The youngest Bunnahabhain I’ve ever had, and it’s produced during their peated runs of 2006. ‘Mòine’ means peat in Gaelic.
Bunnahabhain Mòine 5 yo 2006
(61,1%, Archives 2012, bourbon hogshead #800041, 264 btl.)
Nose: sweet and quite new-makeish with plenty of feinty notes. Biscuits and tobacco. Some honey. Pear juice. Peat as well, with a very soft medicinal edge (Vicks). A bit like walking around in an operating distillery doing peated runs. Quite simple but also rather pleasant.
Mouth: very peaty and rooty, again some pear and apple sweetness. Then the alcohol comes rushing in and it moves towards gentian and earthy notes. A little yeasty. Immature but that doesn’t mean it’s not good.
Finish: medium long, peaty and peppery. Plenty of liquorice sweets.
Well, theoretically this is whisky of course, although I would wait a couple of years before releasing it as such. I would compare it to the series of new-makes at different ages that Kilchoman released a while ago. On the other hand it’s surely entertaining and educational, who said you need to visit Scotland to smell a distillery? Around € 33, sold by Whiskybase.
Score: 81/100