Bladnoch Forum Bunnahabhain Tasting Notes

Bladnoch Forum Bunnahabhain 1990 (22 year old) 50.2%

Re-Fill Sherry(?) Cask 18591/ Dist: 1990 Btl: May 2012/ Tasted: May 2012

A slightly high toned, herbal and spicy nose. Dense and earthy with plenty of gentle re-fill sherry character along with a touch of boiled sweets. Quite an elegant nose with a malty, a slightly balsamic note melding with the earthiness. For a relatively low abv, the alcohol is quite prickly. 

Wonderfully dense, soft and mature on the palate. Very complex with the re-fill sherry notes augmented by hints of liquorice and burnt wood. Very clean and fresh, leading to a citrus and camphor middle. The alcohol does slightly mask the finish but there are some lovely toffee-coffee and warming spices notes. 

A drop of water really opens the nose up. It has become exceedingly juicy with some gorgeous, succulent tangerine, citrus, hints of granulated sugar along with a touch of herbal orange blossom honey. Its maturity now shines through! 

The palate is gentle, mouth-filling and like the nose displaying a granulated sugar character. Beautifully soft now with hints of malt, dark, French coffee and burnt wood. Very harmonious and long with a late hint of peat smoke too!

Bladnoch Forum Bunnahabhain 1990 (22 year old) 50.8%

Re-Fill Sherry(?) Cask 5662/ Dist: 1990 Btl: June 2012/ Tasted: June 2012

A crisp, slightly astringently coastal nose. Relatively peated (for a Bunnah) with plenty of old wood notes. Very mature, earthy and slightly balsamic with a touch of sherry rich orange/ tangerine fruit and some hints of mature, fragrant honey. 

The palate is quite full and opens with some fleshy apricot and plenty of salt. There is a touch of mature honey but the alcohol is masking. Good length with the apricot returning as the alcohol intensity subsides along with a hint of peat and old sherry wood notes. 

With water the nose has become lighter and more elegant. Lightly honeyed with hints of white fruit and the orange fruit being more apparent. Reeking of maturity now and soft and juicy too. The palate is softer and oiler now with more toffee’d vanillins which coat the mouth with a lovely creaminess. Still quite full with a delicate thread of peat merging amongst the old wood and salt.

Douglas McGibbon Bunnahabhain Tasting Notes

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Bunnahabhain 2001 (9 year old) 46%

Sherry/ Code: PRV0759/ Dist Dec 2001 Btl: Dec 2011/ Tasted: Dec 2011

Not surprisingly the nose is quite high toned and youthful with some manurey moments, sherry spices, light peat and crystalised violets. What is surprising is the level of complexity, which is pretty high. Once it settles down some sweet barley, some unsweetened porridge oats and marzipan can be discerned. Intriguing and surprising.

The palate opens with some sweet but burnt sherry notes underpinning a slightly industrial sub-plot. Burnt caramel by the bucketful is followed by lots of malty, sherry spices and a touch of smoke. Softly peated with the spirit attempting to unshackle itself from the oak and impart a slightly floral, herbal note at the finish.

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Bunnahabhain ‘Young & Fiesty’ 46%

Bourbon/ Code: PRV1073/ Btl: Jan 14/ Tasted: Feb 14

The nose is young and salty with sweet cereal and light coal dusty notes. With time some lovely, sweet, estery tropical fruit – pear and pineapple emerges.

The palate is soft and sweet, again quite fruity with apricot, pineapple and white fruit. A little more complex than the nose with a touch of creamy oak, salt and soft spice. A little herbal ‘spirit’ note nips at the edges and the finish is pure new world Sauvignon Blanc. Very appealing to be honest with a light, dusty peat after-taste.

