Is it possible to thoroughly enjoy something and yet be somewhat disappointed at the same time? This is how I find myself feeling when I drink this. That’s partially due to the price point, which is creeping up to the $6-700 range, and partially due to the excellence of any aged bunna I’ve had up to now. I simultaneously want more and yet can’t convince myself this is 2-3x more than the 18. At any rate, taking price out of it, here’s my tasting notes: Nose: berries, stone fruit, bubble gum? It’s not a sherry bomb and takes a little time to open up. Palate: complex. It tastes like very old quality scotch finished in a sherry barrel. The fruits hit first, dark stone fruits, turning mildly bitter like espresso/high cacao content chocolate. Finish: I’ll let you know when it finishes. Goes on for a fair bit. Somewhat dry like a good old red tannic wine, but there’s a sweetness that balances it out. Other: There’s a creaminess to it - my friends dubbed it ‘cookies and cream’ and although I wouldn’t have come up with that myself it’s a good tasting note. It’s more interesting and complex than the 18. If I were to choose one for a dram, I’d take the 25. But it doesn’t require a refill like the 18. Ok i went this long without talking price but If you’re interested and lucky enough to find this in the $300s I’d buy a bottle. For $6-800 I’m not sure it’s worth it. I wouldn’t pay that much.
About this bottle
To retain the classic Bunnahabhain's gentle peat smoke, they use very large puncheons to age the whisky which hold 120 gallons. For comparison sake, a traditional American oak barrel holds a mere 31 gallons. These puncheons previously held sherry wine, but have been used once or twice before so as not to overwhelm the whisky with too much sherry.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 44 parsed reviews.
Nose - Sweet creamy fruity spice, strawberries & cream candies, fresh thick fruity honey, caramel, toffee Taste - Fruity ginger tingle/spice, fresh berries & cream, ginger spice, orange zest, light leather sweet/bitter, macadamia/marcona almond nutty sweet, spiced berried honey Finish - Lingering honey/ginger spice, creamy/buttery mouthfeel, sweet spiced honey, hints of fresh berries, reminds me of what a high quality berried Dambuie might finish like Score - 91/100 Final Thoughts - I guess I'm a tiny bit disappointed in this one as I was expecting more of an oloroso/px sherry influence to this one. I missed the chocolate/coffee notes I got from the 18. This seemed like it was a higher blend of ex-bourbon with various sherry casks versus sherry cask heavy like the 12 & 18. This one is good for sure, but just lacks that dark chocolate vibe that I think would have made this amazing versus really good. Maybe I just set my expectations too high for this dram? Regardless it has a wonderful creamy, yet spicy mouthfeel that's full of fresh berries and cream mixed with a buttery caramel that's quite wonderful. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe
Nose: very delicate, sherry and honey, a slight hint of licorice, simple and easily recognizable flavors. Palate: full-bodied and dense, oily with a lot of sherry and a lot of honey, with caramel and custard pie. Honey finish, medium-long sweet and very pleasant. A delicate and delicious malt, with a perfect and not particularly complex balance, but in my opinion it lacks a bit of character in its perfection: it does not have a distinctive trait that makes it unforgettable. Precisely for this reason it only touches the highest marks. Rating 4.75 ________________________________________________________________ Naso: molto delicato, sherry e miele, leggero sentore di liquirizia, sapori semplici e ben riconoscibili. Palato: corposo e denso, oleoso con molto sherry e molto miele, con caramello e torta alla crema pasticciera. Finale al miele, medio lungo dolce e molto piacevole. Un malto delicato e delizioso, dal bilanciamento perfetto e non particolarmente complesso, che però secondo me nella sua perfezione manca un po’ di carattere: non ha un tratto distintivo che lo renda indimenticabile. Proprio per questo sfiora solo il massimo dei voti. Voto 4,75
Tried a couple pours at a dinner celebration at one of our partner’s home. This was pretty good. But for a 25Yr old Islay, averaging $600 - $800+, it didn’t quite hit the mark IMHO. It seems the age mellowed out much of the character. EVERY gustatory and olfactory sensation for this dram (smoke, peat, malt, fruits and other flavors), was extremely subtle. If there was ever a scenario where the typically positive refinement that comes with age was ambiguous, this would be it! I just remember thinking as I was savoring my pour, “is this it?” To be clear, my overall score heavily indexes on the vfm here. If this was a $150 - $200 bottle, this would prolly be a solid 4+. Nonetheless, it was somewhat too “smooth/delicate” to a point of diminishing returns. 3.75 - 4 ⭐️ Since I suspect some folks here will cry blasphemy, I’ll plan on coming back with more detailed notes and possibly a revised a score if I obtain a sample or somehow come in possession of a bottle.
What an amazing dram this was. After i couldn't live to the 18yo hype, (it wasn't real for me), this very special distillery blew my mind with this whisky. You can just buy a bottle and drink one dram after a dessert. Bottled at 46.3% On the nose: Dark fruits with chocolates. Prunes very clean. Dulce de leche and baked apples. Much more delicate and refined. Mostly prunes. That typical burnt hay from bunnahabhain appears. On the palate, only two notes, but excelent ones: super vanilla / chocolate and slight citric flavor. Aftertaste is also amazing. Oranges with dulce de leche. Sweet with a slight ashiness. Oak spices stay very long in your mouth. A very pleasant dry herbal note. Overall this whisky is just amazing. It lost some points on the palate due to its "straightforwardness" but it is definitively a wonderful dram. 94 over 100.
So I’ve had two cask strength Bunnahabhains aged 27 and 30 years before this one. Those were something epic and made my brother and me start to think this is the best whiskey on Islay. The 27 year Boutique-y bottle even laid waste to my cask strength single barrel Ardbeg 15. So came into this 25 from the distillery with high hopes. The nose on this is golden raisins, white peach, some earthy notes, oak, cinnamon and layers of caramel. The taste has a high viscosity with candied orange, apricot, golden raisin, light oak spices, caramel and a finish that lingers for a few minutes with the same notes as the taste. This is a very good whiskey but I don’t think it deserves the high price point. I was able to find the independent bottles that are older and far more complex than this for half as much. Glad I was able to get a small taster.
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