One old Bunnahabhain and a possible even older one

October 3, 2014

	One old Bunnahabhain and a possible even older one
	These old Bunnahabhains can be hit or miss; I’ve already got quite a few tired ones in my tasting glass. As if the spirit wasn’t big enough to stand too many years, but of course there’s been some brilliant ones as well, especially sherried versions. Auld Acquaintance, anyone?

Bunnahabhain 34 yo 1980/2014 (45.9%, The Whisky Fair, sherry wood, 230 bottles)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: the sherry’s rather unobtrusive, if I may say so. What’s fine and nice is this combination of sea air and ripe garden fruits. Ripe gooseberries plus one oyster plus a touch of honey and two spoonfuls of honeydew that make it pleasantly piny. A little beer and hops as well (IPA?) A fine nose, as they used to say in old adverts. Mouth: the sherry’s more in the front, with more raisins. Then these notes of beer again, light honey and plenty of green tea, from the wood. A sour note as well, the apples are back. Good body. Finish: rather long but I find it a notch too sour and bitterish. That’s right, green. Comments: a very, very fine dram for sure, but less greenness and more roundness would have made this baby sexier in my book. SGP:461 - 83 points.

Port Askaig 45 yo (ABV TBF, Specialty Drinks, 2014)

Port Askaig 45 yo (40.8%, Specialty Drinks, 2014)

This one’s brand new. Sadly, I took a photograph with my iPhone and I can’t read the ABV. Whaff! I’ll update as soon as more data’s available online. UPDATE DONE. As for this baby being a Bunnahabhain, well, it’s not Caol Ila (or it would come from the old distillery), so it’s most probably ‘a Bunny’. Colour: gold. Nose: even ‘more fresh’ than the 1980, and certainly fruitier. Ripe greengages and mint leaves, unlit menthol cigarettes, clay, lime, lemon balm, a whiff of sear air, a little antiseptic (but it’s no Laphroaig), fresh almonds, earth, gentian, camphor… It’s really lovely, complex, and probably less tired than other very old Bunnahabhains, so much less on oak and ‘flat’ fruits. A little Gueuze after ten minutes. Mouth: we can feel this oldie was bottled at the right time, I wouldn’t have kept it two more years in wood. I’m meaning that the light honey and the light fruits still manage to balance the white pepper, tea and cinnamon from the casks. That balance feels a bit fragile, but it’s kept. Apple juice and cinnamon, tangerines and tea, mead and nutmeg… Finish: not very long but I enjoy these additional notes of orange blossom water. There are even some passion fruits, and the aftertaste remains fresh and not quite tannic as such. Comments: I’ve hesitated between 89 and 90 all along, but the clean and almost crisp aftertaste made me opt for the latter. SGP:561 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Bunnahabhain I've tasted so far