Is older whisky better? Bunnahabhain 18 and 25 year old comparison. Whisky review
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- Опубліковано 7 тра 2019
- I've been lucky enough to try the 18 and 25 year old Bunnahabhains along side each other a few times now, both excellent quality malts but how do they compare?
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I'm a big fan of Bunnahabhain. I normally have the 12 and sometimes the 18 on special occasions. But just recently, I was given a bottle of 25 year old. Very woody with rich caramel flavoring. More so than the 12 or 18. The 25 does it for me. I just wish it wasn't so pricey!
Fantastic job. I'm looking forward to sampling them both in due course. Cheers.
Cheers Al! Well worth sampling when you get the chance 🥃👌
Really great stuff, Ben. I'm a first-time watcher and new whisky enthusiast, but this review is exactly the type of content I enjoy. Let's the viewer see some excellent whiskies being tasted while also giving perspective that is actually useful for making decisions on what to select when purchasing. Cheers!
Ah great - it's an excellent thing to get enthusiastic about. So rewarding & varied. What are you drinking and enjoying at the moment?
Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed! 🥃👍
Great review!
Cheers 🥃👌
Great review. I can't believe it took me this long to pick up the Bunnahabhain 18. It is great stuff. I will be looking to try the 25 now!
Absolutely love the 18 - need to pick up a bottle myself at some point too!
25 is well worth a try, but for best appreciation I'd suggest not putting it up alongside the 18 😜
Cheers Christopher 🥃👍
great review.
Fantastic review and a nice take on the two age statements.
Thanks John, Bunna makes a cracking whisky! 🥃👍
Great video. I will be on the lookout to try the 25 at some whisky bars I frequent. I have never had. I love the 18!
Ooof dread to think what you might have to pay for a drop of this at a bar! We tend to get ripped-off for whisky when drinking out around here.
I'm keeping an eye out for the 18 at a decent price now 😉
The18 is on my wish list right now... So many whiskies, so little money.
Haha, there's a crazy amount of choice right now. The 18 year old is a solid whisky 🥃👌
@@WhiskyGeek I had a wee taste of it at a whisky festival four years ago, and now, finally, it's on local shelves!
Nice one Ben. Just watching this as the glue sets on my whisky cupboard shelves. I had to reinforce them again :-) A great detailed review. We have struggled to enjoy some older bottles recently. I think we are just not ready for them. We have two independent Bunn's, a 5 and a 25, lurking in our mystery bottles. Also an older OB 18 waiting to go in. Will be interesting to compare these at some future point.
Haha - keep going at this rate and you may need another cupboard!
A couple of the distillery workers around the warehouses commented that there was a balancing act with ageing, if it's left too long things can get ... odd, too tannin-y and undesirable. How I envy the guy who has to go around checking if the casks are ready 😜 It wouldn't surprise me too much if some distilleries were diluting away old stock in products just to make use of it!
You guys need to stop blaming yourselves and assuming your palates aren't ready - you're already more enlightened than a lot of people I come across! Being able to come at it blind and with some scepticism gives you an edge, not a handicap 👍
@@WhiskyGeek Thanks Ben. Yes I can imagine a lot of old stock in the 'oops' section of the warehouse :-)
The 18 is an amazing whisky. One of my favorites. I’ve not had the 25, but agree with your thoughts about the 18.
Yeah the 18 year old is something special. I almost picked up a bottle a couple of days ago but £120 is tough to swallow 🤔
The 18 is a fine dram.
I have 6 bottles of the 18. I'm so happy right now, I may cry.
Excellent bottle to have so many spares of! Enjoy 🥃👍
@@WhiskyGeek How are the batches of Bunna 18 now and lately? I've been hearing complains about batches.
@@pulsarl2c I don't think I've tried any recent batches of Bunna 18 so can't really comment. I'll be dissapointed if they're slipping though!
@@WhiskyGeekOk thanks for the answer though 😷
Interesting comparison Ben. Older isn't necessarily better, but it is pretty much always dearer. I think people can be a bit more willing to admit to themselves when older bottles aren't worth the extra if they haven't splashed out on a full bottle to try. I suspect people often convince themselves things are better than they really are when they have spent a lot on them. I'm not saying they are doing it deliberately, just subconsciously they don't want to feel like they have wasted their money. This isn't aimed at you, or anyone else for that matter, just a general observation.
Yeah I totally agree - another 'value' forced on the masses by marketing departments, back when distilleries had masses of aging stocks they wanted to cash in on! I'm not against NAS' (although I'd rather they just told us even if it is young) and have been critical of older expressions a few times on my channel haha. There's plenty of characteristics age can give which I really like, but they don't always make a whisky great on their own merit.
I've seen people look on a whisky with rose-tinted glasses all too often because they've spent a wad of cash on it.
