Widespread. Any decent liquor store should carry it.

Highly recommended

For the details…

Bunnahabhain was built in 1881 by William Robertson in partnership with the Greenlees Bros. From its inception, the distillery included housing for workers and a custom-built road and pier. In 1887 it merged with Glenrothes on Speyside, forming Highland Distillers, which eventually became the present day Edrington Group. For much of its life–like so many Scottish distilleries–Bunnahabhain was mostly used in blending, including in topline Edrington blends such as Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. Although it was bottled as a single malt, Edrington never heavily promoted it.

In 2003, Edrington sold Bunnahabhain to Burn Stewart Distillers (currently owned by Distell Group), under whose stewardship bottlings have proliferated while the distillery’s profile has grown. Although it is likely that Bunnahabhain produced a heavily peated make in its earliest days in the late 19th century, it and Bruichladdich, on the other side of the Isle of Islay, have typically made unpeated (or very lightly peated) malt in most recent decades. While both distilleries now produce more or less heavily peated make, Bunnahabhain’s core age-statement range–including the flagship 12 year old–remains unpeated. 

My first experience with Bunnahabhain was, like several of my whisky firsts, at the Alum Ale House in South Shields. This was back in the Edrington days, when the only widely available bottling was a 40% abv version of the 12 year old that came in an appealingly dumpy bottle. I ordered some, confidently mispronouncing it as “Bun-nah-nah-bain” (it’s actually pronounced “Bu-nah-hav-en,” with the “Bu” sounding between a short and long vowel sound, a mixture of “boo” and “bun”). I recall finding it likable stuff, but I never came across it again until a good 7 or 8 years later when I found a slightly updated bottle (albeit still at a measly 40%) at Susan’s in Santa Fe. I liked that well enough that the distillery was well on my radar (I review it below, alongside the current essay).

The current version of the 12 year old is part of Burn Stewart’s move to all-integrity presentations; everything they bottle from their 3 malt distilleries (Tobermory/Ledaig and Deanston are the stable mates) is at least 46% abv, natural color, and unchillfiltered. Partly for that reason, and partly because it’s such a well-made whisky, I would say that Bunnahabhain 12 is very probably the best widely available entry level single malt around. It’s a subtle, complex, nuanced whisky with a nice mixture of fruit notes and a slight maritime character. It has a lot of nice things going on in a balanced, integrated fashion, and in its current form, is a noticeable step up to excellent from the very pleasant little whisky it was before.

Bunnahabhain 12 Y.O. 46.3% abv

Nose: Highly integrated with lots of overripe orchard fruit and light notes of struck match. Dried apricot, grape candy, and a slight saline character running along underneath. Cashews. Very light woodsmoke.

Body: Fullish, very soft.

Palate: Very integrated again with fruit and a mineral edge–crisp red apple, purple grape, and a touch of sea-rusted iron. Brazil nuts and sea salt. Honey, beeswax.

Finish: A little caramel, underripe banana. Drying, shortish.

Score: 93/100

Who should buy it?: Everyone. This is a must-have for whisky enthusiasts of all sorts.

Overall thoughts: An excellent, well-integrated dram with a little something for almost everyone. You might dislike it if you really don’t like the taste of liquor, or if you’re obsessed with peat smoke, but it’s hard to imagine any open-minded soul with at least some taste for spirits not enjoying it.

Bottling Information:

Expression: Bunnahabhain 12 Y.O. 46.3% abv

Bottler: Proprietor

Range: n/a

Bottle Code: 2399778 L5 1016 22305

Presentation: Unchillfiltered and natural color

Details: Small batch, matured in sherry, bourbon and whisky casks

Price: $45-65

Availability: Any decent liquor store should carry it. Here in Albuquerque, you can reliably find it at Jubilation, most Kelly’s locations, and at Total Wine. Online you can find it easily at, for instance The Whisky World or The Whisky Exchange.

Bunnahabhain 12 Y.O. 40% abv

Nose: Very salty; nuts. Leafy. Both maritime and vegetal. Unusual. Malty.

Body: Light to medium. Sharp.

Palate: Firm—crackers. Sherry, but just a trace. Nuts—pecans? Walnuts? Just a hint of grape lollipop. Malty. Shy—rather gentle and subtle; a bit elusive. Noticeable saltiness.

Finish: The late brininess peaks. Dry, fading, but surprisingly long.

Score: 87/100

Bottling Information:

Expression: Bunnahabhain 12 Y.O. 40% abv

Bottler: Proprietor

Range: n/a

Bottle Code: P0Z1176 08.40 9274 L6

Presentation: Unspecified

Details: n/a

Price: No idea, but since this hasn’t been around for awhile it would probably command some premium.

Availability: Now discontinued, and a noticeable step down from the current edition. You might dig this version up at auction, if you’re obsessed with the distillery and want to try older versions.

Distillery Information:

Region: Islay

Location: Port Askaig

Geography: Coastal

Date Founded: 1881

Owner: Burn Stewart (Distell Group)

Website: https://bunnahabhain.com/

Capacity: 2,740,000

Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Traditional; WASHBACKS: 9 Wood; STILLS: 4; HEAT SOURCE: Steam; CONDENSER: Shell and Tube

Total expressions sampled: 7

Overall distillery score: S
If you enjoyed this review and would like to make a small donation to support this site, please click here.