The annual 12 Year Old release brings plenty of sherry, spice and coastal character to the glass

If you like your Scotch with a little more horsepower, Bunnahabhain has something worth putting on the radar.

The Islay distillery is back with its annual 12 Year Old Cask Strength 2026 Edition, a small-batch release that takes the distillery’s familiar unpeated, sherry-influenced style and turns up the volume to 55.8% ABV.

And that’s really the fun of a cask strength whisky. You’re getting the spirit closer to the way it tastes coming out of the barrel, rather than having it brought down to a more typical bottling strength. You can always add a few drops of water, too, and see what happens.

For the 2026 edition, Master Blender Julieann Fernandez brings together the influence of Oloroso and bourbon casks, creating a whisky that leans into dried fruit and spice while keeping plenty of vanilla and creamy sweetness in the mix.

The official tasting notes start with a burnished copper color and a nose of raisins, figs, dates, honeyed vanilla, cinnamon and clove, with a little coastal freshness underneath.

The palate moves into stewed fruits, comforting spice, creamy vanilla and toasted coconut, followed by a gentle maritime note. The finish hangs around, moving from dried fruit and spice toward dark sugar and a polished mahogany character.

In other words, this isn’t a whisky that needs to holler to get your attention.

That’s part of what makes Bunnahabhain interesting in the first place. While Islay is famous for smoky, heavily peated whiskies, Bunnahabhain has built its reputation largely around an unpeated style. The distillery describes its spirit as robust, complex and oily, with a natural sweetness and subtle maritime influence. Its whiskies are also non-chill filtered and bottled without added color.

Bunnahabhain has been making whisky on the northeastern coast of Islay since 1881, at the mouth of the Margadale River. The name itself comes from Scottish Gaelic and refers to the mouth of the river. The distillery was accessible only by boat until the 1960s, and even today getting there involves a single-track road… so this isn’t exactly a distillery you stumble across on your way to the grocery store.

That remote coastal setting is also part of the personality of the whisky. Bunnahabhain’s combination of fruit, oak, sweetness and a subtle salty edge gives it a very different personality from the big smoky Islay malts.

The 12 Year Old Cask Strength releases have become a nice annual opportunity to see what the distillery can do with the same basic idea at full strength. Last year’s edition, for example, was bottled at 56.4% and leaned heavily on Oloroso casks, with the distillery emphasizing the balance between sherry character and its unpeated spirit.

The 2026 edition takes a slightly broader route with bourbon cask influence joining the Oloroso, bringing those honeyed vanilla and toasted coconut notes alongside the raisins, figs, dates and darker sherry character.

At $143.99 suggested retail, it lands firmly in the special-bottle territory, but this is also the sort of whisky that gives enthusiasts something to explore beyond simply pouring a dram and calling it a night.

Try it neat first. Then add a little water. See what changes as the whisky opens up.

And if you’re already a fan of Bunnahabhain’s gentler side of Islay, this year’s cask strength looks like a pretty interesting way to turn that familiar character up a few notches.

Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Cask Strength 2026 Edition is 55.8% ABV, with a suggested retail price of $143.99. The limited release is expected to be available nationwide online and at select retailers.

Just remember … at nearly 56% alcohol, “just one more dram” can be a surprisingly flexible concept.