Bunnahabhain 12 Cask Strength: A Rare Islay Treat

We're usually pretty happy with the selection of whiskies - especially Scotch whisky - available to us here in Oregon. We tend to get a fairly diverse range of options. But one distillery that we're lacking in is Bunnahabhain.

At the time of this writing, our options are largely limited to the 12yr and 12yr Cask Strength. If you're willing to spend $350 - $1,000 then there are a 3 other bottles (mostly special releases) to choose from, but that's it. And while we'd love to have a bottle of each, our whisky budgets aren't typically approved for such spending on a single bottle.

So let's look at what we can get. Specifically, the Bunnahabhain 12yr Cask Strength. The team here recently sat down to try it together, and we have some thoughts...

David's Notes

Prior to our trip to Scotland in 2023, my exposure to Bunnahabhain had been pretty limited. But after visiting the distillery, I knew I wanted more. Outside of the bottle I brought back, the only Bunna I've been able to pick up locally has been this 12 year cask strength release. And I'm glad I did.

It's a perfect "winter whisky" - with notes of cinnamon and clove, hazelnut and almond, and some butterscotch and toffee sweetness. I am absolutely a fan, and will likely grab another bottle of this in the future.

Justin's Notes

We were fortunate to have quite a few tastings while in Scotland in 2023, but the one we had at Bunnahabhain stands out, in the top five for sure. We sat down on a lovely morning (yes, morning, we had a lot to get to that day) in a quiet tasting room overlooking a gorgeous bay. Four cask strength whiskies greeted us and we giddily tried one after another, jumping back and forth tasting the nuances each of the cask finishes brought out. We had a cab (thankfully) to take us to our next adventure, but I could have stayed there a few more hours.

This 12 year Cask Strength brings me back to that day, the rounded dried fruit flavors and a touch of saltiness evoke those pleasant memories. This was part of a tasting our whisky group puts on, and I sadly only have a few ml left to savor, but I will be looking for a bottle along with anything else reasonable I can procure from them.

Mike's Notes

This whisky has a great mix of sweet and heat. The cask strength offers it a hot ethanol breath that could be overpowering if not for a silky mouthfeel that comes with the fruited sweetness.

Bunnahabhain has a delicious new make spirit that shines in this offering and leaves me longing for their more complex expressions. Alas, as David said, we don't get enough of their bottles on this coast.

A dram worth sharing

Seek this one out. It's worth a dram, or the whole bottle if your budget allows. We'd be interested in comparing it to the regular 12 year release at some point, but for now we'll just keep adding whisky to our cart on the Bunnahabhain website until one day we find the free US shipping tier...