Bunnahabhain 12y (40%, OB)

Fresh nose. Honey and ginger. Fruity with hints of dry sherry. Really mild, the smoke is only noticeable in the distance and peat is virtually absent. Mouth: mellow and really sweet. Just a tad smokey. Weak attack (it seems over-diluted) but it gets more powerful after a few seconds. More smoke and coffee in the aftertaste. A tiny bit of peat as well (or was that just imagination?).

Not bad actually. Nothing special either. Around € 30.
 
Score: 78/100.

Bunnahabhain 18 yo (51,4%, OB for
Feis Ile 2010, PX cask, 384 btl.)

Nose: a relatively light nose. Obvious PX influence, but less fresh and fruity than some previous experiments from other distilleries (this or this). Caramelized banana and a bit of cinnamon. Sweet nuts. Sourish berries. A little mint and ginger. Mildly maritime. Mouth: sweet, with dry fruits. Sweet but not too sugary. Hints of chocolate and kirsch. Balanced spices (pepper, clove) and dried herbs. Finish: medium length, drying, with the same flavours.

Recipe: 70% Bunnahabhain 18yo and 30% fortified wine. Although the wine is not subtle, the end result is quite good (but not exceptional). Sold for € 100 at the distillery.

Score: 81/100

Bunnahabhain 45 yo 1965
(40%, The Whisky Agency ‘Private Stock’ 2010,
refill hogshead, 195 btl.)

Nose: delicate with a nice banana fruitiness right from the start. Unripe pineapple. Hints of mint. Soft vanilla and hay. A faint hint of smoke and varnish. Nice dustiness. Quite light. Mouth: silky but really thin and silent. There’s a bit of oak juice and tobacco, with again a faint smokiness in the back. Lightly fruity (sourish oranges). No dryness but the flavours are muted. I’m not sure whether to call this subtle or just weak. Finish: medium length, soft with hints of chocolate and apple.

It’s nice to find this kind of elegant fruitiness with smoky hints and a proud kind of oldness. On the other hand, it’s rather thin and perhaps slightly over-aged.
Around € 240. Still available.

Score: 85/100

Bunnahabhain 41 yo 1967 (41,1%, Malts of Scotland 2010, bourbon hogshead #3315, 147 btl.)

Nose: again quite tropical, but the coconut / vanilla cream seems to be subdued. Unripe pineapple. White peaches. This profile is a little less warm, the fruits are fresher – greener, if you know what I mean. The oily notes are sharper, like linseed oil or varnished paintings. Cardamom? Even some walnut oil after a while. There seem to be faint coastal notes as well. Interesting variation, although I prefer the luscious warmth of the 1968. Mouth: quite oily again. A cut-off effect on the fruity notes, just like in the 1968. Goes on with peach and oaky notes, though never drying. Hints of oranges. Some nutmeg and a little mint. Water brings out a bit of vanilla. Finish: medium length, on cooked apple and normal woody notes.

Very good, but in my opinion, this one is slightly less expressive than the Bunnahabhain 1968 from Malts of Scotland. Same price as the others: about € 215.

Score: 90/100

This 43 years old Bunnahabhain 1967 was bottled by The Whisky Agency in a new series called Private Stock.

Bunnahabhain 43 yo 1967 (40,5%, The Whisky Agency Private Stock 2010, sherry hogshead,
139 btl.)

Nose: the best sherry nose I’ve found in months. Wonderfully balanced, with red fruits, beeswax and whiffs of mocha. Lovely dried apricots and prunes but some tropical fruits as well (guava). Mint. Some cinnamon and a little ginger. Hints of tobacco and sandalwood. I’ve compared this to the Auld Acquaintance and I think this profile is even nicer. Mouth: some banana and almond milk. Papaya. Orange cake. Soon the wood kick in. It’s not overly oaky or but the tannins are certainly obvious. Resulting hints of dark tea. Overall the middle is fairly weak, a bit of extra strength could have lifted this. A little rummy. Finish: never really dry, but slowly fading on oak and soft pepper and mildly sherried orange notes.

A great old Bunnahabhain with a near-perfect nose. The palate is very good even though it can’t hide its respectable age. Around € 210. Recommended but difficult to find.

Score: 92/100

Belgium is currently the only region where they are distributing it (contrary to a widely available Bunnahabhain 1967 bottled at the same time), but I’ve heard that part of the available stock will go to other countries in the future.

Bunnahabhain 41 yo 1968 (40%, Malts of Scotland 2010, bourbon hogshead #12291, 164 btl.)

