Guys! smash the like button to show your support. This is one of the best-edited and most educational channels on scotchs. So far I've learned 1) Sherry casks and 10x more expensive than ex-bourbon casks. 2) what unchilled filtered means 3) How incredible the Deanston 12 is. 4) the Glencairn glass actually makes a big difference, it no longer burns when I'm nosing my whisky! 5) what a cask strength whiskey is and the difference a 40% - 46% abv can make.
"This video is sponsored by… the Like button." 🤣Brilliant. Your presentation and video production are, as always, top notch. Back in 2013, before I knew anything much about whisky, my lovely wife bought me a bottle of Bunnahabhain 18. It was the first bottle of Scotch that I owned and I certainly didn't appreciate how good it was. Now I see Bunnahabhain as one of the best distilleries for producing consistent, quality expressions. They are on my review schedule for this year because I haven't given them enough love in videos. Cheers!
Cheers! Agree, Bunnahabhain get a lot of things right. I’m actually yet to try the 18. It’s a little too expensive where I am, but I’ve heard amazing things. Thanks for watching! 👍🥃
I remember buying this because I bought the 18 year & was blown away!!! So because the 18yr is a little hard to come by… I bought the 12yr…& my goodness….Bunnahabhain is my favorite distillery 😄😄
I bought it because you recommended it in another video, and I was intrigued by the unpeated islay statement. No surprise I loved it, but I do taste a little hint of smoke. Keep up the amazing videos!
I was introduced to Bunnahabhain 12 last year while in Loch Ness. It was included in a whisky tasting my hotel. Other than a Glenmorangie 21, this was the best one and I have been a fan ever since. Great video. Subbed.
Hi Phil, I'm liking the subtle post-production changes that you've made to this video. A1👍 I think that I've said this here before, Bunnahabhain 12 is my absolute favourite, I think that it outperforms many significantly more expensive whiskies. My personal score for this would be 95/100.
Dude, I was on the fence about this, having purchased one of the bad batches a few years back. Then I watched this and thought ‘If Phil says it is good, then it must be good’. Got a bottle for under £40, lovely stuff and great value for money. You are becoming as credible as the likes of Ralfy, so fair play to you. Glad to see the channel has grown significantly since I first subscribed. Keep up the good work 💪🏻
@@FirstPhilWhisky I am enjoying it very much so, thanks again. It’s always good seeing decent people becoming successful. Well deserved man, all the best to you and your family.
You mentioned the glass colour, I know some oils don't go well with light in general especially sunlight and that's why there in a dark coloured bottle. With that in mind, does light interfere with the taste of whiskey overtime?
Here is the big surprise to everybody that thinks this is a sherry whisky. You should check out Ben Luening's distillery visit when he was told by the distillery that it is 75% ex-bourbon and 25% sherry and it's vatted, not finished with no smoke (apart from a couple of ppm residue). It's one of the great value whiskies on the market if you buy right. It's often reduced to £33-37 in the U.K as it's one of the few quality malts in supermarket retail. I have the same feeling about this expression as I do the Talisker 10 (another supermarket option. Just got one for £30). They're both great quality and really question the value of the 18 which are better but not by much. Good review my friend. WT
I really like your review format. I hope you do a lot more reviews! I haven’t had any Bunnahabhain yet, but if I find it locally I will definitely pick up a bottle to try.
I’ve been drinking Bunna 12 for years now. I find if you smell the empty glass a couple hours after, you can smell the smoke. But I don’t really get smoke while drinking it. Cheers.
I completely agree that i've never picked up smoke or peat in Bunnabhain, unless it was specifically a peated expression like the Toiteach a dha, or independent bottlings that were heavily peated.
Finally tried the Bunnahabhain 12 - OUTSTANDING! As Arnold said in Terminator, I'll be back! Next on my Islay journey, Port Charlotte 10. So far I haven't found it in my south Texas area, but I am hopeful.
I have the same issue with detecting smoke. Islay smoke is my go to but sadly I lose the smoke. But that allows me to explore other areas in whiskey. Thinking about picking this up as a break from peated whiskeys I normally drink
Great review! Its a great dram! At the moment if I think good value for money sherried I go for glenfarclas. You have the 12yo that has more exburbon and is more easy going for new drinkers and you have the 105 for whisky lovers (both 1 liter botles and cheaper than the Bunah). Cheers!
I find the ex-Bourbon and coastal notes harder to detect as I get through the bottle. On first pour I find them to really pop, especially the vanilla and subtle salt water tang, then as I get lower it seems to settle into being dominated by the ex-Sherry notes. No bad thing though, and it may be a case of my nose and palette just being used to it. I do tend to keep a spare bottle of the 12 in. The 18 though, is like the luxury version with cream leather trim, fancy burled wood and a smoother engine. I do mean to pick up a bottle of the 12CS, but it is a bit on the steep side, will have to be when I'm feeling a bit more flush.
