I am doing my last whisky session before christmas today. Bunnahabhain it was. Most Bunnahabhains that I've tried and not been standards, have almost always been older ones. So today I'm going for three young ones from the Macphail's collection of different vintages, and two older ones at thirty-something, both distilled in 1976. I promised you some peaty tastings, but that'll be after christmas, this will do for now I'm afraid.
Bunnahabhain 11yo 1997-2008 43% G&M The Macphail's Collection
I think this is the most recent vintage of Bunnahabhain in this series from G&M, and maybe the last one as well? The Macphail's Collection was a series that I think had its peak in the late 80's early 90's. As an alternative to the many CC-bottlings that were on the market? Time to see what it was all about. This one should not be too far rom the 12yo OB in style? light straw color. Smells of hay, peat, black peppers, rubber, wheat. I know there's little or no peat involved in Bunnahabhain usually, but there is some peatiness present here. The taste is rubbery, licorice, hay, wheat again, sort of dry, but not in a drying way like tannins or lime juice, more like dry dusty air, old attic "filth dryness". But give it some time and swirl it around in your mouth and there is an ardbeg-ish feel to it. Lemon and peat. The aftertaste is spirity and bitter, ad leaves me reaching for a glass of water to drown these flavors with.
Predictable Islay-whisky, until the dirty and foul finish: 3.5
Bunnahabhain 14yo 1990-2004 40% G&M The Macphail's Collection
This one has got a few more years in the cask to boast, but it's also bottled at an even lower strength than the 1997. How will it compare? It is a bit darker, a cross between golden yellow and orange. It smells iodine, chalk, rubber, black peppers, honey mustard, wet wool and salty water. The taste is huge on rubber and dried red paprika. A slight acidity as well. This one is a small leap up from the last one, but has some less than nice acidic notes. Seems to be a bit over-oaked as well. This opens up a bit more as minutes goes by. After a while it's more on sour, lemon and kiwi, and acidic. This lemon-stuff is found in both, and they're not as far apart as I might suspected. The aftertaste is sweet, molasses spirit, peppery and rubber.
A bit more "complex" in lack of a better words, but not necessarily better: 4
Bunnahabhain 10yo 1988-1998 40% G&M The Macphail's Collection
One produced close to a decade earlier than the 1997, but maybe Bunnahabhain was better back then? Darkest one so far what color is concerned. Dark orange. It smells old and musty, coarse mustard, white tawny port, leather, ropes, charcoal and cinnamon. The taste is sweet and bitter, like a genever or even Gammel Dansk. This doesn't taste like whisky. I have to add water to this since the nosed made a promise of sherried notes. With some water it gets even mustier, brinier, and much more bitter. There's definitively some sherry wood involved here with that delicate gunpowder/struck matches coming through. All in all an interesting whisky that you won't find many of.
If you like a bitter whisky, this could be the one for you: 4.5
Bunnahabhain 33yo 1976-2010 49% Celtic Heartlands
Edit: After trying this one the first time, I realized there might have been an mistake, and now I see that the 4.5 should have gone to a completely different whisky that I by accident put into my glass, and it wasn't even a Bunnahabhain, time to update my sample-system! So this is the Celtic Heartland-bottling then. Orange color, like cinnamon or peach tea. Smells of light herbs, like basil, coriander, laurels. Also cumin and parsnip, some nutty and sweet vegetable flavors, even potato starch. The taste is dried red paprika, dill, coriander, reminds me somehow of rich korma, there's some coconut sweetness here and lavender. Starting to sound like some funky stuff, biut it's not that. It's just miles away from other Bunnahabhains, and quite exotic. This is something that I'm used to find in some weird cask finish from Glenmorangie or Bruichladdich. But that doesn't mean its bad, it's just way different.
A strange but very pleasant Bunna: 5.5
Bunnahabhain 32yo 1976-2008 55.2% The Whisky Agency Sharks
Matured in a fino sherry cask, should I expect a bitter surprise? It had to be a fino if sherried, as it's pale as white wine after no less than 32 years. It has the same vintage as the CH-bottling, but I surely hope it can leap what that one put on the table. Huge, perfumy, bitter, roses, floral, burnt synthetic fabric, parmesan, dry and bitter, still so big that its hard to describe without being excessive. Lets just say it's a damn good cask so far. The taste is burnt, peppery and bitter, needs some water. With additional water it opens a bit up, but it's still very bitter and rubbery.
After the nice nosing it totally collapsed: 4
North of Scotland 1964 57.1% OB cask#37526
Bonus!!!: Since I made a capital error during the tasting of the 32yo from Celtic Heartland, I'm throwing in a tasting note of this single grain rarity. Pale green-is color, I don't know how old this one could be. It smells of lime, honey, nectarine, roquefort cheese, muyo picante (or something like that), it's got a certain fruity yet spicy flare to it I'd say. The taste is almost waxy, reminds me of some Clynelishes I've tried in the past, and even some high strength Fettercairns. It's a fun fact that although most distilleries are situated in the Highlands, there are very few grain distilleries there, this was one of them, now sadly closed down. It's a tad too raw and peppery on the palate, I'll add some water. Now it becomes more citrussy, orange zest, grapefruit, floral, turnip, parsnip, some other root vegetables that's hard to describe any better.
A rare treat, thankfully I have a little left of this somewhere: 5
Next Tasting: Lagavulin Distillery
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