Bunnahabhain 12 Year (2004) Moine Brandy Finish

Review by: The Muskox

I’ve tried a bunch of Bunnahabhain’s “Moine” peated bottlings at this point. The distillery is apparently cutting back on these peated runs in favour of more of the classic unpeated Bunnahabhain – I can understand why, but personally I think that’s a shame. Moines have this wonderful nutty savouriness, and are in my experience bring the meaty umami flavours more consistently than any other peated whisky from Islay. That character also pairs very well with sweet casks, hence a long line of Moines with wine-finishes.

This whisky has, rather confusingly, been bottled twice: First as a Limited Release in 2017, then again as a Warehouse 9 release last year. As far as I know, these are the exact same whisky, with the leftovers of the first release being transplanted into snazzy new bottles. I think my sample is from the 2017 release, but again, it shouldn’t matter.

Distillery: Bunnahabhain.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 55.3%.

Age: 12 years. Distilled December 12th 2004. Bottled June 22nd 2017.

Cask type: Initially matured in sherry casks, then finished for three years in brandy casks.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Bright gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Sweet, salty, savoury. Savoury first – hoisin sauce, sauteed mushrooms, nutty parmesan, nori crackers. The sweetness is cooked-fruit and treacley – stewed plums, candied citrus peel, and poached pears, and butterscotch. Some caramelized onions, even. Finally there’s pungent sea salt, charcoal grill, iodine, and a little bit of ozone.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Arrives gentle and sweet, with soft cooked fruit, honey candies, apricots, and then building earthiness. Aromatic and rounded peat smoke on the development. Mussels, hardwood charcoal, strong black tea, some rubber, and a hint of salted licorice. Smoky orange zest and a little toasted coconut on the back end.

Finish: Medium-long, nutty and sweet. More orange zest, milk tea, baking spices, and ginger candies. Slow-stewed sticky beef, complete with the lip-smacking texture. Lingering earthiness and a hint of black pepper.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “New-school Tokyo ramen shop gampai hour”

Conclusion: Another in a long line of excellent cask-finished Moines. The nose on this one has this really addictive savoury-salty character, like a bag of potato chips, or indeed a shoyu ramen. There’s smoke, but this ain’t no spirity Ledaig – the peat on the palate is very rich and well-tempered by the casks. The finish is sticky and fragrant too.

This might be my favourite among the Moines I’ve tried, but they’re all very close.

Final Score: 87.

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.

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