Watched your Sherrybomb video & suspect some TH-cam cross-pollination meant it was inevitable I’d be prompted to this one next! 😂 Anyways, really enjoyed your assessment of the 12 and now subscribed so look forward to more thoughts on Bunnahabhain (& others 🤷♂️)! Slàinte, David 😁👍🥃
Great whisky, fantastic value for money ! Excellent review as always. My favorite sherried whisky is the Glenallachie 10 cs batch 6, unfortunately much harder to get. I have in my closet the bunna 10 cs 2021, it is more sherried than the regular bunna. If you have the opportunity to try that one i highly recommended it.
Like the new presentation - and another great review - love Bunna 12 - I don't have the finest palette or the largest wallet so I centre on reasonably priced quality NCF NC Age Statement offerings - Deanston Toberymory/Ledaig Arran etc - I don't know what the situation is like with you but price hikes here in Scotch and premium pricing in specialist whisky shops here are concerning - lucky enough to have a local specialist shop but their pricing and the COVID restrictions/precautions pushed me towards supermarkets and online - local supermarket charges £39 for Bunna 12 - and at the tail end of the year it was on offer at £33 - whisky shop charges £44 - 12.5% more - not paying that. Cheers from my bargain bottle of Bunna!
I am mostly a peathead, but Bunna is one of my go-to 12 year old sherry malts. I also like Glenfarclas , Abelour , Glendronach and Macallan (over priced in my opinion). Up against those other 12 year age statements, Bunna stands out for its nose, smooth palate and finish.
A great review of this real classic. It's interesting that both Tobermory and Deanston went through a complete makeover when bought by Burn Stewart, with all the expressions changed to 46.3% abv, Non Chill-Filtered (and natural colour although it's often not stated on the label). Bunnahabhain though, retained it's oldy-worldy bottle style and its dumpy bottle. (Tobermory used to share the same bottle shape before the change, as I remember). Bunnahabhain did do an Ex-Bourbon release once for their Travel Retail market. A NAS statement called "Darach Ur". I had a couple of bottles but wasn't that impressed. I would love to try a more mature Ex-Bourbon malt from this distillery. Say 16 YO.
So...I prefer the sherried whiskys like Auchentoshan Three Wood and Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban and I really could not detect the 'smokiness' reputed to go with the Bunnahabhain 12....so, I liked it. For the trace of smokiness initimated for this, I suggest trying the Highland Park whiskys (their 'Einar' is the best of the lot, with a soft peaty aftertaste).
i agree with clear glass bottles. my only gripe with the classic laddie is the bottle. find myself putting it up against a light and looking in the bottle for reference against the writing on the side all the time. this scotch is next on my list. appreciate the review.
Really developed as I drank through the bottle. Occasionally got hints of smoke but very very faint. Maybe a good Segway into islay if you’re unsure about smoke
Great review. Is one of the top sherried whiskys for sure. One other I would mention which is completely different in some ways but still another big example of the unpeated sherry is the Glenfarclas 105....what an absolute doosie. Add a drop of water or dare I say it a small cube of ice.....
I haven’t tried the 12 yo yet but had great experience with 7 yo IB from Signatory. Cheers for the great video will fetch a couple of bottles while the price is still affordable. Unsure when I will spend $300 on the 18 yo though I know the price will go up later. The distillery is producing more NAS if you notice that. Proud to have Phil you from Aotearoa. Greeting from Tamaki Makaurau :)
Missed this first time round Phil, regarding smoke I've never picked it out as I haven't on the Kilkerran 12 and 16 back to the Bunna I get the sea salt and pretty much everything you described but no SMOKE 🙂
Hi Phil, been buying this over a few, years now and I’ve never been disappointed . Along with Deanston 12 and Ledaig 10,all regulars in my cabinet . Ps I don’t get any peat in bunnha 12. Good put together video Phil, enjoyed it, slàinte
Yeah the Bunna 12 is lovely. Good value, easy to find, easy to drink. I got a bottle of the 18 and that's really nice too but I haven't had enough of it to really compare at this stage. In terms of the smoke, I get like a hint of smokiness just on the finish, maybe it's because I know it's an Islay and I'm expecting SOME smokiness.. or maybe it's that suggestion of sea salt and briny flavour. But it's obviously not super peaty like other Islays
Hey Phil, I notice some background noise being picked up by the mic, will you buy a new mic if I like the video? :) Also, have you had the Toiteach A Dha? How does it compare to the 12 in your opinion?
This is probably the best valued integrity malt (as Ralfy says) you can find on the shelves today. An age statement, good abv, non-chill filtered, natural colour and comparing to18yo not that much of difference. I have both opened and tasted side by side. Probably they use a portion of older whiskies in it? Great review, thanks.
