Review: Bunnahabhain 12 Years Old Cask Strength (2025)

Bunnahabhain introduced a cask strength version of its flagship 12-year-old single malt back in 2021. It started life as an annual release but then took 2024 off. Now it’s back and slated for regular, yearly appearances, or so we’re told.

Bunnahabhain is the most northerly distillery on Islay, the island best known for its peaty whiskies. While there are a few notable peated offerings in the Bunnahabhain stable, the distillery focuses more on unpeated single malts including a range of age-stated expressions that top out at a whopping 40 years old. The flagship 12-year, however, is one of the few releases also available at full cask strength.

Like the standard 12-year, this single malt is distilled from unpeated barley and aged in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks that varies by batch release. For 2025, Master Blender Julieann Fernandez reportedly drew mostly from second-fill oloroso casks. I’ve been eager to taste this one since it launched four years ago, so let’s get to it.

Bunnahabhain 12 Years Old Cask Strength (2025) Review

The aroma is a bit restrained at first for a cask strength single malt, but with some patience, it blooms into an impressive, sherried bouquet. The preponderance of oloroso is evident with silky notes of sultanas, warm dates, and roasted walnuts. With time in the glass, it flexes even more of that sherry muscle, adding notes of worn leather, raisin, old dunnage, and dark chocolate cherries.

The press release described this one as lighter, more coastal, and with more structure than prior releases. While I don’t have another release to compare it to, the palate is certainly gentle especially for a cask strength, sherry-heavy single malt. That’s not to say the flavors are thin. Far from it. This one is packed with rich, sweet notes of barley sugar, baked apricot, and marmalade, all infused with a gentle warmth that barely registers as cask strength. The midpalate shows a bit of that coastal kiss Bunnahabhain is famous for with salted nuts and an almost lemony brightness before returning on the finish to warmer baking spice, pipe tobacco, candied orange peel, and hot cocoa. The standard 12 year old is no slouch, but this bottling takes it to another level. And then some.

112.8 proof.

A / $150 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

The post Review: Bunnahabhain 12 Years Old Cask Strength (2025) appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.