Bunnahabhain

12 years

Comment by

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Johannes Sauer

App.: Light Brown (colour added)Nose: A very complex, multilayered and enchanting nose. There's plenty of beewax, gingerbread, vanilla, dried fruits (dates, figs), limepeel, a clear and fresh breeze from the sea and even traces of smoke (beewax candles blewn out in wintertime). Taste: Even more beewax, and the impression from the seaside is getting stronger without being peaty. Added to the nosed aromes there is more salt (salted fish?) licorice, fisherman's, and less fruits and sweetness. Cigarette ashes or again those killed candles.Finish: Not very long, but a very pleasureful smooth bitterness leaves a very comfortable impression of a cold chimney in the morning.Conc.: I was very disappointed on my first visit to scotland, when I was a big peat-freak and very ! convinced that every islay-whisky should be like Laphroaig or Caol Ila and bought a bottle of this Bunna. It took me some some years to buy a bottle again and getting some very pleasureful surprise...

Comment by

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Henrik Johansson

Date of tasting: 19/9 2008Apperance: A rich bronzy copperNose: Straight nose immediately reveals some maritime hints. It seems quite peaty without being smoky. There are dried shellfish there and mossy water along with a burnt rubber smell. Seems almost a little bit offending at times, but I think I can learn to like it. The diluted nose is fresher, like a sea breeze. Some honey, cranberries and feint spicyness there too. A second tasting revealed more winey and fruity notes, and the maritime hints had faded a bit.Body: Medium to lightPalate: On the sweet side. Quiet yet pequliar start, almost a little wishy-washy, like a fruit juice which is too diluted. The middle rolls in with some heftyness which is very welcome indeed, there are some fruits th! ere, but they get washed away by a surge of the kippery, sulphury elements detected in the aroma. The finish is a little short.Strangely, although this dram would seem too vatted down to reveal it's true merits, it benefits by adding some water. It becomes sweeter, and some of its less desirable elements become less noticeable. Be careful though, it can easily become too much.Comments: All in all this is a decent dram, although far from an ace. It has a unique character which sets it appart, but other than that it's just mildly more pleasant than your average blended scotch.

Bunnahabhain

12 years (46,3%)

Colour: Old gold
The nose seems dominated by a strange odor of yeast. After a few moments nutty notes appear. A slight bitterness dominates this interesting nose. Too bad these hints of yeast persist.
In the mouth, the bitterness prolongs perfectly the nose. Too bad that here too the notes of yeast (which I personally find quite annoying) take over, preventing these hidden nutty notes to express themselve.
The finish is quite short. The nutty hints that are guessed in the mouth come here more to their advantage, but without emerging fully.

Comment by

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Joseph

Nose: Bakery, fruity.
Taste: Sweet, citrus (grapefruit)
Final: Mi long long.

Colour: Old gold
Nose: very curious nose first, both organic, animal, warm, almost farmy and at the same time drinking chocolate, cocoa, roasted, supported by notes of sulfur vulcanized rubber lightly dosed just what it takes to do but not crush the rest. Evolves on the leather. Very slight hint waxy encaustic. Latte, macchiato. Almond custard notes.
After some time, all blends and does not collapse.
Water has no real influence on the nose.
Taste: Sweet and creamy, mouth seems a little closed, has difficulty speaking. Evokes the antique store, old furniture, old leather and cherry liquor. Alcohol well integrated, no aggression.
Water harmonizes and strengthens the mouth to bring in line the nose.
Final: The final is in the extension of the mouth.
Here too, the water strengthens and harmonises the final, making it more warm and giving it a nice length. A bit of astringency appears on the end and further strengthens the personality.

Comment: A profile of whisky already crossed here and there, almost a classic, a standard. Not necessarily surprising, but is fulfilling its partition, nothing is missing, it's very well done, a kind of classic. Maybe just a lack of originality that has already crossed such profile several times.
Do but not hesitate to add water to give it its full extent.

The first nose sensation is very nice: woody, heady, with well-controlled power. Coffee comes next. Then the woody becomes more precise: sherry notes emerge, accompanied by lots of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almond paste). The whole is coating and very well balanced. Aeration allows chocolate notes to gain exposure with a light veil of iodine, and this makes it all very delicious and enjoyable.

The palate begins with notes of sherry and rancio. Slight traces of fruits appear after aeration (strawberry, tangerine). After this attack, a powerful wave of coffee takes everything in its path, in an conformal and syrupy atmosphere. The coffee is diminishing but still dominant after some time in the glass, where a touch of iodine appears before hot spices (curry, paprika) and a little spice show. A real pleasure, especially because alcohol is properly integrated, although the flavors have trouble to be completely freed.

The finish is long and very warm, is dominated by coffee, and a dash of salt.

In conclusion, a very powerful and full-bodied whiskey. I love its syrupy and coating way. He just lacks a bit of complexity, which should appear after aeration of the bottle.

Color: Amber
Nose: A salted butter caramel, toffee but not low range, the good one..
It has honey, a light smoke due to wood, dried fruit and some orange notes.
With aeration, it has floral and incense notes..
With a little water it becomes more vegetal and sherry is secondary.
Taste: A sweet sherry, the fig and chocolate, with some sour oranges in the background.
A good balance between malt and sherry.
Water does nothing by mouth.
Lingering finish with hints greedy.