Bought it for the first time recently and half way through. Absolutely love this whiskey. Prefer it over the McCallan and the Glendronach 12. Around AUS$105, worth it I reckon. Will purchase again for sure!!
Fell in love with this from the first sip. Unfortunately it's hard to find in Texas. I was lucky enough to find a few bottles while on vacation. Definitely a must have in your collection especially if you're a bourbon drinker delving into scotch.
Peated or unpeated? You can get smoky notes because it is peated! But only with low single digit ppm. I‘m sorry, I really would like to quote, but I simply can’t remember where I picked it up. So much for an answer why you get different descriptions from different people. Cheers from Germany Frank
Great video, thanks. 2nd bonus point if the label at least state non-chill filtered and natural colour. I prefer an age statement, but there are some great NAS whisky’s out there stating at least the former on the label, e.g. Isle of Arran Quarter Cask
The only whisky 🥃 I’ve always had on the shelf and most probably always will. It’s the oily texture for me - such high reachability as well. Sherry night this kicks off the evening. Never noticed peat but it’s like Rotorua and sulphur, if you’re used to it you’ll never spot it. Now to do an Edrador video and get your sherry end point defined 😉😉😀😀
G'day Phil. Great video as always. A couple of questions maybe other (sherry) whisky drinkers may have. Out of how many of the 12 years is the Bunna stored in ex bourbon casks before the sherry cask finish, and which whiskies for the same price range are stored and finished exclusively in ex sherry casks? I'm guessing Glendronach 12 is one, Aberlour etc? That begs the question. is the Bunna 12 a true sherry cask? Cheers.
Great coverage Phil and convincing me to re attack it. I feel like I am the only person who doesn't love this bottle. As you said it hits all the ticks but doesn't jam with me. I do love the "stiuireadair" release and had to google how to spell that! My note on the 12 was "well chewed fruity chewing gum". Cheers mate
Here's the interesting thing. Peat and smoke are two different notes, tied in with one another because of the peat smoking process. I don't get smoke with this whiskey, but I do get a bit of earthy peat.
I need this scotch always in my stock. It's such a wonderfull dram. Also the price is 49euro for a 12 year old. Hard to beat! So this one, the Arran 10/ and QC the bothy, Bruichladdich the laddie or/and Islay/organic barley with some peated scotches like ledaig 10, ardbeg 10/uigedail/corryvreckan, Port Charlotte 10 or Islay barley. I all need to have them in my little collection. Same with clynelish 14 and glenfarclas 12 and Bunnahabhain moine. And many more (not gonne name them all😛) Slainte🥃
first time I tasted Bunna I detected a hint of smoke. I thought I was imagining it since it said unpeated on the bottle. Now for the life of me I can't find the smoke note. But I've tried octamore and the likes since then which is probably why. ;D
Nice review. I haven't had this one for a while, but I've always liked it, a bang for the buck whisky. I've just got one bottle dilivered and I picked it up yesterday. The fixed price here in Sweden is sek639 (€55, £46, $AUD97) in todays currency, still a good price for that quality. A small thought though, I've heard that there have been some quite big batch variations lately, so it will be very interesting if it is as good as I remember, or if it is a "bad" batch. My new bottle is from october 2023, bottle code L5 23300. Cheers
It’s incredibly hard to find Bunnahabhain bottles here in Brazil. Thankfully now, by your review, I’m very interested in this expression and will try even harder to find one. Cheers.
@@FirstPhilWhisky Actually, scotch is very easy to find here. The main problem we usually face is the lack of product varieties in our day to day stores. So if we want to find good single malts like this one, we have to search the internet or go to very specific places. Also the prices are incredibly high because of government taxation.
Hey, Would you have a recommendation for a scotch that is non-sherried and unpeated? After trying aberlour 18 I realized I don't like whiskeys that have been in sherry casks and for me it seems that most of the non-peated whiskeys have been matured in sherry casks at least for a while.
Not smoky brands that r also fairly neutral and clean (w/o strong cask finishes) I’m enjoying most right now r Bladnoch, Ardnamurchan, some Bunna & Laddies, Glencadam.
I live in auckland nz, where do you get your whisky from? I know there's a specialist in chch but is there anywhere similar in auckland that you know of?
It's hard for me to find smoke in port Charlotte 10, cause it's so sweet and fruity 😅 doubt I would get smoke on this. Price is keeping me away from it, for the right price I would like to grab it.
