Start with the price, because it sets the frame. This week Bunnahabhain 12 is **$99 for members** at Dan Murphy's, and it usually sells around that. Across about 26 pours in the bottle that works out at $3.87 a standard drink, so a glass at home sits under a $13 pint at the pub ($6.28 a standard drink). The price guide below puts it against the bottles closest to it.
Now the odd thing about this one. Give a Bunnahabhain 12 drinker a Tamdhu 12 and they get about 93% of what they like. But a Tamdhu 12 drinker, handed a Bunnahabhain 12 the other way, would pay only 72% of what their own bottle costs, marking it down mostly for the name on the label. The swap runs one way.
1/If Bunnahabhain 12 is your bottle, the one that tastes nearest to it at Dan Murphy's is Tamdhu 12. Nearest two ways: the words in their reviews, and what drinkers reach for. Tamdhu 12 gives a Bunnahabhain 12 drinker about 97% of what it does, for 77% of the price.
2/Bunnahabhain 12 noses fresh: sea salt and tangerines, a little woodsmoke, then vanilla and malt on an oily palate. Tamdhu 12 runs drier and richer, with citrus and cinnamon, sweeter sherry, a touch of banoffee pie. Both reviews land on sherry and hazelnuts.
3/This week at Dan Murphy's, Bunnahabhain 12 is $128 and Tamdhu 12 is $98 for members, about $5.01 and $4.13 a standard drink. A yes for each: stay with the Bunnahabhain 12 if it's your pour; reach for the Tamdhu 12 when you fancy a change.
| slot | 08-13 | 08-20 | 08-27 | 09-03 | 09-10 | 09-17 | 09-24 | 10-01 | 10-08 | 10-15 | 10-22 | 10-29 | 11-05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list / member | 127.99 observed | 127.99 observed | 127.99 observed | 127.99 observed | 127.99 m 108.00 observed | 127.99 m 108.00 observed | 127.99 m 108.00 observed | 127.99 m 108.00 observed | 127.99 observed | 127.99 observed | 127.99 observed | 127.99 observed | 127.99 m 99.00 observed |
| basis | mean | median | sd | min | max | range | cv | se mean | latest | own-range pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 127.99 | 127.99 | 0.00 | 127.99 | 127.99 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 127.99 | 100 |
| member | 119.61 | 127.99 | 11.28 | 99.00 | 127.99 | 28.99 | 9.4% | 3.13 | 99.00 | 8 |
| moments | m1 mean | m2 var | m3 skew | m4 ex-kurt | 95% band of the mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 127.99 | 0.00 | null | null | 128.0 – 128.0 |
Bunnahabhain 12 and its nearest neighbour, Tamdhu 12, both lean on sherry casks. Hand a Tamdhu 12 drinker a Bunnahabhain 12 and they'd put it at 72% of what their own bottle costs. Plenty to like either way. More on the Bunnahabhain 12 in this week's piece.
I poured the Bunnahabhain 12 and there it was: sea salt, a little tangerine, smoke drifting off at the end. At $99 that's $3.87 a standard drink, about 26 to the bottle. A pint runs about $6.28 a standard drink; a quieter pour at home. More in this week's piece.
Friday night, two Islay bottles on the bench look almost twins. Caol Ila 12 is $99 this week, Bowmore 12 is $95. So Caol Ila costs $4 more a bottle. But at 43% against 40% it's the cheaper drink: $4.17 a standard drink against $4.30. Per standard drink: Bowmore 12 $4.30, Caol Ila 12 $4.17, Bunnahabhain 12 $5.01, Lagavulin 16 $6.74, Lagavulin 11 Sweet Peat $6.95. A pint at the pub is about $13, near two standard drinks, so $6.28 each. Bowmore, Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain come in under; the two Lagavulins sit over. Pick by taste. The price per pour won't trip you up.
| # | candidate | price | CEARP | price − CEARP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lagavulin 16 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $159.95 | $115.04 | +44.91 |
| 2 | Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700ml | $164.99 | $112.94 | +52.05 |
| 3 | Bowmore 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky 700mL | $95.00 | $106.66 | -11.66 |
| 4 | Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Year Old Scotch Whisky 700mL | $145.99 | $102.57 | +43.42 |
| 5 | Caol Ila 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $99.00 | $102.21 | -3.21 |
| 6 | Bunnahabhain Stiuireadair Whisky 700mL | $94.00 | $101.43 | -7.43 |
| 7 | Laphroaig 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $97.00 | $100.67 | -3.67 |
| 8 | Lagavulin 8 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $99.00 | $100.21 | -1.21 |
| 9 | Tamdhu 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $98.00 | $96.14 | +1.86 |
| 10 | Aberlour 12 Year Old Double Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $105.00 | $93.68 | +11.32 |