to be analyzed longitudinally, e.g. arrival, development, finish, because they morph along the way. My favorite is when the spirit is so complex and well integrated that, instead of identifying individual notes, you have to tell a story to describe the experience, e.g. like walking through a forest after a rainstorm with a recently extinguished campfire in the distance. I get this often with well aged whiskey and mezcal, interestingly. I’m just beginning to discover the beauty of well produced mezcal. The depth of flavor that can be created in an unaged, right off the still spirit is pretty amazing.
Beautiful writing and an elegant re view. Mouth watering notes!