Douglas Laing Bunnahabhain Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Directors Cut Bunnahabhain 1991 (20 year old) 49.6%

Bourbon/ Code: DIR0008/ Dist: Dec 1991 Btl: Feb 2012/ Tasted: Feb 2012

A stunningly fresh nose, redolent of salt encrusted tropical fruit – apricot and pineapple with a beautiful salty-citrus twang! Very, very clean with hints of barley and light oak, and even some grist! With time the oak becomes wonderfully sawdusty and the mature honey takes on an almost old Glenrothes-like sheen.

The palate is fresh with a touch of oak attempting to intrude, but that is soon put in its place by the coastal notes. Delicate, ethereal honey, flesh apricot, orange and white fruits play out on the middle shot through with some delightful sugar-gristy moments. The finish is beautifully fresh, long and salty yet very soft and full fruited with a liquorice and soft, barky spice after taste.

Douglas Laing Directors Cut Bunnahabhain 1979 (35 year old) 45.2%

Bourbon/ Code: DIR0085/ Dist: Feb 1979 Btl: June 14/ Tasted: Aug 2014

A stunningly fresh (given its age) and lemony nose with hints of straw and dusty vanilla oak. It unfolds to show mature honey, sweet spice, beeswax, camphor, waxy apple skin and a light iodine note. Beautifully deep and majestic with the oak asserting itself with time adding a lovely creaminess to the aromas.

The palate is soft and like the nose quite lemony with a smidge of sawdusty oak, barley and building sweet spices. The evolving honey notes become sweeter towards the middle as does the vanilla but the alcohol and spices balance that sweetness. Lovely length with the oak becoming more marzipan in character and the spices become dustier with both sweet and slightly bitter woody spices infusing the finish. A deftly woven seam of milk chocolate comes through and wow, those sweet spices linger. A superb old Bunnah!

 

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Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Bunnahabhain 2001 (10 year old) 50%

Sherry/ Code: OMC2160/ Dist: Dec 2001 Btl: Aug 2012/ Tasted: Aug 2012

A thick, malty nose. Heavily spiced with bucketfuls of muscavado sugar and hints of sweet, dried fruit. Only vaguely coastal but resplendent in its marmalade orange and brandy butter complexity.

The palate is soft and very chocolatey ,milk chocolate to be precise. Quite oily and mouth-coating with hints of dried fruit. A very spicy middle where the playful raisin, sultana and crystalised orange really come through the thick morass of malty-chocolate. Rather a dry, herbal finish but all that malt has stuck to the palate, so it does temper the tannins to a certain degree. An amazingly good, young, sherried Bunnah! And I don’t often say that!

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Bunnahabhain 2001 (11 year old) 50%

Refill Sherry/ Code: OMC2237/ Dist: Dec 2001 Btl: Feb 2013/ Tasted: Mar 2013

A dense and earthy nose which is quite malty with some lightly honeyed moments and a touch of peat. Some citrus notes add freshness and the sherry adds just a subtle hint of dried fruit. With time a spicy grainy note becomes apparent.

Full and easy-going, again opening with malty notes, followed by earth, tobacco,  peat, and dark, dried fruit. The oils build pleasantly towards the middle and the alcohol gives it a mouth-watering freshness. Lightly woody on the finish with some tannins and tobacco leaf along with a sweet, grainy aftertaste.

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Bunnahabhain 1997 (14 year old) 50%

Bourbon/ Code: OMC2052/ Dist: Aug 1997 Btl Sept 2011/ Tasted: Sept 2011

The nose is pleasantly tropical, almost Arran-esque in character with hints of mulch, wet leaves, peat and a touch of burnt wood and a building coastal intensity. All too often bourbon casked Bunnah can be quite disappointing – this definitely isn’t!

The palate opens with some soft barley, and sugar coated, gently tropical fruit. Wisps of developing smoke and some gentle peat waft in. The middle has a lovely mouth-watering  intensity of earthy, spicy malt and alcohol. Wonderfully complex finish with burnt wood, leather, citrus and brine coming through on the finish.

