Review by: The Muskox
I’m going to need a break from Bunnahabhain after all of these. Only three more to go…
This was a fun one to side-by-side with that PX-finished Moine of the same vintage. I’m a big fan of Sauternes casks, so I definitely expected to prefer this one. Let’s see if it met those expectations…
Distillery: Bunnahabhain.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Islay.
ABV: 53.8%. Cask strength.
Age: 16 years. Distilled December 12th 2004. Bottled January 19th 2021.
Cask type: Initially matured in refill hogsheads, then finished for 7 years in Sauternes white wine hogsheads.
Price: £160
Color: Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Sweet. Honeycomb, candied pineapple, and Coca-Cola gummies (or is it Mountain Dew?). Even the smoke has a kind of maplewood sugariness. Carbonara! – there’s the salty nuttiness of the cheese, the spicy toasted black pepper, the funky-savoury fattiness of guanciale, even a rich eggy character. Pralines, white chocolate, and caramelized banana, along with supporting darker notes tar, iodine, and salted licorice.
Palate: Thick texture. Very thick honey, flowers, and flamed orange peel on the arrival. Some slightly funky and tart tropical fruit as well. Savoury seaweed, charred oak, earthy smoke, and more salted licorice as the whisky develops. Some nuttier notes here – sauteed celery and more of that parmesan.
Finish: Medium-length, getting sweeter again as the peat lifts. Honey and ginger – it’s a Penicillin! Salted cashews and dark chocolate. White cherries and coconut water. Lingering earthy seaweed and salty coastal mud.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Penicillium Penicillin”
Conclusion: I can’t say I’m surprised that this is great. It trades in the spiced-meaty savoury notes of the PX for something darker and earthier, which reminds me more of Port Charlotte than anything else. Here the Bunnahabhain nutty note is coming across more as that funky-cheesy flavour, almost like something cured or a dry-aged steak. Everything’s covered in honey and complex tropical fruit of course, which is always welcome. It’s at least a little bit better than the PX, and certainly more to my taste.
Final Score: 86.
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 