Bunnahabhain is without doubt the most widely available Islay distillery among independent bottlers these days. They seem to take advantage of the current shortage and popularity of Islay malt.
This is a heavily sherried Bunnahabhain 1990, like we’ve seen a couple of times recently.
Bunnahabhain 23 yo 1990
(47,9%, Archives ‘Fishes of Samoa’ 2014, sherry butt #52, 201 btl.)
Bunnahabhain 23 yo 1990Nose: full-bodied nose, with juicy fruits and lots of sweet Oloroso sherry. Black cherries, rum & raisins, blackberries… Sweet but also quite spicy, with pepper and hints of curry. Nice tobacco too. Touches of balsamic and soy. Also the typical flinty and (subtle) gunpowder note that’s often found in heavily sherried Bunna.
Mouth: full of raisins, figs and dark chocolate. Starts sweet and fruity – quickly turns towards spices. Think cloves and nutmeg. Walnuts. Slightly tannic / leathery in the end.
Finish: medium length, with liquorice, coffee and cinnamon powder.
The nose is sweet, intense and entertaining. On the palate the dry side is quite heavy, which makes this release end a little lower than I initially expected. Around € 105, available from Whiskybase.
Score: 88/100