Bunnahabhain 25 Years Old 1995 Cask #3445 (Artful Dodger Whisky Collective)

Spirit distilled in 1995 was laid down during the late Highland Distillers ownership era of Bunnahabhain, before the 1999 Edrington acquisition and the production lull that followed. The cask remained in dunnage warehouse for twenty-five years before being drawn for the Artful Dodger Whisky Collective bottling, yielding a single bottling at 41.7% natural strength.

The 41.7% ABV after twenty-five years is the natural endpoint of long maturation rather than a deliberate dilution. Spirit fills typically at 63.5% in the Scotch industry; over decades, evaporation through the cask staves draws down both alcohol and water content at rates that depend on warehouse humidity. The Bunnahabhain coastal warehouses by the Sound of Islay carry high humidity, which preserves spirit volume but allows alcohol to evaporate preferentially, producing the gentle decline to low-forties ABV that's typical of long-aged Islay material stored on-site.

The cask is American oak, refill character at this age, delivering soft vanilla, polished oak and the varnish-and-old-furniture aromatic that very long bourbon-style maturation produces. The distillate's oily Margadale Burn salinity has had decades to integrate into the wood signature, producing a quiet, contemplative spirit rather than a bold one. At natural strength, the bottle drinks softly: water is unnecessary and the texture rewards patience. Natural colour, non-chill-filtered, single cask.