It really is a wonderful whisky for the price. It's readily available in the Nordic countries at least. One of my first favourites. I always make sure to have it on my cabin. Ps. I can find the mild smoke from this dram
There are 8 types of sherry btw, and all taste differently (I tried 6 of them). So simple 'ex-sherry cask' doesn't say much. The most common type is oloroso, which is fine. But gets a bit boring over time since it's everywhere: Naked Grouse, Tomatin CS, Glenfarclas 105, Aberlour A'bunadh etc. Tho my top favorite is Pedro Ximenez, the sweetest of all, ofc. I even have a collection of Brandy de Jerez made from PX from Spain. And if you're a fan of PX, there's nothing better than a little known Teerenpeli Kaski from Finland. It's simply delicious. They also have a variety of other options for peat, bourbon and CS lovers. I had Bunnahabhain Eirigh, An Cladach and Cruach Mhona and to be honest they all felt the same - very nice peated ex-wine cask whiskey. But nothing exceptional unfortunately.
@@FirstPhilWhisky I never knew it existed, gonna find it now )) I just can't find which sherry casks were used on many bottles, like Bunna 12 here for example. For me it's a problem. Upd: Ooops! my mistake. Seen it. Gonna watch again))
Its a great drop but I think Tamdhu 12 has something to say about that, but that's the beauty of whisky its so subjective. Great review and yeah I cant taste the smoke on the bunna.....
As a new content creator, your presentation and setting sets a heck of an example to work towards, so props for that! I love me a sherried scotch and I'm drawn towards islay single malts, so I think you're spot on here... Although, getting away from sherried scotches the Toitech a Dha is a magnificently balanced expression. It's in my top 3 and couldn't recommend it more!
Anyone who says they can detect smokiness in this whisky is under the power of suggestion. It's from Islay so it must be smoky, right? No. It is unpeated, and probably my favorite Scotch.
One of the best in its price. Too bad that in my country is very hard to get one, the price is around $100 USD and the minimum wage is around $220 USD. It's almost a rich thing to drink a whisky like these. Here, rich people drinks Jack Daniels and Jameson. So sad...
Great as a 12YO. For some reason the 18YO is so overpriced. I remember the first time I tried this, after a very poor Bowmore 12, and it was sooo much better.
Bunnahabhain 12 is absolutely in my top 5.
Lagavulin 16
Oban 14
Glenfarclas and Aberlour round out the affordable class.
Good stuff.💪👍🥃
Guys! smash the like button to show your support. This is one of the best-edited and most educational channels on scotchs. So far I've learned 1) Sherry casks and 10x more expensive than ex-bourbon casks. 2) what unchilled filtered means 3) How incredible the Deanston 12 is. 4) the Glencairn glass actually makes a big difference, it no longer burns when I'm nosing my whisky! 5) what a cask strength whiskey is and the difference a 40% - 46% abv can make.
Thanks Jay! That really means a lot! Glad you are leaning lots and enjoying the whisky journey. Grateful to have you watching.
"This video is sponsored by… the Like button." 🤣Brilliant. Your presentation and video production are, as always, top notch.
Back in 2013, before I knew anything much about whisky, my lovely wife bought me a bottle of Bunnahabhain 18. It was the first bottle of Scotch that I owned and I certainly didn't appreciate how good it was. Now I see Bunnahabhain as one of the best distilleries for producing consistent, quality expressions. They are on my review schedule for this year because I haven't given them enough love in videos. Cheers!
Cheers! Agree, Bunnahabhain get a lot of things right. I’m actually yet to try the 18. It’s a little too expensive where I am, but I’ve heard amazing things. Thanks for watching! 👍🥃
@@FirstPhilWhisky It's out of stock everywhere around me. Cheers!
I remember buying this because I bought the 18 year & was blown away!!! So because the 18yr is a little hard to come by… I bought the 12yr…& my goodness….Bunnahabhain is my favorite distillery 😄😄
So good! The 18 is becoming quite expensive these days though
I bought it because you recommended it in another video, and I was intrigued by the unpeated islay statement. No surprise I loved it, but I do taste a little hint of smoke. Keep up the amazing videos!
That’s fantastic. Glad you are enjoying it. Cheers!
I was introduced to Bunnahabhain 12 last year while in Loch Ness. It was included in a whisky tasting my hotel. Other than a Glenmorangie 21, this was the best one and I have been a fan ever since. Great video. Subbed.
My favorite Channel ! Highest quality Scotch Whisky content on TH-cam !
Thanks Phil
Thanks Joseph!
Hi Phil, I'm liking the subtle post-production changes that you've made to this video. A1👍
I think that I've said this here before, Bunnahabhain 12 is my absolute favourite, I think that it outperforms many significantly more expensive whiskies. My personal score for this would be 95/100.
Dude, I was on the fence about this, having purchased one of the bad batches a few years back. Then I watched this and thought ‘If Phil says it is good, then it must be good’. Got a bottle for under £40, lovely stuff and great value for money. You are becoming as credible as the likes of Ralfy, so fair play to you. Glad to see the channel has grown significantly since I first subscribed. Keep up the good work 💪🏻
Cheers Brian! That means a lot and glad your are enjoying it!
