Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old is a rich, complex beauty who has spent nearly two decades lounging in a mix of sherry and bourbon casks, soaking up all the good stuff. Bottled at 46.3% ABV without chill-filtration or added colouring (because why mess with perfection?), it serves up layers of sweet, fruity, and savoury deliciousness.
Salted caramel leading to sticky toffee pudding sprinkled with nutmeg. With time a leathery quality emerges.
Dense, rich sherried notes perked up with a coastal saltiness. On a second wave roast chestnuts emerge and gentle wood spice.
Woodspice becomes mixed spice. The finish is warming and lengthy; salt and sherry towards the very end.
Bunnahabhain without chill-filtration is dense and oily and shows off its sherried credentials with ease.
I tasted toffee mainly with a touch of coastal salt , the spirit drinks quite hot though and certainly benefits from a drop of water, the sherry influence in this has sent it into a light toffee direction, really lovely but the 12 represents a similar experience for a lot less
So the initial taste is full of flavour. Currants, biscuit and a little toffee. Then there's a nasty alcoholic burn that destroys it all. For an 18 year old I would expect it to be smooth and long lasting in the mouth. Whether it's a bad batch, or not I do not know but it's quite some destroying given the 12 is such an all-round winner. What has happened??!!!
It is everything the 12 is, though it adds a bit of smoothness and a pleasant floral note. But, in Australia, you can buy 3 bottles of 12 for one 18. So, is it really worth it?
It has a richness and complexity I've only experienced with tropically aged rum before. Sweet, but not overly so, caramel too. Probably the best whisky I've drank, but way overpriced for me, sadly.
A very good sherried 18 year old with a lot of complexity. My bottle had unfortunately some minor issues with sulphur. A step up from its younger siblings but considering the price, the 12yo is a better buy. E
