This being unpeated, and me liking peat and not particularly enjoying Bunnahabhain 12, had me a little concerned. I was determined to give this a proper chance, however, as I thoroughly enjoyed Port Charlotte, and while it can seem a little pretentious, I do like what the distillery is doing in supporting local farms and emphasizing terroir. If coloring and chill filtering can have a minor effect on a whisky, certainly small differences in the malt and such can, too, right? I am nowhere near good enough for the cask breakdown to matter to me (in that I wouldn’t really be able to tell you quite why a different vatting tasted different, not that it’s irrelevant), but it’s super neat they provide you with that information.
Minutia: Enjoyed neat in a glencairn. Batch number 16/047. There is no age statement, but the youngest cask was distilled in 2008 and this was bottled in 2016, so the age statement is ostensibly 7. Cask specifics (since too many to neatly list here) can be found with the batch number on Bruichladdich’s website.
Color: Deep gold.
Nose: I get sweet malt, maybe some wood.
Taste: Malt, a bit spicier than in the nose, apple/pear fruit notes, honey.
Finish: Warm, vanilla, general feel of the finish of a strong wine.
After this one, I’ve come to realize that I believe the prestige of Bunnahabhain influenced me into believing I enjoyed it a bit more than I did. I recognize it’s a solid whisky, objectively speaking, but as far as unpeated whisky goes, this was where I wanted the Bunnahabhain 12 to be, though I didn’t realize it at the time. I’ve not given up on that, and I’m looking forward to seeing how some time in an opened bottle and change in my palate affect my experience of it. I’m in the middle of re-reviewing Caol Ila 12, as the bottle was old and had a bootleg cork for years when I did my initial review, and the Bunnahabhain 12 is the next expression on my list warranting a revisit.
When you can make something like Port Charlotte or Octomore, I wouldn’t bother to make this, personally, but I am glad they do and provide such a wide range of options from one source. I guess I’m impressed that while they produce something this good, they can actually do even better. I’m excited for what’s to come from Bruichladdich, and truly can’t wait to see what Ardnahoe comes out with given that Jim McEwan is involved.
Score: 81
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