Jan-Case
Bunnahabhain 18 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
February 29, 2020 (edited September 28, 2022)
Oh yes - I was really looking forward to this one. And it really didn’t disappoint my expectations. I have a bottle of the 12y which I enjoy a lot. Bunnahabhain definitely has a signature taste and in this 18y this shines even more with additional intensity and richness.
The nose starts right of with a typical Bunnahabhain smell. You get dried fruits and the unique sherry portion which they include so well in their whiskies. There is some winter spice mix in there as well as a dark berry mix. And on the second smell after the first sip I also got a very surprising Indian curry notes (mainly turmeric and cumin) which gave me a huge smile because not do I simply love Indian spices but because it fitted so well in to the palette here. Very beautiful.
On the palate you get a briny sweetness like syrup or molasses accompanied by the fruit and sherry aromas. The 18 years age also give this one a much welcome maturity delivered with a slightly leathery earthy background. But it starts off very smooth and remains smooth until the end of the very long finish. In no stage of the tasting you get the 46% ABV smell or burn.
I will definitely try to get a bottle of this one when I can. It is kinda expensive but really worth the quality you get.
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@Jan-Case Nice find - congrats! It's more like $145 here. It's bizarre that it was <$110 a year ago.
@ContemplativeFox I just got a bottle a few weeks ago for 108 € / 125 $. Haven’t popped it open yet. I think that will be my Christmas drams. But yeah it is in my top 5 whiskies.
Man, your tasting makes me want to track down a bottle too.
Great review :-) It's one of the few bottles that really improves with age and then keeps on going. I started at a 4 rating and now 3 years later an easy 4.5 (2nd time around the bottle has been open for about a year)