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Less well known than some of the other Islay malts, probably because of the intimidating (to some) Gaelic name as much as the distinctive taste. The labelling is redolent of the sea; an ever present feature of Islay life. This one I tasted in an Edinburgh bar, a good one. The barman seemed surprised to be asked for this malt, was visibly relieved when I declined ice, and almost raised a Spock-like eyebrow when I declined water. As if to say, “ahh, a man who knows his drinks”. One takes respect appreciatively wherever one can find it!

Bunnahabhain - 12 years old, 40%

Colour

Darker than most malts, almost a hint of tawny in the brown. Being an Islay dram you immediately think of peat but the reality turns out to be rather different.

Nose

Rich, chocolatey, but with a hint of the sea as befits the helmsman on the front of the bottle, and also of the lighter phenols that are more typical of the lighter, yellow Islays. It smells stronger than its 40% rating.

Taste

Initial taste
Hmm, very different. Xmas pudding, caramel, rich dried fruit. First thoughts are that this is a winter dram; for the leather armchair and the log fire up in the laird’s house. If there’s smoke here then it’s wood rather than peat. It also tastes stronger than 40%.

Later taste
The dried fruit gets stronger, hints of treacle and rich spices confirm the Xmas cake impression. However there is also a saltiness which starts to come through, and for a couple of sips it threatens to overwhelm the other tastes before thankfully receding into the background. The end result reminds me of some of the dark Rums that Mike enjoys.

Finish

Unlike many malts the finish is much the same as the main taste - warm, rich and spicy.

Conclusion

This is quite different from any of the other Islays. I don’t think I could drink a lot of it but enjoyed what I had in moderation. In this instance I didn’t get a chance to add water to it so that will have to wait for another time. I was intrigued by the saltiness and how different it was to anything else I’d tasted so about fifteen minutes later I followed it with a Talisker to see how the saltiness compared. The sensation was entirely different - in Talisker the salt is part of the whole experience, it’s the taste on the wind as you stand on the west coast gazing out to sea over Neist Point. In the Bunnahabhain it’s a counterpoint to the richness; it emerges like some demon of the deep and then plunges back into the darkness leaving only the memory.

This is a fascinating dram; I liked it despite not really liking the type; the rich dark whiskies aren’t usually to my taste. But it has character, which is fundamental to a top class dram. Maybe the balance is lacking a little, or maybe that is just my preferences showing through. I would drink it again, and I will try the older versions to explore the character further. Though I doubt it would make my top three it would certainly make a claim to the top ten.

Just as a good whisky matures over the years so do our taste buds. My first experiences of single malts were at the age of 18, and thinking back to the types that I enjoyed then they were vastly different to those that I now favour. Back then I appreciated smoothness; the soft, sometimes almost honeyed flavours of the Speyside malts, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, and with Glenlivet the undoubted king. In many ways this reflected my tastes in food, which were only just branching out from a fairly bland British culinary upbringing. Just as I appreciated a good steak over a modest stew, I could recognise the quality of rich smooth malts over the rougher blends.

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On Saturday this week I took a stroll into Edinburgh - it was its customary grey colour and I spent most of the day outflanked by people who were either delusional, unfunny or both. Its currently the fringe in Edinburgh and every one who ever held beliefs that they were funny seems to take this week out of the asylum to foist their mis-held belief on the world. That said I did see a Radio 4 production of Loose Ends - Arthur Smith was funny ,hungover yet funny. After that I lunched at a quaint Chinese restaurant which was a nice change from the grey outlook. Got soaked to the skin and called the day a wash out. Continue Reading »