N: Softwood pretty too, bitter orange, licorice, good accuracy and fairness, wooded peak with white chocolate, dark tobacco and gunpowder.
B: beautiful lips, long, accurate softwoods, the bitter orange, marzipan, cooking, fine amplitude.
F: short final on the resin, wood, watch with a touch of water, it collapses

Nose: Young sherry, chocolate. Coffee, sea air. Notes of cowshed, smoke. Orange.
The mouth is too much diluated, young sherry, acid drops, some fruits, orange, coffee, spicy. The final shows a young malt, spicy, sherry.

Old gold / pale amber color.
Nose is rich. Fruits, sherry (Oloroso?). Sherry goes well with fruit and do not crush it. Woody notes.
Taste: sweet, still on the sherry. The fruit of the nose are missing. Dried fruits, wood. Wood brings complexity, without astringency. Interesting.
Moderately long finish, quite low. Always these woody notes that this move will lead to astringency.
A good whisky, easy to drink but severe lack of power!

Nose: expressive, sherry
Mouth: Sherry, dry fruits, cherry with fruits spirit
Final: persistent

Color: intense amber

Nose : Sherry. Winy, notes of raspberry vinegar, some red fruits (cherry, blackcurrant).
Woody, notes of coffee, black chocolate and nuts.

Mouth: Like the nose, sherry, coffee, a little bit of caramel but wet cardboard too, not pleasant...

Finale: Medium short, dry, nuts, wood and cardboardy...

Appearance: red gold to pale amber, wide legs flowing slowly
Nose: moderate intensity, well integrated alcohol after a few minutes of breathing, dirty sherry (burned caramel, sulfur), dried fruits, fresh, floral scent, the dirty sherry is only a bit present at the beginning. It is increasing at breathing during the first 30 minutes to become dominant and gets again a bit more discreet after further breathing
Taste: mild to moderate intensity, classic dry Oloroso sherry with burnt caramel and sulfur
Finish: short to medium
With water: no change on the nose, on the mouth there is less sulfur and a longer finish (medium)
Conclusion: the aroma of sulfur / burnt caramel makes this whisky a typical "love it or hate it" dram. My "love it" rating gwould be 88 points, my "hate it" score 76 points, so an average of 82/100

Nose: Profile of a refill sherry or sherry, chocolate flavors are present but with spices like cardamom. The cask has done nice job on on the whisky, a nice woody sherry profile. Nose is fine but quite shy.
Taste: Really sherryish à la Balblair, Daluaine. Not exuberant but well balanced. Dried fruit (grapes and figs) are present, creamy milk chocolate too. Very easy to drink, a whisky for a wide audience. It just lacks a little complexity, which could make it more interesting. This profile makes me think of the first bottling MoS.

Colour: Light Amber. disparate legs.
Nose: Acidulous on green apple peels and a touch of cranberries.
After that, it's all very smooth, butterscotch, creamy butter and brown sugar. Looks like a typical sherry nose. Faint smokiness. After a certain amount of time in the sample, it's the butterscotch that dominates.
Mouth: Soft, bold, creamy.
Finish: Intense and long. nuts (hazelnuts) and dried fruits. Salivating.

I had some problems with this single malt. At first this is how I found it:

Nose: Pear, motor oil, organic matter decomposition, stewed fruits, jam, touch of lemon that grows with breathing, dust.
A slight touch of smoke appears after a quarter of an hour.
A little bit aggressive.

And after a while, I got a declic:

Nose: Mocha, coffee, nuts, black powder, rubber. It smells like a malt aged in sherry casks. Black powder and rubber disappear almost completely after a long breathing and a little water.

Fortunately, I perceived the mouth and final in the same way throughout. (sigh of relief)

Taste: Sweet and lemony, dry smoke, some spices, nuts, mocha. Alcohol is very aggressive at first but with a little water and venting it calms down.

Finish: Mocha, coffee, nuts, black powder, a little spicy and aggressive, but as for the mouth it is better with a little water and aeration.

First time that I am entitled to a radical change after a long breating. It also greatly improved with a little water and aeration.
My note is much better after a half hour and some water.

Color : Amber

Nose : Smells like a sherry. Whiffs of prune, of carrot soup. A little sulphur. In the end, a small acid and sugary touch (balsamic vinegar).

Mouth : Pretty dynamic. Alcool well integrated. Follows the nose : carrot soup and prune. Mixed vegetables soup. Small touch of varnish (even more with a drop of water).

Finale : Warm, on wood. Medium length.

Conclusion : A well designed whisky, but not to my taste.

At first nosing, burnt rubber. This one needs breathing. After that, the nose reminds rubber, burnt cake and flint.
The palate combines rubber and nuts aromas.
The final is quite long.

Not necessary unpleasant but not my kind.

Color: Light amber

Nose: First mixes dry sherry and black pepper, and a very dry although light smoke. If the set is not very sexy at first smell, it appears interesting at the aeration. Included are meaty notes (ham), a hint of rubber. Notes of cardboard unfortunately spoil the whole.

