Eleven Bunnahabhain


January 29, 2024

Eleven Bunnahabhain

Tja, I've heard alliterations and rhymes kill more than both sharks and snakes. We'll now taste a good load of various Bunnahabhains from Islay and try to avoid their peaters that are sometimes named 'Bunnahabhain' too instead of Moine or Staoisha. Nothing against them, mind you, it's just that both styles do not work well together within one single session. Let's do this randomly, we've got so many of them…

Bunnahabhain 12 yo 2009/2022 (46%, Canmore, sherry butt, cask #900019, 913 bottles)

Bunnahabhain tends to take sherry well. Colour: dark reddish amber. Nose: isn't this chocolate? Some liquid brownie with candied cherries and fresh blueberries? Old cream sherry? Christmas pudding? All that works in sync, it's a pretty perfect old-style chocolaty sherry on the nose. Mouth: same combo, only with more meaty tones, English brown sauce, overripe bananas, plus a lot of chocolate, butterscotch and pancake sauce. Also dates, prunes and old armagnac. The strength is perfect. Finish: rather long, a little more herbal now. Allspice, old walnuts, marmalade in the aftertaste. Comments: arch classic. A charming chocolaty rusticity.
SGP:451 - 85 points.

Bunnahabhain 15 yo 2008/2023 (55.8%, Dramfool, 1st Fill Pedro Ximenez Hogshead, cask #993, 270 bottles)

In theory, this could come close. Colour: gold. Light for first fill. Nose: a family pack of white and black nougats, toffee of all kinds, chocolate, then grilled steak and drops of American BBQ sauce. Yeah I know there are literally thousands of different ones but I'm an anti-expert here. With water: a little plasticine, model glue, then potting soil and just more chocolate and toffee. Very lovely. Mouth (neat): we're extremely close to the Canmore. Chocolate, praline, caramel, toasts, maple syrup, prunes… All very good. With water: a little leafier, more on tobacco, allspice, raw armagnac indeed, moderately spicy beef jerky… Finish: long, candied, with a lot of black nougat, caramel and various syrups (cane, agave…) Comments: extra point for the extra strength. It's awesome.
SGP:451 - 86 points.

Bunnahabhain 13 yo (52.4%, Whisky Racing, Jack Wiebers, sherry cask, 120 bottles, 2023)

You can't drink and drive but you can drink and race, is that the message? (hey, we are joking, sarcastically – ask Jenson Button with his own brand of Scotch, and many others. Poor James Hunt). Colour: deep gold. Nose: bizarrely bourbony, but fantastic. Varnish, roasted almonds, praline, toasted oak… The sherry's kicking in later. Tobacco, menthol, leaves, and just proper dry sherry. Amontillado? Great cask. With water: a.w.e.s.o.m.e., pretty much in the style of some old sherried Bunnahabhains that were distilled in the 1960s. I'd swear I'm reminded of the Auld Acquaintance at times. Mouth (neat): super. Rich, sweet and spicy, with loads of toffee, butterscotch, Corinth raisins, millionaire shortbread, sticky toffee pudding… With water: herbal teas, chamomile, quite some cinnamon, cigarette tobacco. Something a little drying now. It's almost for the best; it would have been an absolute star without that. Finish: rather long, on nougat and black tea, plus some apricot jam. The usual marmalade and walnuts in the aftertaste. Comments: whisky racing… to the shop.
SGP:561 - 90 points.

Speaking of old ones…

Bunnahabhain 33 yo (48.8%, Hunter Laing, The Kinship, cask #HL20649, 292 bottles, 2023)

The Kinship 30 was superb (WF 91) and the Kinship 28 as well (WF 90). Colour: gold. Nose: remember when we used to sometimes write 'OMG!' on the Internet? You would believe you're in front of an old bottle as there's some awesome 'good' OBE, including various metals, polishes, waxes, forgotten liqueurs and discarded ointments and embrocations. But never has some oldness nosed this fresh and lively. I'm reminded of Bocuse's 'Soupe VGE' (truffles, foie gras, chicken bouillon, vegetable bouillon, Noilly Prat – well, more or less). Only a very faint dusty/soapy side in the back of the back of the background. Mouth: amazingly firm and tight (I suppose it is a 1989?), salty, with more bouillon, glazed chestnuts, which I already found in several old Bunnies if I remember well, then more Thai soups, coriander, soft chilli and ginger, lime, pickled palm hearts… And then some more classic Islay coastal flavours, oysters and crabs… Finish: not that long but incredibly fresh and complex at the same time. And isn't there some smoke? More Thai soup in the aftertaste, chilli, also raisins and chocolate… Comments: just dazzling. These Bunnahabhain age as gracefully as… well, some actresses.
SGP:562 - 92 points.