@@FirstPhilWhisky I am enjoying it very much so, thanks again. It’s always good seeing decent people becoming successful. Well deserved man, all the best to you and your family.
Really great video! I was fortunate enough to get a bottle of this for 62.00 dollars and I’m loving it! I’m in California
Phil you recommended it, bought it and by far my favorite.
Amazing! Glad you are enjoying it
You mentioned the glass colour, I know some oils don't go well with light in general especially sunlight and that's why there in a dark coloured bottle. With that in mind, does light interfere with the taste of whiskey overtime?
You’re getting pretty good at this. Beauty.
Definitely going to pick a bottle up. Sounds terrific.
Thanks for the review👍
Thanks for watching Michael!
Enjoyed the review. I only drink Islay so I am very curious about this. Can't wait to try it.
Here is the big surprise to everybody that thinks this is a sherry whisky. You should check out Ben Luening's distillery visit when he was told by the distillery that it is 75% ex-bourbon and 25% sherry and it's vatted, not finished with no smoke (apart from a couple of ppm residue). It's one of the great value whiskies on the market if you buy right. It's often reduced to £33-37 in the U.K as it's one of the few quality malts in supermarket retail. I have the same feeling about this expression as I do the Talisker 10 (another supermarket option. Just got one for £30). They're both great quality and really question the value of the 18 which are better but not by much. Good review my friend. WT
That's interesting about the ratio. I didn't know that.
Not everything is about peat smoke. I fell in love at first sip. Definitely a buy all day long.
Agree! Hope you're good mate!
I really like your review format. I hope you do a lot more reviews! I haven’t had any Bunnahabhain yet, but if I find it locally I will definitely pick up a bottle to try.
I’ve been drinking Bunna 12 for years now. I find if you smell the empty glass a couple hours after, you can smell the smoke. But I don’t really get smoke while drinking it. Cheers.
Just bought a bottle and love it. I can taste a little bit of the peat. Love your channel, I try to get what you suggest. 🥃🥃 cheer's.
Thanks Michael. Glad you like it!
I completely agree that i've never picked up smoke or peat in Bunnabhain, unless it was specifically a peated expression like the Toiteach a dha, or independent bottlings that were heavily peated.
Always a bottle I reach for, I love their whiskies. Great video content, always entertaining 👌🏾
Thanks Julius!
Another superb review Phil, keep it going 👍
Thanks Alexander!
Finally tried the Bunnahabhain 12 - OUTSTANDING! As Arnold said in Terminator, I'll be back! Next on my Islay journey, Port Charlotte 10. So far I haven't found it in my south Texas area, but I am hopeful.
I have the same issue with detecting smoke. Islay smoke is my go to but sadly I lose the smoke. But that allows me to explore other areas in whiskey. Thinking about picking this up as a break from peated whiskeys I normally drink
I just tried this for the first time. I am fairly new to scotch but this was amazing. Nice to sip on even as a relative newbie.
Great review! Its a great dram! At the moment if I think good value for money sherried I go for glenfarclas. You have the 12yo that has more exburbon and is more easy going for new drinkers and you have the 105 for whisky lovers (both 1 liter botles and cheaper than the Bunah). Cheers!
I got the "Toiteach" which for me is one of the best Islay along with port charlotte.
This one seems just as good i'm going to buy one.
I find the ex-Bourbon and coastal notes harder to detect as I get through the bottle. On first pour I find them to really pop, especially the vanilla and subtle salt water tang, then as I get lower it seems to settle into being dominated by the ex-Sherry notes. No bad thing though, and it may be a case of my nose and palette just being used to it. I do tend to keep a spare bottle of the 12 in. The 18 though, is like the luxury version with cream leather trim, fancy burled wood and a smoother engine. I do mean to pick up a bottle of the 12CS, but it is a bit on the steep side, will have to be when I'm feeling a bit more flush.
Thanks Richard. Agree, the sherry notes are definitely the most pronounced for me too. I really need to try that 18.
After finishing two bottles over 2 years time, I totally concur. The further the fill level goes down, the more the ex-sherry notes dominate.
I just bought it and boy did it lite my tongue on fire! Was very hard to break the flavors down because it was very fiery for me.
Watched your Sherrybomb video & suspect some TH-cam cross-pollination meant it was inevitable I’d be prompted to this one next! 😂 Anyways, really enjoyed your assessment of the 12 and now subscribed so look forward to more thoughts on Bunnahabhain (& others 🤷♂️)!
Slàinte, David 😁👍🥃
I understand Distell shareholders have accepted the buyout from Heineken. I hope the new owners don't change anything. Great review.
I hope so too...
Great whisky, fantastic value for money ! Excellent review as always. My favorite sherried whisky is the Glenallachie 10 cs batch 6, unfortunately much harder to get. I have in my closet the bunna 10 cs 2021, it is more sherried than the regular bunna. If you have the opportunity to try that one i highly recommended it.
