Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
Bunna, bunna, bunna, bunna, bunna, bunnaaaaaaah… bunna, bunnaaaaaaah…
Yep, more Bunna! How about some random cask finishes this time? In general I dig little experiments like these, and I haven’t had many brandy cask finishes either. Ought to be fun.
BTW, like all of my recent Bunnahabhain reviews, these are 2oz samples from splits or swaps, mostly with WasheeWashee who’s the real Bunna aficionado. I’m just a wannabe.
Tasted on 8/7/2022, neat in a Glencairn, water added later as appropriate.
(Pic from Whiskybase)
Bunnahabhain 11 Year (2007) Limited Edition French Brandy Cask Finish
Distillery: Bunnahabhain
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 52.5%, cask strength
Age: 11 years old. Distilled on 09/27/2007. Bottled in 04/2019.
Cask type: French Brandy Cask Finish
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 2764 bottles.
Nose: sweet fruit, orange, apple. Caramel. Walnuts. Strong tea. With time, even more sweet, apricots. With Water: more fruit, sweeter. Slightly maritime, crisp though. Sweet cake.
Taste: sweet, fruity. Mild ginger spice. Nice mouthfeel. Walnuts. Caramel. Salty. Oak. With Water: more fruit.
Finish: sweet fruit. Warm spice builds. Nuts. A touch dry. Tea. Salty, mild clean seawater. Caramel. Oak. Medium length on that nice fruit, very mild spice, and that touch of seawater. With Water: same.
Summary: I quite like this one. A very nice nose full of bright, sweet fruit, caramel, nuts, and strong black tea. There’s a subtle maritime thread throughout this for me. Doesn’t really need water, but water does bring out more fruit for sure. A really nice lingering finish with all that fruit, a mild warmth, and that hint of seawater. It’s not the most complex dram on the planet, but it works well. I’m not a big brandy guy, so I don’t know if there’s actually strong brandy notes here or not. It’s a bit sweet overall, but it’s not cloying and works well. Too much sweetness usually turns me off, but I like this one.
Best one of the series for me so far. I like it a bit more than that 11yr Manzanilla from two reviews ago.
Would I buy a bottle? yes, at a reasonable price this one would be nice to own.
Final Score: 87.
Bunnahabhain 12 Year Feis Ile 2012 Amontillado Cask Finish
Distillery: Bunnahabhain
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 54.3%, cask strength
Age: 12 years old. Bottled on 04/12/2012.
Cask type: Amontillado Cask Finish
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 346 bottles, from a single cask.
Nose: very shy. Dried fruit, apricot, mixed peel. Caramel. Honey. Sea spray. Ginger. A touch hot. With Water: more spice.
Taste: toffee, dark caramel. Dried fruit. A bitter, burned note, like caramel that’s gone too far. A bit hot. Salty. Ginger. Toasted nuts. A bit dry. With Water: thinner, same.
Finish: toffee, caramel. Sweet chocolate. Darker fruit? Salt. Warm, ginger spice. Slightly burnt tinge, like the caramel went too far and caught. Medium length finish on warm spice, and burnt caramel. Oops. With Water: a bit more spice perhaps, otherwise the same.
Summary: This has a very subtle nose, and the glass felt empty after the other one. With some time and work there’s some nice mixed peel, caramel, and honey backed up by some warm ginger spice. It’s a little bit hot on the nose, and I don’t think water really changes that. Sadly, that’s where the fun ends. There’s an odd, bitter, burnt note on the palate and in the finish that ruins it for me. I want water after drinking this one, every time. It still feels hot even after a decent splash of water. The finish is a reasonable length, sadly.
My wife’s first reaction after tasting it: “Notes of semen.”
Would I buy a bottle? “no sir, I don’t like it.”
Final Score: 72.
Comparison
Order: 11 Brandy >>> 12 Amontillado
What a trivial ordering. There’s no contest here.
These two live up perfectly to my impression of Bunnahabhain: hit or miss. Look, I really like experiments with casks and finishes. But man would I like to reliably pick up a bottle of OB Bunna and think “cool, I’m in for a good time.”
I’m at the halfway point of my Bunna samples, and goodness… I have 7 more to go.
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 