Don't get me wrong, the 25 YO is excellent, I'd just rather be drinking the 18 😜👌
@@WhiskyGeek It's funny you mention that, I was just explaining the modern origin of the age statement on the whisky tribe FB page yesterday, when someone was asking why it is more common with scotch than bourbon.
On the original point there are good young whiskies and good old whiskies. It's just the value to quality ratio goes completely out of whack on so many older bottles, diminishing returns and all that, and it's only getting worse. You just need to look at Old Pulteney and Balblair recently to see that. Still if people can afford to pay a lot more for marginal gains in flavour fair play to them, it must be nice to be in that boat! I however shall mainly (with a few exceptions) be sticking to my £100 and under bottles.
@@thewhiskybowman Yeah £80-100 seems to be my sweet spot re: diminishing returns. Even at that point I like to try it first or do plenty of research. With so many good bottles around for £40-50 it becomes hard to qualify at twice the price, never mind £100+!
I'm still apprehensive of trying the new Balblair range. I'm sure they can't have strayed that far from their DNA but I'll be so disappointed if they have 🤔
Wishlist bottles!!
I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the 18 at a decent price!
I poured a glass of Bunnahabhain Móine to enjoy with this video ;) The only Bunna I currently have in my selection.
A decent Bunna' to have to hand! I've got a couple of their peated expressions waiting to be explored 😉👌
@@WhiskyGeek It's surprisingly cheap here in Sweden - about €35 - hovering around the same price as Laphroaig Select; and weirdly the only one regularly in stock. I heard someone say the Moine was a Scandinavian, or northern European exclusive? But I've seen Whisky Tribe folks in the US find it. Anyway, very briney upon opening... but now halfway through the bottle, has really grown on me. Solid drop for the price and will buy again! :)
@@agrainofmalt it is pal it Sweden only I reviewed it couple of months ago and I loved it....
@@agrainofmalt Decent price - I think Bunnahabhain have distributed different expressions around as they can't make enough of any 1 expression to suit all markets. Got the impression they're gaining in popularity and can't keep up!
The travel exclusives and limited releases don't seem to be that hard to find over here though. Not sure where I got my sample of the Moine! The Toiteach & Toiteach a Dha are easier found peated expressions for us I think. 👍
@@WhiskyGeek Sounds about right and makes sense! How do the Toiteach and a Dha compare with the Moine? I can order the Toiteach here, but at nearly twice the price, which seems a bit silly :) But I love trying as much different stuff as I can!
I love how you mentioned that the 18 could be canceling the 25yr. I noticed this when i reviewed the GFiddich 12,15,18. The 12 & 18 overpowered the 15. The 15 is so much better by itself
It's a common thing which is rarely given enough consideration. I was at a local whisky specialist a while back where a guy was trying a few samples and hopping between them without cleansing the palate. I mentioned that the whiskies will never taste the same as that if he tries them in that way. Got him to cleanse his palate and go straight back to the previous whisky and it was like light & day to him haha. Fortunately he liked it more from a clean palate!
Whenever I do a tasting or compose a flight I put a good chunk of thought into how the whiskies will build on each other and contrast to highlight different elements. If done right it can be a great way to get people drinking peaty whisky without complaining 😜👍
I am a sadist. I like to abuse peoples senses with peat hahahahaa
@@PrestigeLiquidsWW It's pretty hit & miss whether they'll appreciate it off the bat or not... I find you tend to do more damage than good! 😜
Very true. Thats why, i only do it to family ir close friends. You are 100% right about palate cleansing. What do you think is the best way to cleanse?
@@PrestigeLiquidsWW I've had varying success with a few ways, it often depends on the whisky. Since you probably arent familiar with the whisky when your doing these kinds of tastings I tend to suggest a cover-all that wont add in any confusion:
1) for the mouth - wash the residual whisky away with plenty of water
2) for the nose - (as gross as it is) you need to shift the mucus covering the olfactory epithelium (receptor cell membrane). If in polite company then a few sharp inhalations through the nose helps then rest a few minutes. If on my own I'll sometimes just blow my nose to help things along 😜
If I'm doing a review then it's more about prep work - don't eat anything unctuous (particularly chilli's or cooked cheese) before hand and brush my teeth & rinse out with mouthwash about an hour before, then drink sparkling water (carbonated drinks are useful).
I'm cautious of using anything like oatcakes or coffee beans as it of course affects your palate - adding another layer to try and mask the previous flavours.
But above all else - be conscious of your company! Don't offend your host or make a fuss. I know I'm quite anal about my analysis of whisky and there's no room/time to do things my way at a distillery for example haha 👍
Hello Ben, you got a very nice tasting sheet (0:42) Is it possible to get one? Btw great comparison on these Bunnahabhain drams! Greets!