Taste: Alchemy is strange. There are very clear marks of hydrocarbon, and always this dry sherry and salt. The finish is marked by rubber. Less sympathetic than the nose for my taste. It lacks, however, neither body nor power without being aggressive.

Finish: Quite long, it is an extension of the mouth, quite salty and marked by a dry sherry. This rubber aftertaste disappears quickly thankfully.

Conclusion: Not uninteresting especially the nose, but this profile of the mouth does not suit me.

NOSE: mainly on the toasty notes of sherry. Lack of expression however An oddly iodine note .Vegetable side also and slightly peppery.
Palate: oily (texture) and very sweet (sugar cane or almost burnt caramel). Evolves towards sugarcane with advantage of greenness (bitterness). Too ripe bananas. Lack of complexity.
FINAL: rather fresh, almost minty.
Maybe the sherry fans will like it, but I'm not sure. Lack of balance and complexity for me.

Color: Intense gold.
Nose is caramel, but >>> real caramel gining its taste to the alcohol. Cut hay.
Super bitter mouth overcooked. bitter caramel
Final om sugar cane.
Whisky or rum? Lack of precision.

Colour: Old gold
The nose seems dominated by a strange odor of yeast. After a few moments nutty notes appear. A slight bitterness dominates this interesting nose. Too bad these hints of yeast persist.
In the mouth, the bitterness prolongs perfectly the nose. Too bad that here too the notes of yeast (which I personally find quite annoying) take over, preventing these hidden nutty notes to express themselve.
The finish is quite short. The nutty hints that are guessed in the mouth come here more to their advantage, but without emerging fully.

Colour: Red copper.

Nose : Rather typical young sherry. Fudge and soft wood extracts. Quite sweetish (caramel-colored ?). Ever tried eating your strawberries with red wine and tons of sugar? Needs a little time before unfolding on dry fruits. Almond peels. Sugar coated roasted peanuts.

Mouth: Quite some oomph despite an ABV that is probably around 46%. The nice part is still played by the caramel (well, more candi sugar than fudge, this time) and dry fruits (same roasted peanuts). The mouth is creamy, but the whole remains fairly stereotyped.

Finish: Develops on a hint of burnt wood and a gentle bitterness that sustains the mouth.

Comment: A rather decent and flawless young sherry (finished ?) malt. No much personality though.

Golden amber color
Nose on the caramel, sugar first. It develops on black powder (impression of a firecracker just exploded nearby and the wind disperses the smell of cold gunpowder ) that disappears quickly. Then a not very pleasant feeling that pricks the nose and forces to move away. Some hairspray smell appears toward the end.
Soft and absent palate. A little woody. It gets a little rough afterwards.
Moderately long finish: on the dry wood . It is discreetly pungent.
I did not really appreciate that sample. The nose is of medium quality. Neither rich nor complex. The flavors are too volatile and the whole dispersesl in a more than doubtful balance.

Bunnahabhain

XVIII

Bunnahabhain

Auld Acquaintance 1968

Bunnahabhain

Darach Ùr

Comment by

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Johannes Sauer

Colour: Rather dark, deep shade of brown, rooibush tea (colour free, that’s what they say on the label. I guess this whisky is unbelieveble dark for young spirit matured in oak casks).
Nose: Honey, vanilla ice with fresh fruits (Raspberry, ripe apples) and very soft spices in the back. I miss any smoky or wooden note.
Taste: The alcohol takes with its intenseness care for a first confusion on the palate. Later there are dry wooden notes and crushed coffee beans. No more fruits but nuts and soft smoke (blewn out beewax candles) but not much of what I call complexity. Water can help here, the alcohol is not so dominating in the beginning.
Finish: Fading rather fast into a watery sour note. Fruit tea. Even the pleasant bitter wood notes stop mingling too quickly and leave (great pity) a weak impression on the palate.
Conclusion: Surprising dark colour, a fine nose, the palate nice, but not fulfilling and the finish too weak. Maybe the new oak casks should get older, I had much finer Bunnas before.
Date: 24. June 2011
Price in Germany: 42 Euro (1 Litre, duty free)

Bunnahabhain

Moine 2005, Whisky in the Church 2009 bottling

Bunnahabhain

The witC's Bottlings 2010

Bunnahabhain

Chieftain's Choice 14 years

Bunnahabhain

Rare Auld Cask Strength 38 years

Bunnahabhain

Scott's Selection 1984

Bunnahabhain

Adelphi 27 years

Bunnahabhain

Vintage 1997 - peated - cask 5269

Bunnahabhain

Single Malts of Scotland, 27 years

Quite a fresh nose, with its hints of green apple and honey and its touch of cut grass. A real candy announcing happiness and complexity. A pleasant evolution on ripe fruit, reine-claude (yellow plum) or peach with a touch of acidity.
The palate is excellent too, with the same fruity notes, very smooth and this amazing contrast brought by some acid touches then some bitter ones. A wonderful feeling.
The finish is lingering and fresh, keeping the memory of this mix of honey and ripe fruit combined with green apple.

