The Wemyss family (pronounced Weems) has been in the quality wines and whiskies for a very long time. Back in the 19th century, John Haig, the founder of Haig’s, built his first distillery on Wemyss land. At the moment Wemyss is building its own single malt distillery at Kingsbarns in Fife.
Their nosing panel, which selects the casks and gives them a nickname, is assisted by the well-known Charlie Maclean. At first, the whiskies only had this totem (e.g. Red berry cream) – it’s only since a couple of years that they started to mention the distillery on the label.
In the brand-new batch of single casks from Wemyss, which includes 12 bottlings, there is this Bunnahabhain 1991, nicknamed A thread of smoke. Check my Facebook page for a full list of bottlings (and other news of course)
Bunnahabhain 1991 ‘A thread of smoke’ (46%, Wemyss Malts 2014, hogshead, 302 btl.)
Nose: rather excellent, with Bunnahabhains typical honeyed / fruity profile. Honeydew melon, peaches, redcurrant, yellow apples. Plenty of sweet honey. Also fresh almonds and hints of mint. After a while it displays subtle grassy notes and soft coastal notes. Maybe some damp earth. A nice balance of roundness and sharper notes.
Mouth: citrusy, a little sharper now, with more zesty notes and some smoky notes indeed. Grapefruit, sweet lemon juice, a little salty liquorice and grasses. Pears in the background. Green tea and spices.
Finish: long, grassy, with some salty notes and a balanced herbal bitterness.
A beautiful all-round Bunnahabhain, with fruity notes, coastal notes and traces of smoke. Around € 100. Should arrive in stores soon.
Score: 88/100