Nose: very tropical right from the start. Ripe mango, banana, tangerine, juicy pears, plums… very warm. Lots of vanilla and coconut cream as well. Nice floral touches. Little oak but after a while, some spices come out (cinnamon, hints of nutmeg). Beeswax and honey. Still the whole is really dominated by the fruits (not a bad thing of course). Impressive how vividly fruity this is after 40+ years. Mouth: enough weight despite the low alcohol volume, a bit more oily now, the sweet fruitiness seems to be dimmed as soon as it appears. In the middle, the tropical side is struggling a bit to get past the oaky notes and spices. But it wins and returns to peach, mango, grapefruit and a little mint. Finish: medium length, with soft tannins.

Another great Bunnahabhain to recommend.
A different style than yesterday’s Whisky Agency bottling, but just as good. Same pricing: about € 215.

Score: 92/100

Bunnahabhain 43 yo 1968 (45,7%,
The Whisky Agency & Three Rivers Tokyo 2011, ex-bourbon hogshead, 211 btl.)

Nose: very fruity – slightly tropical. Lots of juicy pears with banana. Plums. Honey. Grows sweeter with hints of fruit jams (strawberry and apricot). Not completely fruity though, there’s a layer of coastal notes (very soft saltiness) and subtle pine resin which makes more complex. Great nose. Mouth: oily and smooth. Still fruity (banana, grapefruit, orange) although the oak is louder now and adds a resinous bitterness. Soft spices (nutmeg) and salt. Hints of liquorice and mint. Finish: long and rather mineral with notes of vanilla, soft herbs and oak.

A great nose and (as often with oldies) a slightly less impressive palate. High class and very drinkable.
Around € 215.

Score: 90/100

Bunnahabhain 43 yo 1968 (43,8%,
Whisky-Fässle 2011, refill sherry cask,
joint bottling with Whiskybase)

Nose: a bigger fruitiness here. Juicy pears and (riper) banana but also added notes of mango and apricots. Even more jammy. Extra beehive notes as well (beeswax, honey), I like that. More sherry notes obviously. In short: similar elements but a tad more luscious and warm. Mouth: sweeter, slightly fruitier than the TWA/3R release. Banana flambeed. Raisins and dried figs. Honey. Baked apple with cinnamon. Less oak. Finish: long, fruity and honeyed with subtle oak.

This one is more to my liking than yesterday’s sister bottling. It’s rounder and controls the oak more. Great selection. It’s slightly less expensive as well.
Around € 205.

Score: 92/100

Bunnahabhain 38 yo 1973
(50,2%, Malts of Scotland 2011,
sherry butt #3463, 216 btl.)

Nose: starts a little dirty, with lots of mushrooms, damp forest notes and a little cooked cabbage. Similar to the Bunnahabhain 1973 (Shark series) by Whisky Agency. Some caramel and beurre noisette. The whole reminds me of certain pre-war blends. After plenty of breathing, it shows sweeter fruity notes and some chamomile. Mouth: sweet and caramelly. Apples and honey. Toffee. Then it turns to yeasty and softly bitter notes (Triple beer?). A veil of smoke. Hints of oranges. Round oak and soft spices. Finish: long, sweet and rather herbal with more than a hint of rubber.

I always find it difficult to score a dram like this. Do I focus on the nose during the first half an hour (not very good) or do I give points for the profile after a while, which is much better? A mixed bag in my opinion – but I seem to appreciate it less than others. The palate is quite unique and pleasant though, just remember that you’ll need to get over the unfresh elements of the nose to get there. Airing is the key. Around € 170.

Score: 80/100

Bunnahabhain 35y 1973 (50,1%, The Whisky Agency 2008, Shark series, 509 btl.)

Nose: oh boy. While there are certainly nice aspects to this dram, like the sherry sweetness and notes of raisins and honey, I’m afraid I can’t get over the dirty notes. It smells like cooked cabbage, wet forest and mushrooms. Now I love mushrooms, but this is rather unpleasant. The thing is, once you notice it, it’s really hard to appreciate other flavours, because it doesn’t even disappear after 30 minutes in the glass. Mouth: better, starting sweet with floral notes and honey. But still a background of mushrooms. Growing more bitter towards the end. Finish: notes of tonic, like in the Bunnahabhain 1976, and some rubber as well.

I think this was good spirit matured in a less than perfect sherry butt. Second and third fill sherry casks are more prone to sulphur treatment, could that be the reason? Not my kinda dram anyway. Around € 175.

Score: 75/100

ps/ Serge at Whiskyfun seems to like it, even with the dirty notes.

Bunnahabhain 35 yo 1974
(56,6%, Adelphi 2009, sherry cask #4780, 200 btl.)

Nose: very meaty sherry. In fact, the first notes I got were of gravy with a “bouquet garni” (a classic mixture of herbs – rosemary and sage among others). Hints of mushrooms. Soy sauce. Quite peculiar but nice, and if you like old, slightly musty sherry, this is excellent. Prunes as well. Some chocolate coated marzipan. Mouth: rich and mouth-coating. Slightly prickly and mentholated at full strength. Cinnamon. Kirsch. Demerara sugar. Drying towards very dark chocolate and liquorice. Water brings out traces of smoke. Finish: long and slightly grapey. Very much on coffee and cocoa.