Bunnahabhain

1992, Sherry Butt

Bunnahabhain

1976-2008

Bunnahabhain

Bunnahabhain 1973

Bunnahabhain

Highlander Inn, 32 years

Color: Mahogany
The nose is very clearly marked by the sweetness of the sherry. It is complex, with both mocha and hints of candied fruit. Intense and complex, this is what characterizes this wonderful nose.
Very nice in the mouth as well. All the complexity of the nose is to be found back in the mouth and the pleasure is intense. Hints of sherry and candied fruit, plum jam dominate. This whisky is also remarkably balanced. A very slight woody bitterness provides some mid-palate bitterness, but it is rapidly moving towards fruit and chocolate.
The finish is long and warm, prolonging perfectly the impressions in the mouth.

Bunnahabhain

1992

Colour: Old gold
The nose is dominated by one of the few scents that I find it hard to appreciate in a whisky : yeast. Too bad because this masks unpleasant smell nice sherry notes which unfortunately face great difficulty to surface. Hopefully following will be more to my taste ...
The mouth is not much more complex than the nose. The first impression is the mocha, which is struggling to evolve into something else. This whisky is a bit monotone.
The finish is well above the mouth and nose. Long and warm, very pleasant scent of sherry, chocolate, plum jam gives this whisky which has hitherto lacked: fun.

Bunnahabhain

Heavily peated 1997 tasting sample

Bunnahabhain

Toiteach

Bunnahabhain

XVIII (46,3%)

Color: Amber
The nose presents an interesting mix of fruity, spicy, slightly woody notes, sherry and unfortunately also some hints of yeast. The set is still very pleasant and the great diversity of odours gives it a nice complexity.
The mouth is very expressive, with these mixtures of sherry, nutty tastes and persistent presence of sherry. The spices are very present. Passages between a subtle fruity acidity and a slight woody bitterness keep the senses and give your mouth the same complexity as that already found in the nose.
The finish is long and slightly dry prolonging perfectly the mouth and sherry notes mixed with a kind of colorful bitterness that characterized the mouth remain present for some time.

Comment by

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Joseph

Nose: Bakery, caramel.
Palate: Oily, fruity (apricot), alcohol is strong.
Finish: Long.
Alcohol is a little bit too strong. Look like a cask strength.

On the nose, undoubtly, we are dealing here a nice sherry, relatively complex. It reveals aromas of mocha, chocolate, nougat, praline, rancio, bitter orange, humus, resin ...
The mouth immediately starts on a nice touch of citrus (tangerine?) spoiled, perfectly melted with spicy notes, walnut and praline.
Slight bitterness on the final, long flavour, with a well-controlled power.

Very elegant sherry cask maturation, complex with a pleasant structure.

Nose: Basket of fruits, precious wood, vanilla
Mouth: Rosted Pineapple, vanilla, rum, soft spices, tobacco
Finale : medium, soft bitterness

Nose: A bit of exotic fruit with a hint of chocolate milk. Malty. All pretty wiped, nothing stands out. The scents are there but no click. Too bad.
Palate: Oily, sweet but slightly tangy nonetheless.
Finish: Long, full of subtlety, however. Exotic fruit, stealthy but pleasant. Brief freshness brought by flavors of licorice. Milk chocolate. Followed by the lingering bitterness and nuts. The whole is concluded with a sweetness impression quite nice.

Nose: Tangerine, mocha, coffee, dark chocolate with orange, dust and wood. Alcool is agressive.

Taste: Sweet, melted, tangy, lemony, chocolate and mocha. Alcohol is a little too aggressive.

Finish: Long on the mocha, chocolate and marmalade.

After cooling, get amromas of cold/iced coffee.

Nose: Develops a fine sherry, with a good mastery of alcohol. Floral fragrances follow, all wrapped in a sweet marshmallows. Very nice complexity, good work of the barrel.
Taste: As tipped, alcohol is present, the attack is on the vegetal, herbaceous palate with a hint of thyme and pepper, somewhat surprising given the profile of the nose, sherry is much less present. With a little water, it just add a slight sweetness. Everything disappears pretty quickly, too bad that the mouth does not take longer in length.

Color: Amber
The nose presents an interesting mix of fruity, spicy, slightly woody notes, sherry and unfortunately also some hints of yeast. The set is still very pleasant and the great diversity of odours gives it a nice complexity.
The mouth is very expressive, with these mixtures of sherry, nutty tastes and persistent presence of sherry. The spices are very present. Passages between a subtle fruity acidity and a slight woody bitterness keep the senses and give your mouth the same complexity as that already found in the nose.
The finish is long and slightly dry prolonging perfectly the mouth and sherry notes mixed with a kind of colorful bitterness that characterized the mouth remain present for some time.

Colour: amber.
The nose is smooth with notes of sherry. Dried fruits, wood, orange notes. Sherry is not too heavy.
The palate is light, wood is found. Slight bitterness. Some chocolate notes.
Pretty long finish, quite intense. More class than the mouth. Woody.
Very nice.

Color: Dark amber
Clean Sherry nose, clear, red fruit notes, lovely aromas of milk chocolate.
Balanced mouth on sherry, pleasant, milk chocolate comes bsck.
Correct end, medium length.
Well done and enjoyable whisky . The sherry is well controlled. However, I note a slight lack of complexity.