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Bunnahabhain 1997 (14 year old) 50%

Bourbon/ Code: OMC2150/ Dist: Dec 1997 Btl: Apr 2012/ Tasted: Apr 2012

The nose opens with a burnt rubber and cardboard note which sort of melds into some light peat. Sharp and a bit astringent with some barley attempting to counter.

Sweet barley and coal dust to begin with on the palate. Much better than the nose suggests. Some earthy (and cardboardy) spice, salty nuts and a touch of burnt caramel appear until the saltiness becomes rather astringent on the middle. Reasonable length with plenty of dusty peat smoke. Shame about the minor blemish.

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Bunnahabhain 1990 (21 year old) 50%

Bourbon/ Code: OMC2082/ Dist: Feb 1990 Btl Sept 2011/ Tasted: Sept 2011

Ooooh, this is stunningly deep and veritably dripping in succulent, mature honey, floor polish and beeswax – It reminds me of some of the old bottlings of Glenrothes by Duncan Taylor. Seriously complex with hints of sawdust, earth, violets and menthol. I would assume that it has spent many years maturing on the mainland as there is only a slight coastal note (that’s not a criticism by the way!)

The palate is velvety soft and rich. Wonderfully complex with mature honey, earthy spices, old macerated orange, which is almost liqueur-like given time rolling around the tongue. This is punctuated by some heavy dark chocolatey wood notes but a piquantly alcoholic middle and peppery spice finish stop the wood from dominating. Lovely length with hints of old, leafy herbs on the finish.

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Bunnahabhain 1987 (25 year old) 50%

Bourbon/ Code: OMC2246/ Dist: Nov 1987 Btl: Mar 2013/ Tasted: Apr 2013

A robust nose of dark fruit interwoven with balsamic notes. Very mature with earth, leather, malt and oxidisation characteristics. Lightly smoked with some sweet, mature oak vanillin appearing as does a herbal note with time.

The palate is lightly smoked with hints of charred wood, malt and light treacle coated dark fruit. It displays a dry spicy and peppery character on the middle with a noticeable alcohol freshness. Quite bracing and lightly coastal on the finish with a touch of light smoke, wood tannins, lemon and plenty of herbal notes. Lightly bittering at the death leaving a light coffee after-taste. An excellent old Bunnah.

 

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Douglas Laing Old Particular Bunnahabhain 2001 (15 year old) 48.4%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OLD0412/ DL11604

Dist: Dec 2001 Btl: Mar 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

A very sherried nose – Molasses, treacle and liquorice, along with prunes and raisin. Hints of salt, malt and coffee follow. This must have been a first fill cask, given the intensity of the sherry character.

The palate is pretty much like the nose with plenty of gritty Oloroso, prunes, liquorice and sweet treacle. Quite malty, robust and full with raisin, liquorice, violets and salt. Very long with lingering sherried dried fruit and pepper. Mouth-watering citric character adds balance.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Bunnhabhain 1998(?) (16 year old) 48.4%

Code: OLD0142/ Dist: 1998(?) Btl: Aug 2014/ Tasted: Sept 2014

The nose is a little cardboardy and feinty with earth, sweet dark honey, malt and barley. With time hints of floral barley, white wine vinegar and vanilla.

The palate is quite caramel’d and toffee’d. The oak is definitely dominating. Maybe a touch of honey, barley and earth can be discerned along with a touch of cardboard. Short, hot, grassy and citrusy finish.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Bunnahabhain 1997 (17 year old) 48.4%

Bourbon/ Code: OLD0168/ Dist: Aug 1997 Btl: Jan 2015/ Tasted: Feb 2015

Lightly oiled and gently, sweetly smoked aromas with hints of leather, malt, fish oils and barley. The peat becomes grittier with time and some fragrant vanilla oak appears.

