Review
209
4/12/14
Bunnahabhain
12 Year: 46.3% abv
Background: The KCM
crew has covered most of the distilleries on Islay, but we’ve left out a few.
Doing our full due diligence, a personal favorite on the list is Bunnahabhain.
The name is a little bit more intimidating looking than it is to say, as is the
case with many Scotch distilleries. Bunnahabhain was founded in 1881, and
reflects a much milder expression of Islay than Laphroaig and Ardbeg do. The 12
year Bunnahabhain competes on the same level as a Bruichladdich 12 Year would,
at a reasonable price. Very recently, Bunnahabhain switched from a 40% abv to a
46.3% abv expression, also explicitly stating that the whisky is non-chill
filtered. This makes the reasonably priced 12 Year old whisky an appealing
offering.
Straight
Nose: Although
Bunnahabhain doesn’t give you many details regarding this whisky, you get the
instant gratification of malt and sherry on the nose. There is a definite
feeling of coastal saltiness and seaweed that starts off. Sweet fruits and oak
spices lay over the top of the nose, but in general the nose is actually light
and lacking in complexity. The spiciness is rather light and hard to depict,
but the sherry comes through very clearly.
Arrival: Right
on the arrival, the hypothesis is confirmed. There is a very strong instance of
sweet, succulent sherry notes. It is a beautiful, enjoyable arrival, giving you
the clean, wonderful malt taste that you’d expect out of something like anCnoc.
There is definite caramel in the arrival, which raisons and slight spices. At
the end of the arrival, a little bit of seaweed and salt comes into play.
Body: The
body takes over from here, grabbing the reigns and giving you the spicy side of
this whisky. The sherry is no less prevalent here, nor is the barley presence.
The caramel is very big in the body.
Finish: The
finish retains the big notes from before, primarily maltiness and sherry. That
being said, it also introduces a slightly smoky campfire bitterness, almost
indistinguishable, as well as giving the intense spiciness you’d hope for.
There is some vegetal aftertaste in the finish, with a brilliant earthy flavor
coating the tongue. There is still tons of caramel, in addition to a sharp
saltiness and alcohol heat. There is a slightly leathery character to the
finish as well.
With Water
Nose: The
nose after adding water picks up some soft vegetal tones, dials down the sherry
notes, and pushes forward the salty essence of the whisky. This Bunnahabhain
becomes slightly more floral after adding water. There is some sweet cherry
juice layering on top of the nose.
Arrival: The
arrival becomes more balanced. The salt and spice notes are beautifully laid
out now. There is a much more characterful graininess in the arrival now,
representing a less fresh malt flavor, and a more mature oaky flavor. The
spiciness in the arrival is really good at grabbing your attention, with a good
white pepper and allspice flavor that tends to set this apart from other
sweeter malts.
Body: The
body brings forth some pleasant oaky notes after adding water. The vegetal
notes are much more prevalent in the body now, with a more vanilla-driven oak
flavor pushing into the finish. Grenadine becoming noticeable on the palate,
and clove spiciness is present in the body now.
Finish: The finish is becoming more reminiscent of a bourbon-aged
whisky than a sherry-aged whisky, with some rich fruit notes reminding us that
there is still something retained from before. The finish isn’t terribly long,
but it does provide some complexity and a good balance of different flavors.
There is some vanilla bean and fresh grain flavor that is coming through as
well.
Final Comments: This
might not be what you’d categorize as your traditional Islay malt, as it is lacking
some of those key features (ungodly amounts of peat flavor). That being said,
it is still an enjoyable Scotch and a good price. This whisky does a good job
of representing a completely different side of Islay without losing some of the
Islay essence. No, it doesn’t burn off your eyebrows with huge peat, but it is
presented at 46%, natural color, and it is non-chill filtered, not to mention
just tasting damn good. The complexity won’t knock your socks off by any
stretch of the imagination, but after a few drops of water, the balance is
worth appreciating. Can we tell you that this is a sherried whisky? After
trying the Bruichladdich 12 Year 2nd Edition, no we can’t. But it
sure tastes like it, and we’d by this over a Macallan 12 any day.
Why you’d buy it: A good
value-per-dollar Islay with a different attitude that won’t break your bank.
Why you wouldn’t: You are
a peat purist and believe every bottle of whisky that leaves Islay should be
filled with peat moss.
Score: 8.5/10
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