Nose: Quite rich and appealing. Lovely sweet sherry of medium age. Fragrant tobacco. A hint of coconut. Roasted almond peels. Coffee schnaps. Chocolate flavoured sponge cake. Saint-Epvre (macaroon cake with coffee buttercream). Chestnut honey. And some alcohol to sustain the whole stuff (around 54%?).

Mouth: We play the same score. Even softer. More honey, with a nice, creamy mouthfeel. Quite some soft spices (a hint of smoke now), and even a flowery side.

Finish: More burnt wood now. Gets a tad drier. Comes back on bitter cocoa.

Comment: A nice middle aged refill-sherry Speyside malt? Rather archetypal but very good stuff.

Nose: young soft sherry, fresh. Chocolate, coffee, some fruits. With a long time, it becomes very fruity, pinappel, peach, tropical.
The mouth is too soft, acid drop, fruits, bitter, ginger, spicy.
The final is slightly acid, fruits, a vegetal touch, bitter with hint of honey.

N: sea wind, sour cream, no specific complex
B: simple clean accurate, balanced, schnapps
F: long, schnapps is not much to say

Color: Amber with copper highlights

Nose: Very fruity, fresh, exotic, pineapple, ripe mango. Also somehow nutty. Spices, cinnamon, cloves ... Hints of mountain honey ...

Taste: Fresh, sweet, smooth. Less complex than the nose I think. On the tatin apple, caramel or burnt sugar.
Cooked fruits like apples caramelized in the oven. A slight honeyed caramel candy in fact ... Very easy drinkable!

Final: Rather short, still on the caramel for me ...

The nose opens with scents of well balanced oak sherry trend, and subtle floral notes. After some time in the glass, notes of yellow fruit (peach) precede the dominant sherry. Then the chocolate and hazelnut flavors appear before a touch of vanilla, especially noticeable after aeration. Coffee is also detected at this time. Everything is well balanced and mild.

The mouth is concentrated, but still quite powerful. It is dominated by chocolate and oilseeds flavors. Aeration allows the mouth to sharpen. Then red fruit (cherry) and a bit of prunes appear. In the finish, lemon, at first very discreet, comes more and more as aeration goes. Too bad that the mouth does not develop completely, however.

The final is on sherry and wood. Of medium length, wax, marzipan, praline and spice also appear.

In conclusion, a very decent whisky, suffering no deffect, but that does not really have a strong point neither.

Appearance: red gold to pale amber, wide legs that flow slowly
Nose: low intensity, well-integrated alcohol, fresh vegetables, sweet spices, half ripe fruit, nuts, slightly burnt caramel, maple syrup
Taste: flavors as on the nose but more intense, highly drinkable, I like the mouth more as the nose
Finish: short to medium
With water: no change on the nose, drier on the palate, I prefer without water
Conclusion: A real pleasure whisky

Color : Bronze

Nose : We start with prune, carrot soup and a vegetably kind of nose. It smells like sherry, no doubt. I detect some peat (very subtil ?). Varnish. After a few minutes, nice evolution toward perfume, red berries and some dry apricot. Very nice ! It's smooth and subtil...

Mouth : A mix of prune, carrot soup and varnish. Compared with the nose, it starts off kind of disappointing. Very well integrated alcohol. After a few minutes, we find our perfume and dry apricot (a lot) back.

Finale : Long, warming, on the apricot and a little wood (not much).

Conclusion : A very fine whisky, which seemed closed-up at first but evolved very well towards beautiful fruity notes (apricot mainly)

NOSE: a dry sherry, a hint of smoke, sherry vinegar, not my favourite kind of whiskies. A little spicy if you insist.
Mouth: rather smooth, sweet and the influence of sherry rrows with a rather bitter and toasty notes whicha are too dominant. More interesting than the nose but still not my kind of whisky. Significantly better after at least 30 minutes of aeration: very sweet, a little on the sweet honey even if the finish has a burnt still bothers me. A slight exoticism but too much grilled notes / sherry for me.
FINAL: medium in phase with the mouth.
Probably will appeal to lovers of dry sherry, even if it does not seem to me remarkable so far.

Color: Amber
Nose: Starts on a spicy bouquet, pepper, cinnamon and 4 spices and dates and notes of barley water.
Some notes of sulfur which decrease with aeration or the addition of water, which makes the nose more balanced.
Taste: Not very defined and fairly marked by alcohol.
It has sweet notes of honey and cereal and then moves on pepper.
The added water improves it by reducing alcohol and developing the flavors listed above.
Long finish on sherry, nuts and chocolate.

Color: Caramel golden

Nose: The first nose is light, not very expressive but pleasant. Some new rubber, the sweetness of barley sugar, a dash of soap (the real one, with olive oil). Bit complex, but the whole is better than the notes suggest. Aeration reveals pretty sour notes. A few days later, the fruity side becomes more powerful, with pear beginning to be overripe. The rubber is gone. The whole is much more expressive.

Palate: The attack is watery, but the middle is gaining fast momentum. A very slight smoke appears to be present, and the new rubber and a pronounced bitterness that seems artificial too. Some spice mid-palate (nutmeg) and a drug issue too (aspirin). At the second tasting, fruity and tart were done well represented.

Finale: Short and not very intense, just a slight bitterness left.