The palate is lightly barley’d with light treacle, leather and malt. The flavours darken as the dunnage/ earth notes come through on the middle along with a light burnt wood, astringent peat and coastal notes. Long and delightfully smoky with slightly burnt heather notes. Lovely salty/ meaty after-taste.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Bunnahabhain 1990 (24 year old) 40.6%

Bourbon/ Code: OLD0221/ Dist: Nov 1990 Btl: July 2015/ Tasted: Aug 2015

A lovely nose of dense vanilla and summer barley. With time some beautiful dusty oak appears along with green apple, citrus, honey, chlorine and light medicinal herbs. Quite heavy on the oak but still an excellent nose!

The palate opens with the soft, creamy vanilla but there is plenty of freshening citrus character. Hints of barley, malt and honey come through along with some duty tannins and developing oils. Lovely, crisp, citric finish with the underlying honey lingering and a touch of green apple in the after-taste. A lovely whisky.

 

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Douglas Laing Provenance Bunnahabhain 2008 (8 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1251/ DL11561

Dist: Jun 2008 Btl: Nov 2016/ Tasted: Feb 2017

Plenty of creamy vanilla and butter to begin with on the nose, followed by some aromatic white fruit, estery apricot, pineapple and a touch of barley and honeysuckle.

The palate is very much like the nose, opening with the creamy oak and followed by the barley, salt and white fruit. Very salty on the middle with hints of bitter spice. Long and remaining salty with lingering white fruit and sweet white liquorice.

Douglas Laing Provenance Bunnahabhain 2007 (9 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead?/ Code: PRV1210/ Dist: Mar 2007 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Dec 2016

Quite fresh but a little insubstantial on the nose to begin with. Hints of perfumed barley, green fruit and buttery oak emerge and eventually it becomes pleasantly aromatic with hints of tangerine and heather.

The palate opens with some milky oak and a touch of barley, lemon honey and salt. Straightforward with a slightly hot and subtly spiced finish.

Douglas Laing Provenance Bunnahabhain 2007 (9 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1263/ DL11642

Dist: Oct 2007 Btl: Feb 2017/ Tasted: Jun 2017

Aromas of damp earth and barley. Simple and slightly gristy with a gentle saltiness.

The palate shows more soft, caramel oak and barley with a subtle biscuity and salty middle. Fresh, lightly salted finish with a gentle, floral after-taste. The palate is a lot more interesting than the nose.

Douglas Laing Provenance Bunnahabhain 2007 (10 year old) 46% 20cl

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1345/ DL12220

Dist: Oct 2007 Btl: Dec 2017/ Tasted: Feb 2018

Subtle aromas of fresh, fragrant barley, summer fruit and background notes of treacle, spice and oak.

The palate displays more creamy oak and subtle barley. Fairly straightforward with hints of honey. Good length with a slightly oily but sweet barley finish.

Douglas Laing Provenance Bunnahabhain 2005 (12 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1296/ DL11899

Dist: May 2005 Btl: Aug 2017/ Tasted: Sept 2017

Aromatic but edgy barley, oak and sweet-ish apricot. the oak really begins to develop and give the nose quite a fullness. Slightly herbal but lacking any coastal character.

The palate is soft and straightforward, but it has a pleasant depth of barley, lightly estery sweet fruit and oak. Subtle citric finish with a slightly drying after-taste.

 

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Douglas Laing Single Minded Bunnahabhain 2008 (8 year old) 43%

Bourbon/ Code: SIN0017/ Dist: Jun 2008 Btl: Oct 2016/ Tasted: Nov 2016

Aromas of stewed apple, malt and gist. Slightly salty with a smidge of oak. Simple and straightforward, but charming.

The palate is youthful and a little edgy with gristy barley, toffee and salt. Good, slightly oily finish with a touch of sweet-ish barley and a gentle coastal after-taste.

Douglas Laing Single Minded Bunnahabhain 2009 (8 year old) 43%

Code: SIN0029/ Dist: Sept 2009 Btl: ?/ Tasted: Mar 2018

Quite fragrant on the nose but a little edgy too. Hints of tart citrus, gooseberry and caramel oak. I’m finding it hard to get excited about this nose.

