Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky
Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky is a 750mL Islay single malt bottled at 46.3% ABV (92.6 proof), matured for eighteen years in ex-sherry casks — the brand's shop lists Oloroso — in coastal warehouses on the Sound of Islay, and bottled non-chill filtered at natural colour. True to the house style, it is unpeated. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 46.3% (92.6 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 18 years
- Casks: Ex-sherry casks (Oloroso per the brand's current listing)
- Style: Unpeated; non-chill filtered, natural colour
- Origin: Isle of Islay, Scotland
Sherry Depth, Sea Air, No Smoke
Bunnahabhain — "mouth of the river" — has made unpeated malt on Islay's north-east coast since 1881, its warehouses sitting over the bay fed by the Sound of Islay. The 18 Year Old, part of the range since the 2006 rebrand era and re-introduced at 46.3% without chill filtration in the 2010 restage, is its most awarded core malt: the brand's current honours list runs to golds at the International Spirits Challenge and IWSC across 2023–2026. Its deep mahogany-gold colour comes from the sherry casks alone. Compare the younger Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old or browse the distillery on the Bunnahabhain vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Per the producer's current notes: a rich mahogany-gold colour; a fragrant nose of dried fruit, honeyed nuts, toffee and a slight hint of spice; a palate of mellow sherried nuts, dried fruit and rich oak with toffee and a slight tang of salt from its coastal maturation; and a finish of dry fruit with a hint of spice and salt.
How to Enjoy
Neat, in a tulip glass, unhurried — the sherried nuts and coastal salt are the whole point, and water softens rather than improves it for most palates. More sherried Islay is in our Scotch whisky collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old peated?
No. Bunnahabhain's core range is unpeated — the distillery draws its water from the Margadale Spring, piped past Islay's peat beds — so the 18 Year Old's depth comes from sherry casks and coastal maturation, not smoke.
What casks mature Bunnahabhain 18?
Ex-sherry casks — the brand's current shop lists Oloroso — for the full eighteen years in the distillery's coastal warehouses.
Why is it bottled at 46.3%?
That has been the house bottling strength for the core range since the 2010 restage, when the 18 Year Old was re-introduced non-chill filtered at natural colour at 46.3% ABV.
Eighteen unpeated years under sherry oak and sea air — order Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.