Conclusion: A decent malt, pleasantly cool.

Color: Teak.
Nose: ointment sensation at the first nose, fatty impression. Alcohol of rose. Woody. Crusts of stale and overcooked bread. One manages to feel fruity notes, notes of leather, coffee, but all this is ruined by a persistent pungent note, a little carton, matches wood.
However, after a few minutes, unpleasant notes fade a bit without however disappearing and leave floral notes express themselves a little more.
Adding water harmonizes the nose and balances it significantly.
Palate: The palate is relatively in the continuity of the nose, somewhat out of balance.
The water drowns the mouth from the very first drops, virtually nothingr emains.
Final: The final is in the extension of the nose and leaves a pungent unpleasant woody and bitter.
Water soothes and harmonizes the final, but without a miracle. A good length though.

Commentary: Lack of harmony, notes quite unpleasant, lack of expressiveness in the mouth. Difficult to find qualities.
Water helps move.

Coulour: Amber
The nose is very soft and discreet. It begins with very slight scent of honey. Then evolves into peach .. No, on the peach syrup diluted with water. Pffff ... It takes really time to open, or is all said already? Oh yes. This fruitiness evolves on cereals and this takes it over now.

Fresh, bubbly woody. A lack of character and richness little noticeable.

Final too short. On cereal and woody tones.

Comment: Really discreet too! the aromas of the nose is much too refined to me. The mouth is almost absent, same for the final.

Bunnahabhain

Best Casks of Scotland 1997 peat

Bunnahabhain

The Ultimate single malt collection 1997, Heavily peated

Bunnahabhain

1976, sherry butt

Bunnahabhain

1997, sherry hogshead

Bunnahabhain

1967

Bunnahabhain

1970, Bourbon hogshead 40 years of Thomas Ewers

Bunnahabhain

1965-2010

Bunnahabhain

Gordon & MacPhail 2000 Reserve

Bunnahabhain

Heavy Peat

Nose: first, the match, and the smell of wet rock. Peat and roasted meat accents. Ash and smell of the fireplace after. Old leather and precious wood. A bit of black olive and salt. Very engaging.
Mouth: roasted, caramelized, roasted, meaty, ashed, mineral. Beautiful variation on this peaty register ! Animal & leather. Pepper also. A powerful mouth, but quite melted and rounded.
Final: the roasted grain and flaming logs.
Conclusion: this one finally very focused on a single register (empyreumatic), but I like it ! A quite accurate work.

Color: Gold

Nose: fruity (fruit very ripe, pear type) is present at the input, with hints of polish everywhere. Dairy notes, nutty, caramel and leather complete a sober picture . With aeration the leather takes a large scale and imposes itself as the master of glass in the open sea (salt). Peat is revealed so slightly, then just teasing leather and medicinal thyme. Roasting arrives late - milk chocolate -.
Aeration is a developer.

Palate: Peat well stated that comes in a round and soothing mouth . Peat is integrative. One feels the contributions of almonds, the bitter spice just put on the chocolate milk. It's a beautiful cast.

Finale: Peat which is spread on leather, licorice and rubber. A sweetness mingles with other flavors (even chocolate). Good length.

In summary: If the peat is the stone basement of this whisky, leather spreads with venusta. Softer waves - mainly dried fruit and spices - fit intelligently. A very good whisky that shows the balance of distinguished peat and sweet notes.

Color: Light gold

The nose is growing on a beautiful peat mainly on the heath. And menthol notes appear. Everything is bold, powerful and ends on the leather.

The palate has a rich texture with peat as the first part. The alcohol is present. All is well structured. Alternating alcohol / flavor is taking place. Whisky is very well structured. Peat closed mouth and leaves an impression of freshness.

The finish is sweet though slightly bitter (cold ash) develops.

N: wet grass hay wet wool butter pastry
B: same as nose profile
F: Long anise herb butter beautiful balance

Color: Dark straw.
Nose: dry hints of tutti-frutti, smell of vanilla in the background, very full nose though.
Taste: Fruity notes of sour apples and cinnamon, it's not your average whisky, kind of firm but with a gentle touch.
Finish: Changing from the start with sour notes to a dry aftermath, not very long but interesting because of the dryness of it, makes you take another sip to make sure you're not fooled by your senses. Nice but strange.

Appearance: Yellow gold
Nose: Medium intensity, alcohol well integrated, peat, cold smoke, light animal notes (exercise yard), malty sweetness, quite simple but pleasant nose
Mouth: Medium intensity, alcohol well integrated, in the same line as the nose, peat and smoke dominate but without overhelming the other flavors
Finish: Medium
With water: Nose and mouth lose in intensity, the mouth becomes rather monotonous on peat
Conclusion: A whisky with not much complexity but enjoyable

Nose: cereal, a farmy side, animal and marine, I like that.
Palate: Quite fluid, probably reduced to 43/46% dry, it expresses aromas of peat and vegetal ash.
Finish: rather long, or peat is the live wire, but also a lot of licorice. When empty, a nice smoke clears the glass still with that animal side ...
Overall rating: certainly pretty young, even if my description might make it look a little too "monolithic" is a finely crafted malt and very pleasant, can be a bit "too" small. Reminds me of a coastal malt as Ledaig.

