Bunnahabhain 30yo 1978-2008 53.1% Murray McDavid
Another 30yo Bunnahabhain from same vintage, again this dark orange hue, just a bit more intense, perhaps due to not being diluted. Smells spirity, sulphury, restrained, dark grapes, lime and worchestershire sauce. The taste is The taste is peppery, a bit zesty and got some nice malty notes with dark syrup playing in the background. Better than the OMC, but still there not that dissimilar, with water they're quite alike. The aftertaste is drying, and has some ruounded egg cream flavor.
This needs time, but it's well worth it: 6.5
Bunnahabhain 30yo 1978-2009 50% Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask cask#5120 566btls.
A vertical tasting of 30 years old whiskies today. Not my everyday tasting for sure. Notes of mustard, phenol, restrained sweetness and herbal bitterness. Dark orange colour. The taste is very restrained and sulphury, seems to need some water. I find this to be a whisky that lacks some punch, I'm used to more cask influence from the OMC series, and I find the Bunnahabhain has always been a whisky in need of a good cask as it quite frankly isn't the most characteristic spirit. Now I'm sure many will disagree, but for me this one just doesn't cut it.
A bland and even when given time a pretty "dead" Bunnahabhain: 4
Bunnahabhain 17yo 1979-1996 58.4% Signatory Vintage cask#5110 btl.4/730
A sherry casked Bunnahabhain, the kind Islayer, brown dark colour, could this be from one of the good old sherry casks from Signatory Vintage that's becoming just harder and harder to find nowadays? Colour of dark rosé wine. It smells of caramell, oloroso sherry, a quite sharp flavour, wild berries. The taste is dry, very dry, unfortunately it doesn't develop much from this. With water. No thanks, doesn't make it better.
A weird Bunnahabhain, seems much young than it's age: 2
Bunnahabhain 9yo 59.6% Adelphi cask#5265
A young cask strength Bunnahabhain, I traded this one from another whisky sample gatherer. Most OB's from Bunnahabhain is darker and partly sherry matured, this one is straw pale. The taste is spirity and acid, acrylic clothing. The taste diabolical, dry, like chewing dry oak soaked in high spirit alcohol. Turns cloudy with water, The taste is just foul and off, spirity on all notes.
I'm no fan of Bunnahabhain unless 15+yo it seems: 1
Bunnahabhain 14yo 1995-2009 46% Dun Bheagan
Bunnahabhain's recently upped the abv on the standard 10yo to 46.3% with even bigger amount of sherry if I'm not mistaken, so this fresh sherry matured Bunnahabhain should maybe be around the same level. This one smells grainy and bitter, sulphury, another fino expression? or amoroso? The taste is rather burnt, oily, fat fish, smoked ham, salt. By adding water the expression gets a bit sweeter, with some tannins. The aftertaste is just rather bitter.
It's OK, but I'd rather have the standard OB: 5
Bunnahabhain 12yo 46.3% OB
I'm finishing off tonights sampling session with and old aquaintance, everything looks to be the same, but the alcohol level have been elevated from 40 to 46.3%abv. Let's see what impact this makes. Seems of its red hue that it's still partly sherry-matured. Smells roasted coffee beans, phenol, dry red wine, goat cheese and hickory. The taste is sweet, dry sherry, viciously bitter, seems to me even more sherried than its predecessor. Needs more water! Now it becomes amazing, oaky, chili, walnuts, oregano, oloroso, with a hot and rustic long aftertaste, something of the indian kitchen I presume.
An improvement, hopefully they'll keep it up: 6.5
Bunnahabhain NAS 46.3% OB Darach Ur batch#1
This Bunnahabhain was one of the first releases with batch statement, something that nowadays, which at also Laphroaig and Aberlour seems to becoming an alternative to the cask and bottle numbered bottles. It smells very fresh, sea-air, salty and smoky. The taste is dry and peppery, phenolic, rustic, I do like it, but it doesn't follow up the nose. I believe there could be a good portion of sherried malt in this? The aftertaste is long, drying and burning.
Something's taken hold here, far away from the distillery profile: 5.5
Bunnahabhain 8yo 1992-2010 54.4% Malts of Scotland cask#1419 btl.x/603
Bunnahabhain is a malt that reaches abnormal prices when bottled at 30+yo, 8yo on the other hand, I have no clue what to expect. This one has been matured exclusively in a fresh sherry cask. Combined with cask strength I guess I can expect something quite different than the standard Bunnas. The taste is extremely dry, I guess it needs water. With some water it gets peppery, but most of all floral. The aftertaste is long and sweet.
A nice bunnahabhain, but when diluted, it just gets a bit bland: 6
Bunnahabhain 20yo 1979-1999 57% James MacArthur's Old Master's
Another lightweighter bottled at cask strength, this one from the James Macarthur's. They bottle everything from crap to gold, so I guess this could fit just about anywhere on the scale. As JM usually don't artificial colour in their whisky, and this one is very dark, I believe it could be a sweet sherried one. The nose is very light, third light one in a row, could there be something wrong with my sense of smell today? The taste is sherried, no doubt. Sulphur, red onions, cigars, dry, dusty, blackberries, lemon peel and grape seeds. A drop of water makes little difference. If you enjoy a dry sherry, you'll love this.
For me it's a beautifully balanced pure sherried malt: 7.5
Bunnahabhain 12yo 40% OB
The nice and friendly Islayer, I think I've heard, from Ralfy that Bunnahabhain is best at young age. It has a creamy and very vanillish nose, sweet but not too sweet. Very nice vanilla flavour, some tannic notes, a little dry and a strange kind of leather aftertaste. I'll add water and it becomes a little more pleasant on the finish. This is absolutely an enjoyable and easygoing malt.
A Standard welcoming malt for arriving guests: 6
Bunnahabhain 36yo 1967-2004 40.7% Duncan Taylor
Bunnahabhain is normally considered best when bottled at a fairly young age. This is dark, with a beautiful scent of freshly baked apple pie and some caramel, christmas malt? The taste on the other hand is very dry, almost like licking cardboard, needs water. Some thin fruitiness emerges, but it also becomes more spirity. The finish gives more alcohol and some vanilla.
A poor old dram: 3
Bunnahabhain 17yo 1984-2001 43% Signatory Vintage
Bottled 4 days after my date of birth, fun to try. Smells of peat, burnt alcohole, like gasoline on fire and tannic redwine. It does taste of some very ripe blackcurrants, peat and porous cream. This is the kinder brother of all the other Islay distilleries.
The finish doesn't quite make it: 5.5
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