Like the new presentation - and another great review - love Bunna 12 - I don't have the finest palette or the largest wallet so I centre on reasonably priced quality NCF NC Age Statement offerings - Deanston Toberymory/Ledaig Arran etc - I don't know what the situation is like with you but price hikes here in Scotch and premium pricing in specialist whisky shops here are concerning - lucky enough to have a local specialist shop but their pricing and the COVID restrictions/precautions pushed me towards supermarkets and online - local supermarket charges £39 for Bunna 12 - and at the tail end of the year it was on offer at £33 - whisky shop charges £44 - 12.5% more - not paying that. Cheers from my bargain bottle of Bunna!
Cheers John! Yeah it can vary so much! Glad you can still get your hands on it though for a reasonable price
Been seeing this at the store and never bought it. Heading out after work to try it. Thanks!
Hope you enjoy it!
At about 72 bucks in my town this is my favorite scotch. Full bodied, delicious. Get some.
I am mostly a peathead, but Bunna is one of my go-to 12 year old sherry malts. I also like Glenfarclas , Abelour , Glendronach and Macallan (over priced in my opinion). Up against those other 12 year age statements, Bunna stands out for its nose, smooth palate and finish.
A great review of this real classic. It's interesting that both Tobermory and Deanston went through a complete makeover when bought by Burn Stewart, with all the expressions changed to 46.3% abv, Non Chill-Filtered (and natural colour although it's often not stated on the label). Bunnahabhain though, retained it's oldy-worldy bottle style and its dumpy bottle. (Tobermory used to share the same bottle shape before the change, as I remember).
Bunnahabhain did do an Ex-Bourbon release once for their Travel Retail market. A NAS statement called "Darach Ur". I had a couple of bottles but wasn't that impressed. I would love to try a more mature Ex-Bourbon malt from this distillery. Say 16 YO.
It's also a great distillery to visit for their extended ranged but also the location looking over The Sound of Islay to the Paps of Jura.
Bunnahabhain 12 is one of my favourites, absolutely delicious.
Bought it now! Definitely can't sense the smoke 🤣l am really loving it and wanted to try the 18yo but I struggle to find here in Southern Europe...
I was given a bottle of this in December. Great Whisky. Lagavulin is my favorite, but this is very enjoyable.
So good right! Thanks Lance
So...I prefer the sherried whiskys like Auchentoshan Three Wood and Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban and I really could not detect the 'smokiness' reputed to go with the Bunnahabhain 12....so, I liked it. For the trace of smokiness initimated for this, I suggest trying the Highland Park whiskys (their 'Einar' is the best of the lot, with a soft peaty aftertaste).
i agree with clear glass bottles. my only gripe with the classic laddie is the bottle. find myself putting it up against a light and looking in the bottle for reference against the writing on the side all the time. this scotch is next on my list. appreciate the review.
Couldn’t agree more. The Laddie is a great example of that.
Really developed as I drank through the bottle. Occasionally got hints of smoke but very very faint. Maybe a good Segway into islay if you’re unsure about smoke
Love it mate! Awesome review!
Thanks mate!
Great review. Is one of the top sherried whiskys for sure. One other I would mention which is completely different in some ways but still another big example of the unpeated sherry is the Glenfarclas 105....what an absolute doosie. Add a drop of water or dare I say it a small cube of ice.....
Glenfarclas is great for sherried whiskies. Thanks Peter!
Enjoying this right now. Found it for about $65USD in the northeast US.
I haven’t tried the 12 yo yet but had great experience with 7 yo IB from Signatory. Cheers for the great video will fetch a couple of bottles while the price is still affordable. Unsure when I will spend $300 on the 18 yo though I know the price will go up later. The distillery is producing more NAS if you notice that.
Proud to have Phil you from Aotearoa. Greeting from Tamaki Makaurau :)
Missed this first time round Phil, regarding smoke I've never picked it out as I haven't on the Kilkerran 12 and 16
back to the Bunna I get the sea salt and pretty much everything you described but no SMOKE 🙂
Hi Phil, been buying this over a few, years now and I’ve never been disappointed . Along with Deanston 12 and Ledaig 10,all regulars in my cabinet . Ps I don’t get any peat in bunnha 12. Good put together video Phil, enjoyed it, slàinte
Cheers David! Those are three great whiskies to have in the cabinet
Yeah the Bunna 12 is lovely. Good value, easy to find, easy to drink.
I got a bottle of the 18 and that's really nice too but I haven't had enough of it to really compare at this stage.
In terms of the smoke, I get like a hint of smokiness just on the finish, maybe it's because I know it's an Islay and I'm expecting SOME smokiness.. or maybe it's that suggestion of sea salt and briny flavour. But it's obviously not super peaty like other Islays
Fantastic on its own. A few drops of Ardbeg 10 for a blend ?
