Bunnahabhain 13 Year Old Marsala Finish Scotch Whisky
Bunnahabhain 13 Year Old Marsala Finish Scotch Whisky is a 750mL Islay single malt bottled at 46.3% ABV (92.6 proof), matured ten years in ex-bourbon casks and finished for three years in Marsala wine casks. Released exclusively for the US market in late 2016 in a run of just 250 cases, it shows the distillery's unpeated spirit through a Sicilian fortified-wine lens. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 46.3% (92.6 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 13 years — 10 years in ex-bourbon casks, 3 years finishing in Marsala casks
- Style: Unpeated Islay single malt, non-chill filtered
- Release: US-exclusive limited release (announced November 2016), 250 cases
- Origin: Isle of Islay, Scotland
A Sicilian Finish on Islay's Gentlest Malt
Bunnahabhain is Islay's unpeated distillery — its spirit comes from Margadale spring water piped past the island's peat beds — so a long wine-cask finish shows with unusual clarity. For this US-only release, announced by importer Terlato Distell Artisan Spirits in November 2016, a ten-year-old ex-bourbon-matured malt spent three further years in casks that had held Marsala, Sicily's fortified wine, before bottling at the house strength of 46.3%. Only 250 cases were made for the United States. The core range it grew from — the Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old and the Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old — is on our shelves, and the distillery's full range is on the Bunnahabhain vendor page.
Tasting Notes
No official distillery note set was published for this limited release. The most widely carried panel notes are retailer K&L's, from its listing of this bottling: honeyed, resinous, fruity distillery character balanced against red berries and the oxidised, port-like notes of the Marsala casks, closing with a salty finish — a profile K&L pitched to drinkers who shy away from peat smoke. Independent reviewer notes add honey, berry fruit, dates, spice, brown sugar and vanilla.
How to Enjoy
Neat, with time — the Marsala fruit needs air to separate from the honeyed base malt. This is a contemplative pour, not a mixer. More limited Islay releases are in our Scotch whisky collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bottles of Bunnahabhain 13 Marsala Finish were made?
The release was made exclusively for the US market in a run of 250 cases, announced in November 2016. It has not been repeated.
Is this the Fèis Ìle Marsala bottling?
No. Records online that describe a peaty, cask-strength Marsala Bunnahabhain from the 2017 festival describe a different bottling. This release is unpeated, bottled at 46.3% ABV, and matured 10 years in ex-bourbon casks plus 3 years in Marsala casks.
What is Marsala?
A fortified wine from Sicily, Italy. Three years in its casks give this malt the red-berry and oxidised-wine character the retailer panel notes describe.
One of 250 US cases, finished in Sicilian wine casks — order Bunnahabhain 13 Marsala Finish online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.