Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
I have a dozen random Bunnahabhain samples, and I’ve decided I’m just gonna go through all of them in a row. All Bunna, all the time.
To start we have three involving Manzanilla: an 11 aged in all Manzanilla, a 16 with a finish, and a 17 single Manzanilla cask.
I’m not really a big Bunnahabhain fan, honestly. Looking through my notes I’ve had a bunch that were just fine, and a few stinkers. I don’t seek them out, and I frequently poke a little fun by calling them “The Jura of Islay” around my friends who do love them. (The title “Jura of Islay” is often awarded to Bowmore, too, in our little circle.) I’ve been collecting samples for a while thinking I would give ’em more of a shot, but it would seem I was pretty comfortable letting these sit for many years while reaching right over them for any number of more interesting drams.
So this series will be an attempt to let Bunna move up a notch or two in my estimation. My fingers are crossed; I’m pulling for them. Poor little pups…
Tasted on 7/31/2022, neat in a Glencairn, water added later as appropriate.
Bunnahabhain 11 Year (2008) Manzanilla
Distillery: Bunnahabhain
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 52.3%, cask strength
Age: 11 years old. Distilled on 07/02/2008. Bottled in 05/2020.
Cask type: Manzanilla Cask
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 9,240 bottles.
Nose: dried fruit. Ethanol. Lots of walnuts. Toffee, chocolate. Mild oaky spices, liquorice. With Water: still reads hot. Unchanged.
Taste: spice builds quickly. Dark, dried fruits. Toffee. Milk chocolate. Walnuts. Hot. Fruit syrup. With Water: thinner. More fruit. More nuts.
Finish: dark, sweet fruits. Walnuts & toffee, chocolate. Salty, a bit maritime. Nice length on fruit, mild spice, and salted nuts. Slightly bitter off the end, but not in a bad way. With Water: washed out. Similar, perhaps more fruit, much more spice.
Summary: off to a good start! This is quite good. Tons of walnuts and dark toffee, like toffee that’s gone a bit too far. Some nice spice, dark fruits, and there’s this nice maritime undertone throughout that is delicious. Sadly water does this one no favors and thins out the palate a bit without tamping down the heat in the nose. It’s much richer than I’d have expected for a Manzanilla cask, and one might even mistake this for a good Glenfarclas or Glendronach.
Would I buy a bottle? maybe. This is very good, but it’s not really my jam. Still, it would be a nice heavily sherried dram to have around.
Final Score: 85.
Bunnahabhain 16 Year Manzanilla Sherry Finish
Distillery: Bunnahabhain
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 53.2%, cask strength
Age: 16 years old. Bottled in 2008.
Cask type: Manzanilla Sherry Wood Finish (4 years)
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 3,792 bottles.
Nose: mushy apple. Walnuts. Growing woody spice. Very shy. Dates. With time it’s all about the spice. With Water: did not open up.
Taste: apple. Nuts. Tons of oakey spice. Hot. With Water: more nuts, a bit brighter fruit. Tangerine.
Finish: a pop of oakey spice. Hot. Mushy apple. Salt. Medium length on spice, tails off into burnt rubber. With Water: more oak, more of the brighter fruit. Shorter finish.
Summary: a very simple dram, really shy on the nose especially next to the others. Poor balance and quite simple with all spice, all the time. Quite oakey, with a mushy apple note that is on the off-putting side. My wife’s first comment was “dubious fruits”, which is awesome. Water doesn’t do anything for the nose, but does bring out some brighter fruit elsewhere. There’s a burnt rubber note that lingers in the finish which isn’t good. A pretty solid 4 overall.
Would I buy a bottle? no.
Final Score: 72.
Bunnahabhain 17 Year (2004) Manzanillia
Distillery: Bunnahabhain
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 56.5%, cask strength
Age: NAS. Distilled on 04/05/2004. Bottled on 04/05/2021.
Cask type: Manzanilla
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. From a single cask #553, Maturation Warehouse handfilled.
Nose: brighter fruits, apples, pears, apricot. Seaspray. New leather. Almonds, sultanas. Camphor, menthol. Is that a hint of wood smoke? With Water: toffee.
Taste: watery, thin. Apples. Camphor. A bit dry. With Water: more toffee and nuts.
Finish: bright fruits, but some added dates or figs. Camphor, pepper, oak. Again, a hint of smoke? Walnuts. Lots of bitterness now. Medium length on bitter dried fruit, camphor, and oak. With Water: more spice, brine, similar otherwise.
Summary: this is pretty different than the other two. Brighter, more fruit, more maritime. Maybe a touch of wood smoke on the nose. A bit thin and watery in the mouth and some added darker fruits in the finish, with a bit more spice too. Water brings out a nice toffee note and some more spice. Overall a very simple dram, and oddly balanced.
Would I buy a bottle? nah.
Final Score: 75.
Comparison
Order: 11 > 17 >>> 16
A very easy ordering, the 11 is very, very good. My main knock against it is how hot the nose is even after water. The 17 is different from the other two and a bit simple, but reasonable otherwise. The 16 is a nice example of “sub-par” in my book.
My wife spent a little time with them and confidently ranked them “One (11), two (17), you’ve gotta be kidding me (16)!”
So a mediocre start for Bunnahabhain here. I was trying to stack the deck with samples I thought would all be awesome. Here’s hoping I’m happier in the days to come.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 