There’s no shortage of Bunna casks on the IB market, but it’s hard to beat the distillery’s own bottlings, especially with real age and at pricing like this. The 18 Year Old is an excellent example of how well the distillery manages the characteristic sweetness of its malt without going overboard into cloying territory. The pale tawny color is a little unusual for a whisky of this age, but no matter. The nose is replete with stewed dark plum, blackberry, and black currant framed by sweet barrel spices that meld into oatmeal cookie, treacle, and raisin bread. Then, there follows maple resin, vanilla bean, caramelized coconut, sassafras, and cinnamon. The palate is surprisingly medium weight and refined in texture, but it boasts seriously concentrated, ripe blackberry and black cherry right up front, accented by excellent sherry tones – prune, raisin, and toasted almond. Time in glass brings out caramelized sugar, toffee, root beer, and sarsaparilla, all leading to a medium-long, lifted finish of licorice and medicinal herbs. It strikes a fantastic chord of contemplation and pleasure, and you’ll find yourself pouring a second dram without thinking twice.
93 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer (Oct 2026)
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