Review by: INSERT NAME HERE

I think it’s about time for a re-review of this one, as I last rated it in review #3 all the way back in 2017! I originally gave it an 89 then, as it was one of the first really sherried single malts I had had and I really connected with that flavour. I actually edited my review a month after posting it and re-rated it to 82, which is something I wouldn’t do nowadays.

Of course, over the years since then, I tried more sherried whiskies and gained more and more context, leading to that score not really making any sense given how I score whiskies today. Additionally, I’d heard whispers that the newer batches weren’t quite as good as my bottle which had the old label, perhaps due to less older whisky and fewer fresh sherry casks being included in the vatting. An informal tasting at a bar a few years ago seemed to support that.

But now I have a great opportunity to try it again, as a sample was included in Bunnahabhain’s “Feis At Home” tasting set to compare against this year’s two Feis Ile bottlings. Let’s see if Bunnahabhain 12 holds up 600 reviews later…

---

Distillery: Bunnahabhain.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 46.3%.

Age: 12 years.

Cask type: Bourbon and sherry casks.

Price: $90 CAD.

Color: Gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

---

Nose: Fragrant oloroso sherry. Plenty of raisins, plums, and some blueberry, but also lighter fruit notes of apple and orange sherbet. Rich gingerbread, vanilla, and holiday spices. Sweet malty notes, perhaps something like waffles topped with maple syrup. It’s all sweet at first, but as it sits earthier notes start to creep in: A bit of tobacco, roasted walnuts, dunnage warehouse, and even a bit of dried chili.

Palate: Medium-oily texture. Sweet on the arrival, with green apples, cinnamon, and ginger. The development is quite long, starting with malty sweetness, apples, orange sherbet in waffle cone, and warm ginger ale. Richer notes of cinnamon-spiced chocolate, raisins, and Mayan chocolate, turning creamy and nutty. An undercurrent of sweet vanilla and brown sugar.

Finish: Medium long and sweet. Chocolate fudge sundae, with banana and strawberries. Maple syrup, ginger, nutmeg, mango, and raspberry tea. It gets slightly drier as it goes on, with toasted oak, black pepper, and earth.

---

Conclusion: You know what, it holds up! This whisky has great body, plenty of character, and good depth of flavour. It’s certainly very sweet: I would have liked for those earthy or oaky notes to be a bit more prominent. It does seem to taste a little bit younger, thinner, and slightly less sherried than I remember it, but I’m willing to chalk that up to rose-tinted glasses as opposed to batch variation. And even if it has changed, it’s still tasty. I’ll be continuing to recommend this whisky to pretty much everyone.

Final Score: 81.

---

Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.