Bunnahabhain's main core whisky is a powerful mix of sherry, bourbon and wood influences. You get a lot for your money here, but it's a bit too spicy for my liking.
The details
Distillery: Bunnahabhain
Translation: Bunn-ah-ha-venn. Gaelic: Mouth of the river.
Region: Islay
Bottler: Bunnahabhain
Age: 12 years
Bottle: 20cl, cork top. A good, well-fitting, full size cork (unlike many other 20cl bottles).
Number of bottles: Unknown. Mass produced.
ABV: 46.3%
Cask type: Sherry, bourbon, and whisky barrels
Barley: Unstated
Yeast: Unstated
Filtered/coloured: Non-chill-filtered. Natural colour. (Stated on the bottle)
Sample date: Monday 7th February, 2022
Peated/unpeated: Lightly peated
Cost: £16.00 from The Little Whisky Shop
Availability: Mainstream production and retail. Easy to get 70cl bottles. Not so easy to get the 20cl bottles.
Barcode: 5029704219803
Tasting notes
Eye
A rich, dark brown sherry colour. Bunnahabhain call it "russet gold".
Nose
Rich dried fruit. Branston pickle. Stewed apple stuffed with raisins. Hints of cherry and rubber bands. Dry sherry. Set honey. Black forest gateau.
This has some of the savoury notes that remind me of Edradour 10. With a touch of water, the sherry becomes more prominent. A bit of wet wool socks and orange peel. The earthy, smoky edge comes through. Vanilla. Caramel. Perhaps a bit of tobacco.
The smoke is very subtle; definitely not at the front. It's hiding away under the sherry and dark fruit flavours.
SCORE: 19/25
Taste
The mouthfeel is dryish. Sweet malt arrival, followed by wood spice and broad sherry. Barley sugar. The rubbery note carries on into the palette.
After water it gets a bit misty. Water brings out the sweetness and mutes the spiceyness, but gives it a much thinner mouthfeel. There's ginger and a bit of bashed, ripe banana.
SCORE: 15/25
Finish
Rich warmth carries on into the finish. A bit of bitter chocolate surfaces, with a touch of ground coffee. More orange peel; a bit more pithy this time. Earth and smokey undernotes continue into the finish. A bit of burnt caramel. The finish is long but it carries some bum notes of rubber. If you want rid of this, pour a dram and leave it to breathe in the glass for 30 minutes.
SCORE: 11/25
Overall
It's a wood-forward palette. The wood spice is the first wave, then the sherry dashes in to give it that other dimension. It's not my favourite sort of dram, but I get why a lot of people like this. There's a lot going on across a few layers and at 46.3% there's room to control it with a little water.
SCORE: 16/25
Final verdict
It's pleasant enough, but for me not outstanding or overly memorable. It has layers, but the layers aren't balanced. They're shifty. Too much wood influence for me. The nose is dominated by wood and sherry, making it hard for the other flavours to punch through. It's definitely a winter dram. Not one for a summer's day.
Would I rush to buy another bottle of this? Not for a while. Would I be disappointed if somebody handed me a glass of this? No.
TOTAL: 61/100
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