Hi Ralph, thanks for the kind comment 🥃😁
I'm planning to make my tasting sheet and notes available via my Patreon soon 👍
At least a review explaining that the 25 yo isn"t as impressive as some say....It's true I've tried it only once but wasn't impressed at all & also like I said before indie proposals are in my opinion often more interesting, especially at older age. I'm just waiting this to be refuted by an affordable old OB bottling but for now it doesn't seem to happen (...). Prices also influence the tasting for sure...I command you once again for the rigour of your assessment when you review whiskies, and your system of translating it to the audience (helped by a clever editing). Again it works well & your experience of tasting is now enhanced by your journey on Islay...Slainthe, Ben !
PS : I haven't tried those 2 though for a few years, but I have to say despite the fact I know it's a great single malt, I have struggled in the past to find something as gourmet & balanced & with some length on the palate with the 18 yo (previous one at 43 % was paradoxally longer in my memories) but the new one has interesting coffee notes on the finale, if it hasn"t change. The older casks selection policy remains a mystery though as many indie bottlings are (sorry to repeat myself) way better than the OB ones so far, for at least the third of the OB's price, at least until 2014/2015...
I hadn't even researched what others have said about it haha - would rather put my opinion out there without being influenced by general opinion. I'll have to go take a look 😜 Don't get me wrong, it was a very enjoyable whisky, it just struggles to compete with so many other offerings at half the price in my mind! I wonder how much 'status' will sell a whisky within those premium/super-premium brackets regardless of the product... Certain Macallan's come to mind 🤔
Although it's inevitable that the cost affects our perception and reception of the whisky, I try only to consider it in so much as; "what else can I get for this money - and which would I rather have?"
Thanks for the complimentary words again! Getting out there and experiencing the island & distilleries was excellent and helps put some context around it all.
I've heard a number of people saying the old bottling was superior. I haven't had chance to try it which may well be helping my appreciation of this version. Taking the HP18 as an example, I first tried the old bottling and really settled into it. Upon trying the newer version I found it was good but not what I was expecting, so struggled to appreciate it in the same way. If they were presented blind to me for a comparison I wonder which I would prefer haha!
I'm beginning to see that a lot of the interesting anomalies end up with independent bottlers as they don't fit within any distillery 'recipes'. It fits the market well as people like us love the interesting & unusual, and we are virtually the only market for independent bottlers. Whereas everyday consumers tend to like easy & repeatable.
I definitely need to get around to exploring more independent releases... have you much experience with SMWS? The auto-suggestion coming from their names really irritates me! 😜🥃👍
@@WhiskyGeek Hi Ben, amazing you speak about HIGHLAND PARK coz I'm gonna be releasing probably today if it works well an English video about "Batch variations" taking several HP as examples of that, but haven't selected the 18 yo yet, so I'll probably add it to the topic as a wink (esp as I have some infos about it). About indies, you have to know not all the indie bottlers search for unusual profiles (& rejected for that from the core range series of official bottlings) and for instance Gordon & MacPhail typical doesn"t in the CC or Discovery range-their Balblair was a good examplen while for sure D.L. searches more for singularity (...). About SMWS my experience is diverse & a bit old I'd rather evoke that in private for personal reasons, but I've tried under the new French branch direction 10 references that were often decent but too young & a bit heady...1 or 2 only stood out for me. Past bottlings (say before 2016) were sometimes more impressive (got some examples home, so you definitively should come visit me, my friend !)
@@GregsWhiskyGuide Ah great, look forward to the video.
Not had many Gordon & MacPhail or Signatory bottlings yet. The Douglas Laing XOP's have been excellent although the differences may be more to do with decades between now and then! I've been tempted to try exploring SMWS a couple of times but the entry fees are tough to get past. Would be great to come visit some time 😁👍
@@WhiskyGeek Thanks, it's done & I'm trying to upload it now but it takes hours for 30 ' shooting, coz I don't know how to encode it (sorry to spoil your comments with techn stuff, should be told in DM)
Really nice review. Older isnt always better. Do either benefit from a little water?
I must admit that I tend to prefer my whiskies with a higher ABV. As I only had a little of the 25 year old left I didn't try it with any water for fear of reducing my enjoyment! When I've got a larger volume I play around with it more to check I'm not missing out 😉
Cheers Surya 🥃👍
Which version of the 18? New blue Lable or the older bottling?
Pretty sure it was from a blue label bottle - didn't see it poured though! I've read a few people say the old 18 was even better 😉🥃👍
The 18 is the best.
Edit: imo I mean
Seems a lot of people agree with you 😉 It's a fantastic whisky for sure.
Cheers 🥃👍
Every last bit. Haha. Every sample goes through the same shaking process
Testament to a good dram - dont let any go to waste!
Your charts show that the 18yo is more peaty than the 25yo. Can you confirm that this is indeed so?
Hi Alex,
Yes, though neither were particularly peaty. It showed subtly with some maritime tones on the 18 YO, rather than being particularly smoky or earthy.
It's quite common that the longer whisky is aged in a barrel the more the peat subsides and the barrel influence takes over. If you look at Ardbeg's wee beastie (5yr) vs the Ten or Laphroaig QC (8yr) for example.
🥃👍