Colour : Gold

Nose : Very warm and peated. Some cold ashes and smoke.
Smooth and creamy. A hint of cold coffee and grilled almonds. After a while, mineral white wine. A little bit of coconut. Nice smell, somehow lemony. Smells like a Springbank. After a few minutes, we lose some of the complexity.

Mouth : To my taste, a little too diluted. We start with notes of cold coffee, moka, chocolate, grilled almonds. A bit weak, but pretty nice for a cold winter evening. Nice touches of lemon, some peat and a very subtle bitterness, quite nice. On the aftertaste, burnt tire and ash, a bit less nice.

Finale : Long, on grilled almonds.

Conclusion : Overall, a pretty pleasant dram, well balanced. The aftertaste is a little bit under, but very nice in general.

Colour: pale gold.

Metallic nose, an aroma of orange juice brick, type Banga. Rather animal with odors of dried and salted meat and leather mixed with a drop of coffee.
Yes, clear the skin of a beast! One might even feel to be in a clothing store in the middle of leather jackets:)
Notes and firecracker powder as a backdrop. Not bad.

Mouth is fresh, ashen (cold ash), slightly spicy and very fluid. Ash is realy interesting. No boring or disgusting, well done:)
Subsequently, at the end o fthe palate, a mixture of ash and cheese rind old Cantal type. That's all that good!

Ashy final, as the mouth. It keeps the same profile due to its light pungency. Then perhaps a floral touch? After a while, it heats back inside the cheeks, but not aggressive. And still the taste, with the same texture, the cheese rind. Very good feeling that takes in length.


Comment: Satisfied all for short. I think, and it is personal in nature, this is the kind of whisky in which we must not seek to take the lead on what it contains, to grind our brains ... If you like this kind of profile, it will be good, well done, that's it. What more? A good daily dram

Color: Gold
Nose: Big peat, on cold ashes, not very elegant.
A little iodine and seaweed in the background, and some citrus. With a little water and citrus notes appear and peat becomes more discreet.
Palate: peat is again dominant, cold ash and slightly medicinal.Some notes of iodine and seaweed in the background. Quite rough as whisky, even with water, peat remains pervasive.
Finish: long on peat

Color: Bright gold.

Nose: Phenols, citruses, and cake fresh from the oven. A unified whole, quite mouth-watering I must say. An orange liqueur with some island spirit. And a touch of milk chocolate. In the background, a slight gamy hint brings a pleasant twist.

Mouth: Matches the nose. Starts on a soft and tasty peat, and goes on with orange peels liqueur. Lots of herbs and spices (the one you find in… herb liqueurs). Full bodied and creamy, it tastes like an Ardbeg with a splash of Grand Marnier (or is it Cointreau?).

Finish: On soft violet liquorice (Florent), it’s a bit shortish, and fades out on a slightly acrid peat.

Comment: A nice combo of peat, fruit, and herbs used for liqueurs. Very satisfactory indeed.

The nose is first malted and lightly peated. A strong character is expressed with wild moorland in the background: some heather, some freshness , wind (does the wind smell ?)... There is also wax, burning rubber. The sea is clearly present (iodine and salt) on a distant background of strawberry. On the palate the attack is mild. Come together: black pepper, sulfur, yellow fruit, flint and salt. The finale offers a beautiful articulation with the mouth and is expressive: peppermint, salt, licorice.
Very harmonious but little interest.

Colour: Straw yellow, white wine.
Nose: nose on a first impression of animal fat, lard, pot-au-feu, cabbage, green mint syrup, mint diabolo. Power fairly constant, the nose evolves on leather, tobacco, coffee roasting, always with the good of country kitchen.
Taste: oily, there are notes of bacon, pot-au-feu, cabbage perceived on the nose. Gradual onset of peat up to an explosion in swallowing.
Final: On turf, in line with the finish becomes warm.

Comment: An interesting profile, with the notes of traditional cuisine, almost earthy, rustic side, another way to be greedy? The addition of water reduces the nose, but wake up much peat on the palate and finish.

It emerges from a nice cool peaty nose, with embers, cold ashes, and many citrus (lemon and grapefruit). This set is not invigorating powerful nor the most complex. Aeration highlights the side of the coastal thing: algae, fresh mint and sea breeze are added. We then ultimately get a decent, and very fresh nose

The palate is cereal with a touch of brownsugar and chocolate, especially after a good ventilation. Pretty quiet at first, the mouth then turns stronger, well supported by a fine turf, followed by smoke and tar. This whisky has a nice presence, despite a possible reduction that prevents it from being fully expressed.

The finish of medium length, is dominated by smoke, salt and farm flavors. Earthy peat appears after aeration, as well as a tip of chili.

In conclusion, a good peaty whisky, no more, no less, playing more on the refinement than on the power of its aromas.

Color: Gold
The nose is marked by the cereal, a discrete peat smoke, but alas, with disturbing notes of yeast too. It is well balanced and flawless for those who are not hindered by those yeast odors, which unfortunately is not my case. Fortunately these hints disappear after a few moments.
The mouth is marked by a dominant peat but very far from unpleasant. Nice evolution to citrus notes that are quite discrete. A certain lack of body, however, iprobably due to dilution. A few degrees more would have made the greater good.
Pretty final, marked both by the peat, milk chocolate. Rather long and very pleasant.