Bunnahabhain 35 yo 1988/2023 (46.5%, Silver Seal for Whisky Antique)

Colour: mahogany. Nose: this is more old-school than the House of Lords. Not talking about the Scotch whisky. Prunes, old cognac, dates, chocolate, figs, whiffs of moss and old pine wood, a few mushrooms and a little liquorice, plus a few roasted nuts, especially pecans. Mouth: we're deeply reminded of some old Speyside malts by G&M. Like pre-war, bottled in the 1970s and 1980s. It is a time machine! More bouillons, chocolate, pipe tobacco, liquorice, truffles, puréed chestnuts, pears poached in Sauternes, very old Sauternes, very old Malaga… It is definitely very 'antique'. I would love to watch young whisky enthusiasts tasting this whisky, or similar whiskies, for the very first time. It would undoubtedly be a real revelation, as they are becoming so rare. Finish: rather long, rather sublime to tell you the truth. Comments: as I sometimes say, we could spend hours sipping a magnum of each to try, and fail to decide which one, between the Kinship and the Silver Seal, is our favourite. That wouldn't be too reasonable.
SGP:651 - 92 points.

Back to younger ones, please, this is a slippery slope…

Bunnahabhain 14 yo 2007/2022 (53.9%, The First Editions for Whiskyshop Neumarkt, refill hogshead, cask # HL19623, 265 bottles)

Looks like we're in lovely Switzerland again. Colour: white wine. Nose: oh indeed, these ones, all on crème brulée, muscovado, tarte tatin, nougat, roasted peanuts, marzipan, aged williams pear eau-de-vie… This is working very, very well, you could have it with Läckerli With water: closer to the barley, grist, fresh bread, crêpes, stewed apples... Mouth (neat): perfect young malt, with a faint coastal side (some salinity) and plum tartes, roasted nuts, halva, pistachio, then fresher fruits, even cider. And always stewed apples. With water: awesome combination, between the bready and malty side on one side, and the saltier, more coastal, more lemony aspects on the other side. Finish: rather long, perhaps a little narrower, grassier, greener. Comments: it's obviously tough to come after the HL and SS, but I think it's done very well.
SGP:562 - 85 points.

Perhaps some older bottling(s)…

Bunnahabhain 1992/2010 (54.4%, Malts of Scotland, sherry butt, cask #1419, 603 bottles)

It's strange that we have never tried this one. Felix qui potuit etcetera… Colour: dark copper amber. Nose: some slightly leafier sherry, with more black teas of all origins and styles, plus a little new leather, bay leaves, a little wood smoke – it cannot be a peated one, can it – and some fresh-sawn pinewood. With water: wonderful pipe tobacco, plus whiffs of plastics, say brand new vinyl record. Say original Dark Side Of The Moon just taken out of its sleeve for the very first time. Ha, I agree I could have chosen something more exclusive than Dark Side Of The Moon. Mouth (neat): very good deeply chocolaty sherry, with a few metallic touches and some cured ham. Raw cocoa. With water: sweet tobacco, figs, sweet sherry, onion jam, some saltiness, some menthol… It seems to have gathered different styles of Bunnahabhain. It was a wild butt, for sure. Finish: long and with a little tar on top of the figs, chocolate and dry raisins. Comments: that tar popped out was very intriguing. Intriguing, but top drop for sure. All the best to Malts of Scotland!
SGP:452 - 88 points.

Bunnahabhain 1997/2011 (52.9%, Malts of Scotland, sherry hogshead, cask #3258, 175 bottles)

Colour: amber. Say even profound amber. Nose: whoops, it's a peater, one of the early 'Moines' the great folks at the distillery were so proud of when we were visiting them back in the days. Well some were proud; others were a bit apologetic. Peat was like doing finishings back then, it was meaning 'running after the market' rather than 'doing what we're best at'. But no one thinks like that anymore, there's no longer any pride, only the market, and therefore the marketers, are right. Except that the market is changing increasingly quickly, but that's another matter. Tja, in any case, this is cough syrup aged in oak and it is bone dry. Pinewood smoke and the bitterest chocolate. With water: menthol and chartreuse, plus tar liqueur. Mouth (neat): but this is very good! Totally on smoky cough syrup, with loads of eucalyptus and pinewood smoke. With water: someone's aged crème de menthe in pinewood. Then added a few spoonfuls of fir honeydew and rubber process oil. Granted, we do not drink rubber process oil every day. Finish: long and very piney. Comments: I believe we can achieve a similar result by using less expensive methods. For instance, by mixing turpentine with cough syrup. But that's none of our business... Great thick piney drop, nonetheless.
SGP:475 - 85 points.