Hey Phil,
I notice some background noise being picked up by the mic, will you buy a new mic if I like the video? :)
Also, have you had the Toiteach A Dha? How does it compare to the 12 in your opinion?
Yeah I think my gain was too high. Hopefully my new videos will have it fixed. Thanks for pointing that out!
Indeed the best!
I've just tasted Bunnahabhain 12. To be honest, i can't say that i loved it; but it is not bad for the money though.
This is probably the best valued integrity malt (as Ralfy says) you can find on the shelves today. An age statement, good abv, non-chill filtered, natural colour and comparing to18yo not that much of difference. I have both opened and tasted side by side. Probably they use a portion of older whiskies in it? Great review, thanks.
It's so good right! Cheers Krapula
Bought it for the first time recently and half way through. Absolutely love this whiskey. Prefer it over the McCallan and the Glendronach 12.
Around AUS$105, worth it I reckon. Will purchase again for sure!!
Fantastic! Glad you can get it where you are
Fell in love with this from the first sip. Unfortunately it's hard to find in Texas. I was lucky enough to find a few bottles while on vacation. Definitely a must have in your collection especially if you're a bourbon drinker delving into scotch.
Peated or unpeated?
You can get smoky notes because it is peated! But only with low single digit ppm.
I‘m sorry, I really would like to quote, but I simply can’t remember where I picked it up.
So much for an answer why you get different descriptions from different people.
Cheers from Germany
Frank
And you can get it in some supermarkets, which makes it my favourite kind of whisky: available
I have yet to try it, but it's on my list
Great video, thanks. 2nd bonus point if the label at least state non-chill filtered and natural colour. I prefer an age statement, but there are some great NAS whisky’s out there stating at least the former on the label, e.g. Isle of Arran Quarter Cask
The only whisky 🥃 I’ve always had on the shelf and most probably always will. It’s the oily texture for me - such high reachability as well. Sherry night this kicks off the evening. Never noticed peat but it’s like Rotorua and sulphur, if you’re used to it you’ll never spot it. Now to do an Edrador video and get your sherry end point defined 😉😉😀😀
Cheers! Yeah it’s always on the shelf for me too, it’s definitely one of my most rebought whiskies. I do need to get myself an Edrador
G'day Phil. Great video as always. A couple of questions maybe other (sherry) whisky drinkers may have. Out of how many of the 12 years is the Bunna stored in ex bourbon casks before the sherry cask finish, and which whiskies for the same price range are stored and finished exclusively in ex sherry casks? I'm guessing Glendronach 12 is one, Aberlour etc? That begs the question. is the Bunna 12 a true sherry cask? Cheers.
I would like to know the website you use to order your Bunnahabhain 12 ???
I think it was whisky & more in NZ
bonus points for spelling colour with the u
Great coverage Phil and convincing me to re attack it. I feel like I am the only person who doesn't love this bottle. As you said it hits all the ticks but doesn't jam with me. I do love the "stiuireadair" release and had to google how to spell that! My note on the 12 was "well chewed fruity chewing gum". Cheers mate
Cheers mate!
Here's the interesting thing. Peat and smoke are two different notes, tied in with one another because of the peat smoking process. I don't get smoke with this whiskey, but I do get a bit of earthy peat.
Love Bunnahabgain 12. Still when it comes to best value sherried malt in Bulgaria where I live Glanallachie 12 beats it.
Cheers!
Cheers! Glenallachie is a good contender too 👍
I need this scotch always in my stock. It's such a wonderfull dram. Also the price is 49euro for a 12 year old. Hard to beat! So this one, the Arran 10/ and QC the bothy, Bruichladdich the laddie or/and Islay/organic barley with some peated scotches like ledaig 10, ardbeg 10/uigedail/corryvreckan, Port Charlotte 10 or Islay barley. I all need to have them in my little collection.
Same with clynelish 14 and glenfarclas 12 and Bunnahabhain moine.
And many more (not gonne name them all😛)
Slainte🥃
Some great whiskies there! Thanks for watching
first time I tasted Bunna I detected a hint of smoke. I thought I was imagining it since it said unpeated on the bottle. Now for the life of me I can't find the smoke note. But I've tried octamore and the likes since then which is probably why. ;D
Nice review. I haven't had this one for a while, but I've always liked it, a bang for the buck whisky. I've just got one bottle dilivered and I picked it up yesterday. The fixed price here in Sweden is sek639 (€55, £46, $AUD97) in todays currency, still a good price for that quality. A small thought though, I've heard that there have been some quite big batch variations lately, so it will be very interesting if it is as good as I remember, or if it is a "bad" batch. My new bottle is from october 2023, bottle code L5 23300. Cheers
It’s incredibly hard to find Bunnahabhain bottles here in Brazil. Thankfully now, by your review, I’m very interested in this expression and will try even harder to find one.