The palate is a little watery with barley and fleshy apricot. Still a little edgy with creamy oak and a touch of toffee. Good, lightly salted finish. The palate is lot more impressive than the nose.

Scott’s Selection Bunnahabhain Tasting Notes

Speyside Distillery Scott’s Selection Bunnahabhain 1982 (19 year old) 57.5%

Dist: 1984 Btl: 2003/ Tasted: Sept 2004

A clean nose, showing some maturity of rich malt, oak, summer heathery berry fruits, a hint of peat and salt. Pleasantly smooth and creamy with a late orange note. Dry on the palate, medium bodied with an intensity of mature heathery fruit, sweet oak, along with hints of salt and peat. Balanced and bracing with a good complexity. Long length with a touch of walnuts and fruit cake spice in the finish.

Signatory Bunnahabhain Tasting Notes

Signatory ‘Heavily Peated’ Bunnahabhain 11 year old 55.2%

Cask 5298 & 5299/ Tasted: Nov 2009

The nose is very sweet and candied. Pear drops and hints of medicinal/ herbal-peat. I think the use of the term heavy is somewhat overstating the case, moderately might have been a better term. However there is probably more ‘peat smoke’ than pure peat to be honest, but it has a pleasant earthiness and a late fishy note.

The palate is as sweet as the nose, opening with a barley sweetness followed by a moderate level of peat which is of a drier consistency and more flakier. The barley sweetness returns and is accented by some hints of rubber and Bowmore-esque violets. The soft-ish alcohol masks the finish.

A drop of water makes the nose drier and woodier. Maybe bringing out a touch of orange fruit and suppressing the sweetness a little. However it does make the palate somewhat watery, insubstantial and overly sugar-sweet.

Murray McDavid Bunnahabhain Tasting Notes

Murray Mc David Bunnahabhain 1997 (12 year old) 46%

Bourbon – Chateau Y’quem/ Dist: 1997 Btl: 2009/ Tasted: Feb 2010

Quite a briny and coastal nose with hints of bog myrtle, leaves and linseed oil. Behind the distinctive Islay notes the Yquem cask hunkers down like an impenetrable lump of sweet-ish honey. Given time the American oak duly arrives. All very classy.

The palate opens with the sweet-ish/ honeyed influence of the wine case followed by the hints of peat and bog myrtle. The coastal character arrives to balance the sweetness of the cask. Lush and rounded with a good length, finally a late spice and some fishy notes appear.

Murray McDavid Mission Bunnahabhain 1976 (31 year old) 48.1%

Bourbon – Fino Sherry/ Dist: 1976 Btl: 2007/ Tasted: Dec 2010

A very interesting nose. A huge blast of herbal honey with hints of light coffee, fish oil, hessian, burnt toffee, nuts and coastal sweets. With time the American oak muscles through to add a buttery nuance. A beautiful, mature spirit with it’s innate coastal character and the Fino Sherry cask giving it some edgy verve.

The plate opens with a sprinkling of soot followed by some gentle, sweet honey and mature fruit, dusty oak, brine and fish oils. The mid palate is distinctly maritime, flecked with some gorgeous spices. Extremely long with green nuts, hessian, mature honey, light peat and earth, finally ending with a definite lip smacking candied finale! Superb!

Murray McDavid Celtic Heartlands Bunnahabhain 1976 (33 year old) 46.7%

Fino – Yquem/ Dist: 1976 Btl: 2010/ Tasted: Dec 2010

A beautiful, elegant nose of leafy light sherry and herbal nuances. There is definitely no shortage of honey, toffee and gorgeously mature spices and coffee. Some old smoke and tobacco leaf drifts in as does a slight violet note. We’re not finished yet!! More mature honey and American oak appears all balanced by a lively coastal edge. The complexity here is frightening and if it wasn’t for the coastal note you would swear that this was an old Spey. Lavishly fruity and hugely honeyed, although the coastal notes retrain it but it is still a honey monster!!