Nose: Pear (compote, jam), lemony, slightly smoky with a little solvent.
After venting the peat side improve. Better balance as well.

Taste: Lemon, biscuit, apple, spice

Finish: Lightly smoked, biscuit. Air fruity with spice mix. Vanishes slowly. The peaty side gain after aeration and the final is longer.

Comments: Another peaty lemon, the balance is better than in the previous (ardmore traditionnal).
It is sweeter and it's perhaps what's help! Lemon is also better integrated and more smoked (wood smoke). Win a lot with aeration! And is more drinkable with some water, but also lighter.

Colour: Gold.
Nose: Very peaty, farmy, young, slightly dry, on seaweeds, sea brine and hemp rope.
Taste: Sweet and salty, very peaty, maritime, on seaweeds, hemp rope, tar, some vanilla and a few drops of fruits from the orchards. Diluted, it is more on toffee and horse stables. The finish is medium, peaty, young, rather sweet and juicy, peaty, on freshly pressed pears and green apples, with some farmy notes and hemp rope.
Impression: A young (?) heavily peaty with a pleasant sweetness. A pleasant easy drinking peated whisky.

Nose: A bourbon cask just emptied and only a discreet veil of peat in a first time. Sweet / salty. No surprise and hardly no evolution.
Mouth: a a little toasted note, oily texture & silky, not very expressive, as the nose.
Finale ... no comment. 6 th sample in my line-up still tasted with little character, I get tired!
conclusion
... No comment.

Nose: farmer, sulfur, brine, peat, pear spirit. After a long aeration, I really feel to smell a jar of pickles.
Taste: Smoke, drink. Mouth much better than the nose.
Finish: long on smoke

Bunnahabhain

1973-2008 35 yo

Comment by

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Johan Brugge

Nose:
First thing I noticed when I opened the bottle were big sherry and walnuts flavours. Very strong sherry even. After 10-12 minutes breathing there is much more going on. More peat notes, soft fruity notes. Not a lot of oak even though it’s a 35yo whisky.

Mouth:
Salty, a faint flavour of citrus that slightly reminds me of an older Caol Ila. It’s a bit peppery on the tongue. The sherry is still there but not as prominent as in the nose. Amazingly it's hard to find oaky influences. There is a bit more smoke and just of touch of peat.
With water it becomes really delicious! Lots of fresh fruit, sherry notes, peat, smoke all in perfect balance. No more pepper on my tongue but loads of soft flavours.

Finish:
Long, kind of sweet. It sticks to my mouth and cheeks. With water it’s even longer. I’m glad I opened this baby! I shall enjoy this one a lot.

Bunnahabhain

Vintage 1997 - peated - cask 5275

Comment by

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Johannes Sauer

cask 5275, bottle 303/734
Colour: Mighty bright white wine, looking great, held against the sun there are (spoken poetically) plenty golden sparks to be seen.....
Nose: Very charming soft peat (cold candles, cigar ash) combined with clear hints of lemon and grapefruit juice in an almost perfect balance. But, alas, I miss the coastal aromes, a whiff from the sea, this one could pass as maybe one of them peated speysiders.
Taste: Fine and easy. The pleasureful peat-citrus combination is accomplished with a good pinch of smooth oriental spices: Cumin, cinnamon, cloves, tomato paste, freshly ground pepper (not an indian meal, but a bit in this direction) there's a soft but disturbing touch of yoghurt or sour cream.
Finish: Medium long, the spices are busy for the longest ! time.
Conc.: No great complexity but a very fine every-day-dram but I'd loved it better with some sea salt instead of the yoghurt.
Sept. 8. 2008

Comment by

---

Johannes Sauer

Colour: Mighty bright, Chablis held against the sun, there are hundreds of golden sparks to see in the glass (poetically spoken). I don't know why I sometimes prefer brighter whiskies to darker ones (We should discuss this matter later in the Forum....).
Nose: Strong peat is the first impression, later there are floral notes, green tea, leather, honeyflowers and a strong zest of lemon. I guess this is one of them peated Highland-malts. A little sour note like sour cream or yoghurt. What I am missing here is a salty or fishy note, like a whiff from the sea.
Taste: Peat being very busy, white rock sugar, the strong citrus note mentioned above, even grapefruits. The sour cream note gets a little disturbing, I guess a sea whiff would do much better. The interplay of peat and ci! trus is very interesting and delightful nevertheless.
Finish: I call this medium long; peat fading into a smooth bitterness.
Conc.: An uncomplicated and joyful dram despite the strange sour milk note
Date: 9/15/2008

Bunnahabhain

Cask strength collection 1987

Bunnahabhain

Cask Strength Collection 1978

Bunnahabhain

1990-2006

Bunnahabhain

1991-2006

Bunnahabhain

Rare Auld 1968-2006

Bunnahabhain

Dun Bheagan 12 years 1997-2010 peated

Bunnahabhain

Daily Dram: Bunnahabhain 9 yo

Bunnahabhain

38 years

Bunnahabhain

1975-2011