This Bunnahabhain is an impressive sherry bottling with various savoury and herbal notes on top of the usual deep fruity notes. Unique but rather expensive (€ 300),

Score: 91/100

Oloroso sherry can be really sweet (e.g. Solera 1847 by Gonzalez Byass) or dry (e.g. Alfonso by Gonzalez Byass or the 30 year-old Apostoles).

Bunnahabhain 34y 1974 (59,3%, The Whisky Agency 2008, Perfect Dram I, 300 btl.)

Nose: whoaa, terrific sherry influence! Leather and dried fruits (prunes, dates). Chocolate. Tobacco, cigar box. Some hints of a dusty cellar with refreshing mint at the same time. Nutty flavours as well. Dark sugar. With some water, slightly floral notes appear. Very complex and extremely well balanced. Wonderful. Mouth: really intense and mouth coating. Starting sweet, with a bit of brown sugar and dried fruit. A tad herbal (is that thyme?). Walnuts. Clearly marked by the wine but very smooth. Getting drier in the end. Finish: long, lingering aftertaste on dark chocolate and dried apricots.

This kind of dram makes my day. I’m a fan of old, sherry matured whisky and it fits the Bunnahabhain perfectly. Easily the best whisky of the three. Also the most expensive at € 180.

Score: 91/100

Bunnahabhain 32y 1976 (fino sherry)
Bunnahabhain 35y 1973 (refill sherry)

ps/ If you want to try these sherried 1970’s Bunnahabhains yourself, Luc Timmermans’ Whiskysamples.eu can provide you with a 3cl sample. There are lots of wonderful offerings in his store, fairly priced and perfectly delivered. Worth checking out.

It’s very rare to find fino-matured Bunnahabhain bottlings. I know of one other 1976 release in the Murray McDavid Mission series last year (probably a sister cask?)

Bunnahabhain 32y 1976 (55,7%, The Whisky Agency 2008, Shark series, 300 btl.)

Nose: dry-sweet. Nicely floral and fruity. Guava, apple, tangerine. Some notes of wax. Pollen. Fresh sea breeze. Not extremely expressive, but still rather complex and delicate. Mouth: medium-sweet attack, starting on fruit (oranges), with some spices (cloves). Walnuts. After a while, getting drier with notes of tonic and even aspirine. Not entirely balanced, I would say. Grapefruit and more oak.

Good whisky, but the bitterness prevents it from being a real winner. Around € 150.

Score: 85/100

Bunnahabhain 31 yo 1980 (46,3%, Whisky-Doris 2011, bourbon hogshead #13, 177 btl.)

Nose: starts fairly simple on fragrant oranges and sea breezes. After opening up, the fruitiness widens into orange peel, fruit cake, hints of vanilla. The sea breeze develops into a big saltiness and all-round spiciness. Some leather and nutmeg as well. Mouth: not overly powerful, but punchy enough and very complex. There are nutty notes, fruity notes (even hints of coconut and tropical fruits), a beer-like malty note, eucalyptus oil, a leathery note again, liquorice…   and again big coastal elements. Finish: medium long, half sweet / half salty with biscuity notes, soft peat and ginger.

Not an easy one to assess, but a very complex and proudly coastal Bunnahabhain. Take your time and enjoy. Available from Whisky-Doris, € 110.

Score: 89/100

By the way, Malts of Scotland also released a Glen First Class (sherried Glenfarclas in disguise – € 40) and a Glen Peat Class (blended Islay malt, matured together – € 50). Both are bottled at 50% and positioned as entry malts for people who are not (yet) familiar with the concept of single casks.

Bunnahabhain 17 yo 1992 (54,4%, Malts of Scotland 2010, cask #1419, 603 btl.)

Nose: old, dusty sherry, which reminds me of walking in a wine cellar. The influence of the wine is very heavy but quite clean. Burnt sugar and sweet fruit compote. Walnuts. Some gingerbread notes. Very lightly coastal / seaweedy as well. With water: slightly meaty with faint smoke. But a little less clean now… Mouth: mouth-coating and quite hot. The ginger notes get stronger. Some nutty notes (walnuts again, some almonds). Getting extremely dry and a little bitter. Water brings out cigar associations (tobacco leaves, cigar boxes) but also takes away most of the intensity. Some oak polish. Finish: long and really dry. Hints of liquorice.

This malt has some glorious moments but also a few dips. The combo of bitterness and sweetness is nicely balanced but its dry power is a little invading as well. A good choice if you want heavy sherry with more complexity than just the wine.