Soft, gentle and mature. The flavours caress the palate. Like the nose it is frighteningly complex with coffee laced honey, coffee coated banana, and old decomposing herbal bog myrtle and coriander leaf. The alcohol sweeps the palate clean before it continues with more honey, toffee, coffee, oak and costal nuances. It’s big, bold and really does seem like an old Spey. Some gorgeous lazy light peat smoke drifts in and the oak returns on the finish, drying it out a touch, but the honey hangs in there and the finish is pure coffee-spice. And what a finish. Amazingly long even if the oak tries its best to dry it out, finally leaving a faintly briny after taste. Pure class!

Murray McDavid Celtic Heartlands Bunnahabhain 1966 (37 year old) 40.1%

Oloroso Sherry Butt/ Tasted: 2003 (from cask)

Smooth and rich on the nose. An incredible depth of honeyed dried fruit, raisins and saltanas, all wrapped up in a creamy, nutty, toffee and oloroso sherry blanket. Somewhere underneath there is a touch of peaty malt. The palate follows the nose. It has an incredible depth and complexity. It is probably the most interesting Bunnahabhain I have ever tasted. Rich, mellow and full of decadently honeyed fruits, heather, wild flowers, lots and lots of sherry with a touch of salt and peat emerging on the finish. If you love sherry matured malts then this is one for you.

Murray McDavid Celtic Heartlands Bunnahabhain 1968 (41 year old) 40.7%

Re-Fill Sherry/ Dist: 1968 Btl: 2010/ Tasted: Dec 2010

A deep, honeyed and gentle nose of reserved, mature leafy sherry with additional herbal notes and marzipan. Beautifully mature with notes of coffee, rich dark fruits all liberally sprinkled with muscovado sugar along with a slight coastal note at the edges. Sumptuous, fleshy, pure poetry in a glass! Given time hints of sandalwood, clove and bracing citrus notes appear. A simply stunning nose!

The palate is velvety soft, the flavours glide supremely across the palate – mature honey, baked apples, soft spices – cinnamon, clove, sandalwood mingle with gentle coffee/ toffee and understated ‘old Glen Grant-esque’ mature sherry. The faint coastal note at the edges provides a balance and a nod in the direction of its birth place. Quite malty on the middle with the muscovado sugar beautifully balancing out the bitterness from the oak. Majestic, deep, sublime – Oooh the honey is gorgeous!! Yes it’s expensive, but it is a definite must buy!

MWBH Bottling Company Bunnahabhain Tasting Notes

MWBH Bottling Co Ltd Bunnahabhain 19 year old 49%

Sherry/ Tasted: Aug 2010

A leafy Oloroso and treacle toffee nose. Lots of juicy sherried orange fruit, liquorice, menthol and dusty spices No real distillery character as its all cask. Water makes zero difference.

The palate is the same as the nose with a slight citrus note. Water makes it very confected, just like sprinkling it with icing sugar. Maybe some more wood spices are apparent. Good length. Neat the alcohol masks the finish and the after taste is icing sugar coated. With water it shortens and brings out an unexpected Sauvignon blanc-esque nettly note! In conclusion – (As tasted blind) Bunnahabhain, Laddie? Who knows? – Good clean sherry though, but………….

Ian MacLeod Bunnahabhain Tasting Notes

Ian MacLeod Chieftains Choice Bunnahabhain (Peated – Norway) 10 year old 56.1%

Sherry Cask/ Tasted: Sept 2008

A gorgeous, deep and deliciously fruity nose with a rounded sweetness. Complex with camphor, bog myrtle, coastal bonfires, and gentle peat all set against a wonderful sherry background. Pretty much the best nose of all the young Islay’s. A drop of water mellows and emphasises some orange fruit and vanilla (European Sherry?)

