Whisky Extravaganza, part 5: if 22 year old ‘Laddie isn’t enough, I’ll give you 25, no... 35 year old Bunna!

As I keep on pouring, sipping and commenting on what should be ‘the good stuff’, it’s time to wave goodbye to Islay this week, but not without pausing to try two hopefully exquisite indie releases from Bunnahabhain. If most people with a general yet not ‘invested’ interest in whisky will likely associate Islay whisky with Ardbeg, Laphroaig or Lagavulin, distilleries like Bruichladdich, Kilchoman and, indeed, Bunnahabhain might well be names mentioned alongside these  by people who score quite high on the ‘whisky geek’ chart. Please don’t read any preferences or a feeling of superiority in this, I’m merely stating that a distillery like Laphroaig (with its Friends Of Laphroaig scheme) or a distillery like Lagavulin (collaborating with famous actor Nick Offerman) might likely ‘ring more bells’ to those who tend to enjoy their whisky in a more casual, less ‘fussed’ manner. Also there’s the possibility that non-concerning whisky drinkers might fear a severe tongue injury when looking at bottles of whisky and notice the names of certain expressions written on the labels. Continue the read for a serious case of Q.E.D.

In any case, Bunnahabhain is where I’m taking it today, and I feel I’m out of my comfort zone a bit, despite also being on familiar ground  (so to speak) with this distillery. Early on in my journey, I crossed paths with quite a few of Bunna’s core range expressions: the 12, obviously (still can absolutely recommend it), but also some of their peated and unpeated NAS expressions, like the Toiteach A Dhà, the Stiuireadair or the Moine. All decent to absolutely excellent quality, all affordable. But, much like most other (Islay) distilleries, the affordable bit tends to go out of the window as soon as we’re talking higher age statements  (talked about the 18 yo last week) or most of their limited (be it Feis Ile or otherwise) releases. Sign o’ the times, sure, but it also means these releases really need to be something special and  have to deliver to merit the asking prices. The few ‘higher end’ Bunna’s  I tried managed to do just that, I feel, but charging £200 or even more for 16 or 17 yo whisky tends to be really pushing it, making them ‘self-indulge’ purchases indeed.

So you can imagine my  delight when getting my hands on a few samples of really well aged Bunnahabhain – a 25 year old and a 35 year old to be precise. Whisky extravaganza, indeed!

Bunnahabhain 25 year old (1989 – 2015) Berry Brothers and Rudd, 25th anniversary of Boisdale. 44% ABV, 200 bottles, recently re-released and sold out again. App.£120 (!)

Initially these were released roughly a decade ago as single cask by BBR  to mark the 25th anniversary of the Boisdale bars and restaurants in London, but it's been brought to my attention that Berry Brothers and Rudd found a whole stash of these in their warehouse earlier this year. Tipples of manchester apparently then bought that entire stock and re-released them. For whatever reason, these didn't sell out completely and they were discounted (heavily discounted) to £120 or there about. Nic (who also provided the ladddie samples for last week's post) got his hands on one, and I’m glad he did, and even more happy and grateful he gave me a sample of it. I’ve got a feeling they will go up in price soon enough on the secondary market.

Nose

Ooh, this is gorgeous straight off the bat. It’s oily and slightly waxy with a hint of linseed oil, but mixed in are plenty of mild (wood) spices. Notes of dark and heather honey and wood polish. This might be quite pale in the glass, but it’s absolutely bursting with flavour! The nose suggests wood char and possibly even some ash, adding depth and richness and when you allow it time to breath and develop further (literally about 30 minutes) something gently vegetal joins in, with a whiff of salinity to it as well, leaning onto something very lightly sweet and sour – like lemon meringue, but not as outspoken. In any case, it’s  only adding to the overall complexity and enjoyment.

Palate

 The party simply continues on the tongue! Lovely gentle yet rich arrival, driven by warming wood notes. The balance is simply exquisite, as the whole comes across as a perfectly harmonious mixture of spices, honey driven  sweetness  and soft bitter notes. It’s all being delivered in one harmonious ‘wave’ of deliciousness. Truly a whisky where the whole becomes  greater than the sum of its parts!

Finish

Long, bittersweet and gently woody.

Onwards (and hard to imagine, but possibly even upwards?) then…

Bunnahabhain 35 year old (1980-2015) Sansibar, 47.1% ABV, sherry cask matured. 165 bottles which obviously all sold out.

This might be the closest I’ll ever get to trying a single malt Islay whisky from my birthyear (missed it by a year as I’m from 1979). This sample was very kindly gifted to me by Fredrik Hansson who used to run the ‘A Dram Divided’ channel until a few years ago. Hats off and then some for parting ways with something like this, sir! The fact that this was distilled when I was literally still in diapers, actually made me pause and think: so many groundbreaking events that have happened while this was just sitting there, unbothered, in a warehouse somewhere in Scotland….  

Nose

Quite a bit of wood influence, which of course makes sense after 35 years, but it remains in check as there are elegant spices, sweet dried fruit (with lots of berries and cherries) and a lactic-creamy vibe, sitting on that woody bitter note. It also has that understated vegetal/herbal element going on I often pick up in (sherry cask matured) Bunnahabhain. If you’re familiar with the OB Bunna 18, this will likely be good for an ‘Aha’ moment as well. Dense and wonderful.

Palate

Rich arrival, a gentle woody – bitter note at first, but this is almost buried under an avalanche of warming notes from Christmas cake, dried red fruit (again berries and cherries, but also raisins and plums), mild spices and oily, sweet (vanilla) notes, with treacle and caramel lingering underneath. Quite a viscous mouthfeel where I was expecting a rather dry experience based on the age here. The balance is, just as with the 25 yo,  simply brilliant.

Finish

Wood polish – oily and it lingers and lingers and lingers.

Final thoughts

 Two ‘next level’ whisky experiences indeed. Absolutely wonderful. After 3.5 decades in a sherry cask, the Sansibar could easily have turned into a monstrosity, but it’s well in check and delivers absolutely everything you could possibly hope for from a whisky that’s been matured for this long in a (presumably oloroso) sherry cask. The wood doesn’t necessarily make the whisky, but when done right: magic happens! That said, I might still be inclined to give it to the 25 year old, if only by the thinnest of margins. Rather than impacting a whole lot of flavour, I feel the cask (1st or 2nd  fill bourbon, I’d wager) has done an outstanding job, rounding off every possible rough or dirty edge, marrying everything together absolutely wonderfully. Marvelous whisky indeed!

It's going to be hard to top these two in next week’s post, but that won’t stop me from trying!