Bunnahabhain 12 Year (Second Take)

 

According to my records, I last reviewed this hallmark Islay dram a long, long seven years ago. And after recently sampling a wild, bold, brave 6 year Bunnahabhain from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, I became curious about their main, core spirit. 

What IS Bunnahabhain? Is it the richly savory Toiteach A Dha? The soft, sweet, chocolatey Stiuireadair? One of the wild independent bottlings I've had? Perhaps the true Islay chameleon isn't Caol Ila, as everyone always says, but Bunnahabhain - a high quality spirit that plays well in every environment. 

Still, I think it's fair to say this 12 year expression is the backbone of their main distillery bottlings, and so it's overdue for a re-look. 12 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, presented at a nice 46.3% with both natural coloring and no chill filtration. Bravo, Bunna! Let's see what we find:

Nose: An enormous fruit bouquet, and clearly sherried. The note reminds me of other sherry-rich 12 year olds like Macallan or Aberlour or GlenDronach. Raisins, oranges, plums, dark cherries (stone fruit generally), dried red fruit (hints of strawberries), some faint vanilla, and a light coating of smoke over everything. Quite rich indeed. Much more sherry than bourbon. Still, a bit less nuanced and less balanced than I remember from 2014. The last two or three glasses have some sulfur notes in them. 

Mouthfeel: Medium, a bit silky. 

Palate: Follows the nose pretty closely: rich sherry fruit, bitter orange, chocolate and caramel (delicious), smoke, salt, a nuttiness like you find in Amontillado, and perhaps dates. Towards the end of the development, a bitter oak shines through, and really takes over.  Same as with the nose - I remember this being a little more complex, a little more balanced, back when I first had it. As with the nose, the last two or three glasses in the bottle have a distinct sulfur note, a la Glenfarclas. 

Finish: Sweet and smoky, dried fruits and tails of smoke wrap around a core of bitter oak. Not very long, but succulent anyway. 

Verdict: This was an interesting second take, because it divided my opinion and caused a bit of confusion. This has some DNA in common with the other core bottlings (Stiuireadair and Toiteach) but almost none in common with the independent bottlings I've had (Clan Denny 10 Year; Scotch Malt Whisky Society, two different 6 years; Old Particular 10 Year). I would conclude from this that Bunnahabhain has a particularly gentle spirit and really takes a lot from the cask. 

Bunna themselves must use very high quality casks chosen to accentuate the fruity nature of the spirit; whereas the independent bottlers take the spirit (often already masked with smoke and peat) and then mature in casks which tend to override the delicate spirit and impart their own characteristics? Possibly? I simply cannot trace a common line from this 12 Year to the brutal, red-wine-dominated SMWS 10.200 "A Storm-Tossed Sea," or even the relatively fruitier Clan Denny and Old Particular bottles. It's like a different distillery altogether. 

All opinions welcome! If anyone has ideas how Bunna can taste so wildly different from bottle to bottle, please drop a comment.