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Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old

Haystack

2 384

@markjedi1Review by @markjedi1

18th Dec 2017

1

Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old
  • Nose
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  • Finish
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  • Overall
    84

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The Bunna 12 is the flagship of this (somewhat decrepit looking) most northerly Islay distillery. It was poured during my visit last September. It is bottled at 46.3% for a few years now, making chill filtration unnecessary. The Bunnahabhain 12 is unpeated. This recent bottling is surprisingly dark.

Some orange juice upholstered with bread dough, honey, apricots and something that reminds me of a haystack. Caramel kicks in, quite big. You can smell the barley. It is light, rather easy, but pleasant at the same time.

The body is surprisingly fatty and immediately the oranges and apricots return, joined by sultanas. Loads of sherry influences. Hazel nuts and almond liqueur kick in. Amaretto on steroids with a pinch of sniffing tobacco.

The finish is fairly long, sweet and brings a smile to your face.

Nice all man’s friend that is dangerously quaffable.

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3 comments

@Hewie
Hewie commented

this is a very approachable malt which is often the poor cousin of Islay. I love it. I'm pleased you spoke of the loads of sherry influence - I find it very influenced where as others barely mention it. Cheers.

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC commented

@Hewie - Well, I found this to be a very sherried malt but not a 'bomb'. I remember it getting much better with time and developing a beautiful jammy fig thing.

I hear this is unpeated but it was more peaty and coastal than I would have expected. Mild but definitely Islay in that sense.

I've cast my eye a few times over their heavier peated ones but they tend to be bourbon matured and I'd want a sherried one - the 12 with higher ppm, basically.

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

@MadSingleMalt
MadSingleMalt commented

@RianC, it seems like official Bunnas are either sherried or peated. Unless I'm totally blanking on something, I've never seen an official sherried peater from them.

There's lots of indie Bunnas though, so maybe there's a sherry-cask peater to be found if you dig around a bit.

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

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