So far peated Bunnahabhain has been mostly a hit for me. Never a miss, but the weakest have just been a less strong hit. How does the “Smoky Mist” tickle me?
Bunnahabhain Ceòbanach, Islay Single Malt, 46.3% ABV
Minutia: Matured in ex-Bourbon casks, while this has no age statement, the website says it matured for more than 10 years. Whether that’s a parcel of casks in a batch or all of them is unclear. I suspect it is all of them, but batch to batch would be different if given an age statement so they went NAS with it. Reviewed blind, neat in a glencairn.
Color: Old gold amber, 0.6.5.
Nose: Medicinal smoke, brine, white wine tries to peek through. Awesome must after a short while in the glass. That bumps the nose up an entire tier.
Taste: Salty, oaky, dusty.
Finish: Bright, big smoke, herbal/vegetal.
Guess: The color suggests some youth but not extreme youth, potency of the nose suggests a high ABV. With both of those, plus some similar characteristics, I’m guessing Octomore, possibly even an X.2, though I don’t think I have any of those in the pool.
It’s pretty high praise to get confused with an Octomore. It wasn’t based just on color and that sharp ethanol presence on the nose without giving it time to evaporate. It genuinely has the musty, meaty/almost-meaty notes I associate with Octomore, and the smoke was similar. The taste was a bit simple and that held this back from being a fantastic dram, but the taste is bookended by a really nice smoky quality. Not to say I didn’t enjoy it – I very much did – but the taste is the difference that keeps me from seeking out a bottle. If I came across one I might pick it up for a good price, but that seems unlikely.
Score: 86
Musical Evocation: Ghost – “Square Hammer”
Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:
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