Cadenhead’s Kilkerran 14yo Authentic Collection October 2025 & Cadenhead’s Bunnahabhain 5yo Authentic Collection October 2025

Cadenhead’s Kilkerran 14yo Authentic Collection October 2025

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 58.0%

Price: £70.00

Distilled in 2010 and fully matured in a Oloroso sherry hogshead, this Kilkerran was bottled in October 2025 with an outturn of 264 bottles.

Nose

Initially, we are getting a nice savoury hit: Cheez-Its, Ritz crackers, and, behind that, citrus led by tangerines. Returning to it, there is Play-Doh, sour cherries, a touch of burnt or charred wood, and a hint of tobacco smoke. With time, gingerbread, Coffee Revels, cherry cola, and burnt brown sugar appear. The alcohol is well integrated, with minimal spice.

Palate

The palate opens with honey, caramel sauce, and orange peel. Tobacco appears on the mid palate and lingers into a medium finish that, unfortunately, carries a little too much spice. With air, more earthy notes emerge and there is a slightly murky dirty water note. Cola also makes an appearance alongside burnt bacon. The mouthfeel is good, but we just wish it was less spicy.

Nose (with water)

With water, the honey on the nose intensifies, alongside those Ritz crackers. It’s earthier now, with a touch of caramel sauce, wood chips, cured meats, chocolate, cigarette smoke, and cashew nuts.

Palate (with water)

Like the nose, the honey is very noticeable. The spice has reduced slightly but is still quite prominent. The mouthfeel remains good, and the finish is still medium in length. There is now a pleasant chocolate orange note, though the trade off is it is a little less smoky now.

Conclusion

It’s a solid Kilkerran release, though far from our favourite, partly because of the high standard the distillery sets. For us, it needs a fair bit of tinkering with water to bring the spice in line with our tastes. No doubt some will rate it higher, but we’re going with a 7.

Score: 7/10

Value

A good price; we’ve no doubt Cadenhead could have got away with charging more.

Cadenhead’s Bunnahabhain 5yo Authentic Collection October 2025 

Region: Islay

ABV: 62.4%

Price: £65.00

Distilled in 2020 and fully matured in a Rioja red wine oak cask, this Bunnahabhain was bottled in October 2025 with an outturn of 507 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens very savoury with rice crackers and hand cooked salted crisps, then dry earth, lemon juice and a touch of pepper spice. With patience red apple joins peanuts, iodine, seaweed, a light strawberry fromage frais note and a hint of bacon. The smoke while noticeable, isn’t as dominant as we were expecting, and this leans more earthy than peaty. The wine cask has added a little needed complexity.

Palate

The palate has dry earth, a slight saltiness, and some Walkers bacon crisps, and sugar syrup. Smoked ham and a little tobacco appear mid palate, before ginger spice builds on a slightly too hot medium length finish. Speaking of the finish there’s also Peanuts, a touch of tar and strawberry jam. The mouthfeel is good and has some weight to it, though we’re finding this a little mouth drying and wine influence subtler than we expected.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose turns more savoury and less earthy. Crispbreads and a touch of honey appear. It gains a musty cellar note; there is less smoke, a little caramel, pork scratchings, and a hint of fudge. At times, it almost noses like a bourbon cask matured whisky.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate shows a touch more peat, a strong wet earth note and more sweetness from icing sugar and caramel. It’s also become nuttier. The finish remains medium length with ginger spices and of orange peel prominent notes. Although the spice is easier to handle now and the mouthfeel has held up.

Conclusion

An interesting young Bunna where the Rioja cask seems to have contributed more texture and tannins than fruit. To the whiskies credit we wouldn’t have guessed this was anywhere near 5 years old, and with a few drops of water we found this quite a tasty little drop.

Score: 7/10

Value

You’ll struggle to find cask strength Islay whisky for less than £65.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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