The palate is extremely sooty with sweet sherry and leafy peat flavours. The alcohol somewhat masks. Water sweetens but not overly so, bringing out a burnt wood note and a slight floral character. Good length, leafy and slightly peaty. Water lengthens and brings out the smoke. Still very dry with definite coastal notes. In conclusion: Great sherry cask. The palate is a little bit of a disappointment after such a complex nose, but the balance is lovely.

Ian Macleod Chieftains Choice Bunnahabhain 1979 (30 year old) 45.5%

Sherry Cask 9622/ Dist: 1979 Btl: 2009/ Tasted: Aug 2010

A huge, leafy, slightly sulphured sherry nose which becomes a bit sickly with water. All cask and no trousers! The palate is again all cask, liquid toffee, liquorice, burnt caramel and very vegetal with water. Actually a good length (if you forget the sulphur) with plenty of Armagnac-esque dried fruits. With water however it becomes a sugar coated veg finish In conclusion – Not nice! What a way to finish!

Duncan Taylor Bunnahabhain Tasting Notes

Duncan Taylor Bunnahabhain 1970 (38 year old) 40.3%

Cask 4073/ Dist: 1970 Btl: 2008/ Tasted: Aug 2008

My god this is fruity! Buckets and buckets of pure Seville orange, lime, lemon, tangerine, kumquat, mature honey and a touch of menthol. Amazingly fresh for its age with developing mature vanilla/ butter, cut dried grass, hay and fresh barley.

The palate is very much like the nose. The oak is a little bit more forward and finally there is a touch of salinity (I would guess this cask has spent a number of years maturing on the mainland). Amazingly oily and luscious. The finish is pure citrus. Ideally I would drink it neat as water doesn’t do a lot for it, maybe emphasising the oak and mature honey, but subduing the palate too much for my liking. Absolutely stunning!

Douglas McGibbon Bunnahabhain Tasting Notes

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Bunnahabhain 2001 (9 year old) 46%

Sherry/ Code: PRV0696/ Dist: Oct 2001 Btl: June 2011/ Tasted: June 2011

The nose is quite sweet, and the sherry is definitely in the candied-sweet style. There is some pleasantly spiced dried fruit and later some pure buttery/ nutty marzipan – American sherry butt perhaps?

The palate is a touch on the tannic side and quite candied. Again there is some burnt wood and spice followed by the marzipan and almond finishing with hints of dark chocolate…… and …. spirit. I have to say it’s all a bit disjointed and the spirit hasn’t had time to evolve, hence all the flavours come from the wood. If I’d tasted this blind I wouldn’t have guessed it was a bunnah!

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Bunnahabhain 2001 (9 year old) 46%

Sherry/ Code: PRV0721/ Dist: Oct 2001 Btl: Sept 2011/ Tasted: Sept 2011

A brief waft of nutty, slightly peppery sherry is followed by a truck load of very sweet oak vanillins, marzipan and butter (American sherry cask?). Distinctly lacking in distillery character. The palate is lightly sherried too – chocolate, dried fruit and tannins. Then the oak stops dead leaving the quite peppery and youthfully spirit showing. To be honest it’s really light years away from being ready to be bottled.

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Bunnahabhain 2001 (12 year old) 46%

Sherry/ Code: PRV1094/ Dist: Dec 2001 Btl: July 2014/ Tasted: Aug 2014

A softly nutty nose with hints of dried fruit, sweet earth, sweet smoke, violets and a touch of salt. Sweetly spiced and very full with the violet note becoming progressively crystallised. A very appealing nose. 

The palate is like the nose, opening with the nutty sherry and hints of moist fruitcake. Hints of sweet smoke, salt and dark chocolate follow. The tannins build on the middle and the finish is pure dark chocolate with hints of violets, spice and malty fruit. Lovely intensity with a sweet, violet after-taste.