I think we should stop there. See you soon with many more 'Bunnies'. Hold on, there are these brand new Signatories! Let's not wait any longer…

Bunnahabhain 44 yo 1978/2023 (41.5%, Signatory Vintage, 35th Anniversary, second-fill oloroso sherry butt, cask #7638, 238 bottles)

Here they are, the famous new bottlings celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Signatory Vintage. We have already tasted the Highland Park in December, but now it's time we have the three Bunnahabhains. We shall have the others in a few days, depending on WF's schedule and the passing trains. These venerable Bunnahabhains can be majestic, sometimes slightly weary, but I doubt that's the case here. Let's proceed, if you will... Colour: pale gold. Nose: there's all the beauty of the world in the aromas of these long-aged refills. But one almost wants to say nothing in front of these simple garden apples tinged with pine honey, blancmange, and very ripe pineapple touches. What if we said nothing? Mouth: it's quite incredible how the old butt predominantly conveys pine honey, just like in the aroma, but also pine needles, apple skins, and cinnamon. It truly turns its flaws into virtues, it really does a sort of judo move on you. Finish: not very long and more on a little damp cardboard, old walnuts, touches of very old calvados, and always this pine honey. Marzipan in the aftertaste. Comments: superb. Like an ancient work of art, one would almost want to restore it by adding a few drops of young peated Bunnahabhain, for example, but of course, it would then no longer be an original piece (and what an horrible idea, S.)
SGP:451 - 90 points.

Bunnahabhain 45 yo 1978/2023 (42.6%, Signatory Vintage, 35th Anniversary, oloroso sherry butt, cask #2588, 351 bottles)

We wager that this one will be more dominant, more in the style of the older Bunnahabhains from the 1960s. Shall we bet? Colour: office coffee. Nose: well, it's not so dominant after all, and ultimately not immensely different from the 'refill' version. Naturally, there are more sultanas, toffee, as well as treacle toffee, but all this remains gentle and extremely sophisticated. Even the orchard apples make a noteworthy comeback. There are also pinecones. Mouth: once again, it's not immensely different from its brother, but let's not forget that it's the same distillery and the same vintage. A bit more coffee, old armagnac, chocolate, and marmalade, with once more a presence of pine wood, as well as very dark tea, in the style of Black Assam. In the end, it is quite different and certainly a bit less delicate on the palate than its brother. Finish: we always fear that these old glories may crumble at this stage, but that's not the case. Medium length and a superb dark chocolate. The Black Assam makes a return in the aftertaste. Comments: let's be honest, I would have liked to place the refill at the top of the podium, but this one offers a bit more bite.
SGP:451 - 91 points.

And now for the last one…

Bunnahabhain 48 yo 1975/2023 (50.2%, Signatory Vintage, 35th Anniversary, oloroso sherry butt, cask #2845, 361 bottles)

It's always very classy when bottlers decide to release their whiskies at ages like 48 or 49 years rather than waiting for the 50-year mark, which would add £1,000 or more to the bottle's price. Colour: deep amber. Nose: it must be admitted that an additional 8 or 9 degrees of alcohol can change a lot of things. Here we are firmly in the territory of an old cognac. Baked peach, sultanas, dried apricots, hints of menthol, a tiny bit of aniseed, then apple compote and quince tart, followed by very ripe damsons... All this parades by quite magnificently. With a drop of water: it moves even closer to an old cognac, quite spectacularly. Mouth (neat): yes, here we bow down, even if, or perhaps because there's a kind of brutality, charred wood, burnt cakes, carbonised nuts... And we love it! (he's crazy). With a drop of water: everything falls into line, the old cognac is back. But this global feeling might stem from the fact that we taste much more very old cognacs than very old malts. I mean, really old ones. It's really very good but be careful in a blind tasting! Finish: the old wood stands out more but the whole remains gentle, quite fruity, and moderate in terms of spices. Lovely bitter oranges and quinaquina in the aftertaste. Oddly, black pepper comes in right at the very end. Comments: all in all, this all makes sense (there, a conclusion that was really worth it, S.)
SGP:551 - 92 points.

Check the index of all Bunnahabhain we've tasted so far