Score: 83/100

This is one of the recent additions to the Malts of Scotland range.

Bunnahabhain 11yo 1997 (55,3%, Malts of Scotland 2009, sherry hogshead #3172, 279 btl.)

Nose: it’s the peated barley that’s talking here. Ashes. Quite peppery, hints of tyres and chalk. Pleasant notes of pencil shavings and pear in the distance. The sherry shines through in notes of eucalyptus and a bit of butter caramel, but it’s not at all overpowering so it may have been a second fill cask. After a while, some candy sugar appears which makes it a bit more expressive and rounded. Mouth: very powerful attack, very peaty and a tad bitterish. Very smokey. Again the sherry is on a second level, but it’s still trying to fight back (faint notes of fruit marmelade). Roasted nuts. Salty liquorice as well. Not the most complex whisky but still nice and balanced. Finish: long, quite organic with a dash of salt.

A very good Bunnahabhain with big muscles. Around € 60.

Score: 86/100

Bunnahabhain 9 yo 2000 
(59%, Whisky-Doris 2010, sherry butt, 180 btl.)

Nose: a nice, dry, medium-strength peat aroma with roasted nuts and some bread crust. Nicely balanced with some sherry influence: raisins and prunes. A hint of ginger. Water highlights dried fruits and some cocoa. Mouth: quite huge, really powerful – actually too strong to unfold itself. Peaty with a tarry / liquorice edge, lots of spices and herbs. Resinous oak. Water makes it more smokey and brings out unexpected notes of sweet cider apples. Finish: long, sweet and spicy (nutmeg, cinnamon).

A young and unconstrained Bunnahabhain – I can’t think of many other drams with this profile. It’s peaty but very different from other Islay malts. Available from Whisky-Doris for € 42.

Score: 85/100

Bunnahabhain Bn1
(55,6%, Elements of Islay 2011, 50 cl)

Nose: peated, no doubt. Rather deep smoke with a hint of rubber. Very sweet too: big notes of honey and quite some vanilla, which make this a nicely warm and rounded nose. Sweet apples. Citrus candy. Almonds. Soft medicinal notes in the background. Mouth: big and oily with punchy peat again. That same hint of rubber to start off, quickly overtaken by sweet apple and pear (makes me think it’s not too old). Lemon. Big pepper, a little ginger and a few briny hints towards the end. Finish: rather long and smoky with notes of salty liquorice and citrus zest.

This Bunnahabhain is fairly simple but packed with punch and it features a lovely nose. Even though peated spirit is not its core business, Bunnahabhain sure knows how to present this style. Check it out if you like a young, peaty profile. Around € 50.

Score: 85/100

The otherwise unpeated Islay distillery Bunnahabhain did some peated runs in 1997, and occasionally they make it into a limited release like Bunnahabhain Toiteach or Bunnahabhain Moine. Now there’s a peated expression for duty free shops (as often also available in a few regular stores). Cruach Mhóna is the name for a pile of drying peat bricks.

Bunnahabhain Cruach Mhóna
(50%, OB 2010, travel retail, 100cl)

Nose: starts savoury with coastal hints of dried algae. Toasted bread. Then some herbs and something that vaguely reminds me of Maggi or – strangely – Worcestershire sauce. Smoke with sweet liquorice. Faint eucalyptus. Less peaty than previous peated Bunna, or so it seems. A few fruity notes in the background that grow stronger over time. Mouth: more peat now. Ash tray, tarry ropes. More malty sweetness than the nose suggested. Develops on pepper, liquorice and a little salt. A few herbal notes. Nose: slightly drying and smokey. Medium length.

Not a bad dram, but it suffers from a comparison with its Islay neighbours who offer similar (yet more mature) peated whisky for less money. Around € 65.

Score: 75/100

Mòine means “peat” in Gaelic. There was
a similar bottling for Feis Ile 2004.

Bunnahabhain ‘Mòine’ (58,4%,
OB 2009, Feis Isle 2009, 642 btl.)

Nose: starts off with a coastal kick. Salty and slightly sharp. Peaty with big roasted undertones (cocoa, espresso, bread crust). Sweet coal smoke with a delicate lemony edge. Hints of paint. Reminiscent of new-make. Rather weird and slightly off-key. The Lindores guys thought it was immature, which is correct, but I still appreciate it for being different and for having this “dark” side. Mouth: very sweet. Sugar coated peanuts. Salty notes as well (liquorice). The liquid version of the nose really (dark roast, yeast, close to new-make). Finish: sweet at first but getting ashier and drier. Roasted nuts again.

This may not have been the highlight of Feis Ile for some people, but I think Bunnahabhain proposed something unique here. Not new-make but not mature whisky either. Love it or hate it. By far the worst value for money of this year’s festival though (€ 120 for a 6 year-old?).

Score: 82/100