A few aged Bunnahabhain and an aperitif


March 25, 2026

A few aged Bunnahabhain and an aperitif

For the aperitif, it will be one of the latest batches from the official range, then we’ll have two, three, or perhaps four aged independent bottlings, if that suits you. We’ve got a large number of ‘Bunnies’ in the pipeline for later, not even counting the Moines and the Staoishas. A session with another heartfelt thought for John MacLellan.
Tasting 1960s Bunnie with John MacLellan, circa 2002, (WF Archive)

Bunnahabhain 18 yo (46.3%, OB, +/-2025)

The owners’ website confirms that this baby was finished in sherry, and not fully matured. That said, we had loved a previous 18 aka XVIII, in its transparent bottle, around 2017 (WF 90). Colour: dark amber. Nose: a very marked metal polish and old pennies side at first, also quite a lot of shoe polish, a family pack of marrons glacés, some walnut liqueur and a few thin slices of dry sausage. In short, it is very much marked by the sherry and there is quite a presence. Mouth: chocolate liqueur, prunes in Armagnac, old plum, all that on a curiously light structure, while the chocolate keeps becoming more and more pronounced. English black tea. Salt. Finish: not so light now, quite the contrary, it becomes even saltier, more chocolatey, more on black tea and on Christmas cake. Comments: it remains very lovely, really concocted in a rather masterly fashion.
SGP:451 - 88 points.

Bunnahabhain 32 yo 1989/2021 (44.7%, Quaich Bar, The Islay Giants, 1st fill oloroso sherry hogshead, 213 bottles)

Colour: dark amber. Nose: well, this is magnificent, without the metallic edges of the official 18-year-old, and immediately on old Armagnac, very marked Corinth raisins, dates, and fruitcake soaked in eau-de-vie. It is not especially complex to be honest, yet it is perfect, even if we might have said PX rather than oloroso. Mouth: an incredible maelstrom of black olives, toffee, liquorice, crème de menthe, fruitcake, walnut wine, dried longans and old Pu-erh, red as rubies, or almost. Finish: drier, more on tobacco and Pu-erh, then finally on chocolate with a very high cocoa content. The aftertaste leans much more towards rather salty beef broth and old oloroso, even a touch of old vin jaune. Comments: impressive, some aspects remind us of the famous official Auld Acquaintance (WF 93).
SGP:361 - 91 points.

Bunnahabhain 40 yo 1980/2020 (45.2%, Gleann Mor, Rare Find, refill sherry butt)

Older and in refill, this ought to be relatively lighter… Colour: full gold. Nose: acetic, almost vinegary, very balsamic at first, then dried fruits and toasted pecans join the party, the whole having almost a Thai broth side. Then raisins settle in little by little, while the balsamic vinegar has almost disappeared, or let us say that we have become used to it. Mouth: more direct, almost younger, a little more peppery, more on dried figs and with a slight soapy edge, but in no way intrusive. Then in come the maritime notes, salted tea, salted butter caramel and all that. Finish: rather long, quite fresh for this age, with a lovely little sweet and salty touch. Comments: not too easy to follow this very classic full refill sherry, it has done very well indeed.
SGP:451 - 89 points.

Bunnahabhain 44 yo (42.4%, The Single Malts of Scotland, Director’s Special, butt, cask #4051, 492 bottles, 2020)

We know the Director, he is truly very demanding… Besides, we are not entirely certain, but these could be the same distillates as those of the 45-year-old Port Askaig, well, we shall see… Colour: full gold. Nose: here we are really close to the old officials, the sort of vintage bottlings from the 1960s, it is fresher and fruitier, packed with mango and banana jams, beeswax, old apples, pollens and honeys, then soaked limestone after the rain, though I do not believe there is any limestone on Islay, is there. Mouth: we move closer to sherry, after all it is a butt, fresh walnuts, old walnuts, thin mints, mint and chocolate, pistachio syrup, then we witness the return of ripe bananas. Let us say that the palate is ever so slightly less dazzling than the nose, to our very humble opinion. Finish: medium length, more on green tea and a little nutmeg. Comments: on the palate we feel just a slight weight of the years, yet it remains utterly beautiful, and the nose is sublime with fruity freshness.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Bunnahabhain 45 yo 1980/2025 (44.2%, Whiskay, cask #91)

A very beautiful label yet a rather surprising one for a European like me, on a bottle of whisky I mean, it was created by Japanese artist Mayuka Yamamoto. Colour: gold. Nose: stop, we halt everything, there is parsley, sage, chervil and even wild garlic, in short this is a profile we find utterly sublime. In the background, fig, tomato bush, miso soup and chicken broth with marrow. We absolutely adore this nose, of incredible finesse. Will the palate follow the same path?... Mouth: bingo. But it is rather different in truth, more classical, a little more marked by the years like the previous one, herbal infusions, lupin tea, with touches of ginseng, ginger, cinnamon, but also pomelos and bergamot. It is more fragile, yet very, very far from collapsing. Still, these are above all whiskies for the nose, almost perfumes. Finish: ah lovely, the herbs from the nose echo in the finish, especially parsley but also miso. The aftertaste is more maritime, saltier yet, woodier. A small piece of smoked ham. Comments: if in these old Bunnies the palates were at the level of the noses, they would be the greatest whiskies in the world, seriously.
SGP:561 - 90 points.

Bunnahabhain 45 yo 1979/2025 (46.8%, Kanpaikai & The Antelope, refill sherry butt, cask #8056, 222 bottles)

What a sublime label! To think that in the old days everyone was putting tartans, thistles or stag heads, what a silly notion it was to claim things were better before. I mean, globally. Colour: mahogany (oh!) Nose: the triumphant return of Armagnac and orange wine, nocino and amaro, beef broth and marrow bone. Long story short, yet another sublime nose, enough to wonder whether Bunnahabhain, at least in those days, was not more perfumers than distillers, though you will say it is rather the same thing if you use vapour distilling, indeed. Mouth: ah there we are! Nocino at full throttle, fir liqueur from the last century, that is to say the one before, bresaola, landjäger, then more fir liqueur, Jägermeister without the sugar, Chartreuse elixir, you see the idea. They must have thrown herbs into the stills, or into the casks, or perhaps both. Finish: very long, extremely herbal, resinous, with splendid bitters and honeyed touches like a very old Westvleteren. Our Belgian friends, all Trappist monks of course, will understand. Comments: a slightly extreme side nonetheless, yet we absolutely adore it.
SGP:471 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Bunnahabhain we've tasted