Cheers.
Thanks Felipe. Is scotch in general hard to find, or just this bottle?
@@FirstPhilWhisky Actually, scotch is very easy to find here. The main problem we usually face is the lack of product varieties in our day to day stores. So if we want to find good single malts like this one, we have to search the internet or go to very specific places. Also the prices are incredibly high because of government taxation.
Any comparisons with the cask strength release r appreciated.
Would love to! But I can’t get it in NZ yet 😔
th-cam.com/video/5ILqblfYmsE/w-d-xo.html
Hey,
Would you have a recommendation for a scotch that is non-sherried and unpeated? After trying aberlour 18 I realized I don't like whiskeys that have been in sherry casks and for me it seems that most of the non-peated whiskeys have been matured in sherry casks at least for a while.
Not smoky brands that r also fairly neutral and clean (w/o strong cask finishes) I’m enjoying most right now r Bladnoch, Ardnamurchan, some Bunna & Laddies, Glencadam.
@@marclambert8596 thank you! Gotta check those out
Deanston 12 and Glencadam 10 are my two go-to non sherried exbourbon cask whiskies.
@@FirstPhilWhisky Thanks man!
😊
I live in auckland nz, where do you get your whisky from? I know there's a specialist in chch but is there anywhere similar in auckland that you know of?
Mainly online. Whisky & More are great. But if I had to go to a shop, it would be Glen Garry’s
I don't get smoke, but I do get an earthiness that I think may be coming from the slight peat. But it's definitely faint.
It's hard for me to find smoke in port Charlotte 10, cause it's so sweet and fruity 😅 doubt I would get smoke on this. Price is keeping me away from it, for the right price I would like to grab it.
It really is a wonderful whisky for the price. It's readily available in the Nordic countries at least. One of my first favourites. I always make sure to have it on my cabin.
Ps. I can find the mild smoke from this dram
Thanks! That’s great you can get it there. Oh cool - yeah my palate seems to have hidden the smoke for me 😅
Great whisky
There are 8 types of sherry btw, and all taste differently (I tried 6 of them). So simple 'ex-sherry cask' doesn't say much. The most common type is oloroso, which is fine. But gets a bit boring over time since it's everywhere: Naked Grouse, Tomatin CS, Glenfarclas 105, Aberlour A'bunadh etc. Tho my top favorite is Pedro Ximenez, the sweetest of all, ofc. I even have a collection of Brandy de Jerez made from PX from Spain. And if you're a fan of PX, there's nothing better than a little known Teerenpeli Kaski from Finland. It's simply delicious. They also have a variety of other options for peat, bourbon and CS lovers.
I had Bunnahabhain Eirigh, An Cladach and Cruach Mhona and to be honest they all felt the same - very nice peated ex-wine cask whiskey. But nothing exceptional unfortunately.
Some great bottles there! Did you watch my Sherry explained video too?
@@FirstPhilWhisky I never knew it existed, gonna find it now ))
I just can't find which sherry casks were used on many bottles, like Bunna 12 here for example. For me it's a problem.
Upd: Ooops! my mistake. Seen it. Gonna watch again))
Its a great drop but I think Tamdhu 12 has something to say about that, but that's the beauty of whisky its so subjective. Great review and yeah I cant taste the smoke on the bunna.....
Very true Dan. I’m also a big fan of the Tamdhu 12.
I hate bottles like the Bruichladdich Classic Laddie. I dont know when i need to start savoring my glass.
Agreed black bottle not good can’t see how much is left!!! ?
Ledaig 18YO is best sherried dram I’ve had
Oh, I need to try that
Great video, if you can you need to taste bunnahabhain-eirigh-na-greine.
It’s a fine whisky. The only drawback with it, and even the 18, is the thin, short finish
As a new content creator, your presentation and setting sets a heck of an example to work towards, so props for that!
I love me a sherried scotch and I'm drawn towards islay single malts, so I think you're spot on here... Although, getting away from sherried scotches the Toitech a Dha is a magnificently balanced expression. It's in my top 3 and couldn't recommend it more!
Thanks so much!
Anyone who says they can detect smokiness in this whisky is under the power of suggestion. It's from Islay so it must be smoky, right? No. It is unpeated, and probably my favorite Scotch.
One of the best in its price. Too bad that in my country is very hard to get one, the price is around $100 USD and the minimum wage is around $220 USD. It's almost a rich thing to drink a whisky like these. Here, rich people drinks Jack Daniels and Jameson. So sad...
I’m getting pretty tired of sherried whiskies, but not this one!
Great as a 12YO. For some reason the 18YO is so overpriced. I remember the first time I tried this, after a very poor Bowmore 12, and it was sooo much better.
Yeah I don't know why the 18 is so expensive. It's a shame as I would love to get a bottle
I dont drink smokey whiskies and i taste absolutely no smoke at all in this