A single cask small batch release from Bunnahabhain via the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), this was released in 2021 for the annual Islay Festival. At a brash 7 years old, this was matured in second-fill Pedro Ximenez hogshead as well as re-charred casks (!). Interesting combination... not to mention it's heavily peated! So unsure quite what to expect.
Bottled at a stiff 59.6%, the official notes are promising:
Sweet, smoked raisins, beech smoked prunes, smoked orange marmalade and chargrilled lobster served in a smoky balsamic sauce – in three words: massive, sweet smoke! However, nothing could prepare us for the taste neat, ‘we were going up in smoke’! Soy roast whole duck with a tangerine-hoisin glaze, salty, briny and ashy but at the same time it was like biting into a toffee apple - crunchy crackly caramel surrounding a juicy ripe apple. With water we dowsed a beach barbeque with sea water, opened a heather ale and had smoky candy floss before we ate a Reuben sandwich with homemade smoky Russian dressing and a spiced rum soaked Jamaican ginger cake accompanied by a ‘Phenol Espresso’.
I am intrigued by "smoky balsamic sauce" as well as "soy roast whole duck" and of course "Phenol espresso." What on earth! I've had a number of independent Bunnahabhains now, and they have almost all been great and also interesting - especially SMWS releases - so this small batch bottling really caught my eye. Let's see how it does:
Nose: The neck pour is exceedingly peaty. Massive smoke: yes. I didn't find the nose quite as sweet as the official notes, but I did delight in a coastal profile of peanut shells, cashews, salt, brine, seaweed, and distinct lobster.
With some water and time in the glass (this is becoming my mantra lately): this opens up quite a bit. From a purely Islay/coastal nose it takes on the sherry and charred notes respectively. Smoke, ripe prunes/plums, hints of citrus, drips of caramel, and more smoke. Some oak notes, some sherry yeast. Iodine emerges boldly. This one really takes water well - it can stand quite a bit of it without losing any flavors, and does get a bit richer/nuanced.
Mouthfeel: Medium silky/oily.
Palate: Very smoky, very peaty, with a secondary flavor of sherry as it develops. Scorched raisins, scorched purple plums, scorched prunes. I DO get the tangerine-hoisin glaze! Unsure about the duck, though. Still - this is supercoastal and full of delightful seafood.
With water and time: this reminds me vaguely of Uigeadail - sherried smoke and peat in spades. I disagree with the "smoky Russian dressing and spiced rum [...] ginger cake" from the official notes, but I understand, sort of, how they got there.
The peat and sherry have a lot of interplay, which sometimes results in a rather savory gingery overtone (although not always). It's sweet (vanilla/caramel), but carefully counterpointed by darker balsamic notes and smoked fruit. I also get fino sherry: nutty, yeasty, a little bit herbal. All of this is ever-balanced with heavy smoke and peat. "Smoky Maritime Hit" indeed.
Finish: Reeks of smoke and lasts forever. Sweet, too - the sherry influence. I get burning ash, juicy raisins, and tons and tons of smoke layers. Nice if you like heavily peated scotches!
Verdict: This is good stuff, but perhaps not great stuff. I enjoy drinking it, and it has a decent amount of flavors to explore and savor, but I get the feeling the char, the sherry, and the peat don't always play nice together. One tends to dominate with every sip. Rarely do they seem integrated: perhaps a pitfall of the young age? Still, if you enjoy sherried peated drams, this is for you. It has smoke for MILES, and a lot of interesting hints of sherry. A worthy counterpoint to the latest bottlings of Ardbeg Uigeadail.
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