Bunnahabhain 8 Year Old Commitment To Malt

This is a release by the Dutch whiskyclub Commitment to Malt, of which my patner in whiskycrime Imanuel is a member. So I had tasted it before, but didn’t write notes then. Time to correct that. This is a young Bunna from a first fill sherry cask. While Bunna is normally known as the softly peated Islay, I find this one pretty smoky. But it is more smoke from the wood than from peat.

The nose is rather waxy and fruity with citrus, blood oranges and sultanas. The bitterness of walnuts, but only a little bit. Some dark brown sugar as well as an artificial sweetness like cassis syrup. Adding water makes the nose meaty and adds a hint of plastic that I do not appreciate.

I get a bit more peat on the palate, but mostly a lot of pepper. The sherry cask now delivers dark fruit like prunes and blackcurrant. Very drinkable without, but I added some water. It softens the pepper and emphasizes the sweet side. Now I really like it.

The finish, even after a few drops of H2O, is medium in length and drying.

A nice Bunna, especially on the palate. But adding water, while imho necessary to appreciate the palate to the fullest, ruins the nose.

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