Tastes

I was fortunate to get a couple of ounces of this from a contact that keeps me well stocked with samples of special edition Bunnahabhain, many of which I’ve yet to get to. But I’ve enjoyed all the ones I’ve tried and it’s quickly risen in my rankings from a distillery that I’ve overlooked to one I follow with interest, even if the number of limited releases seems to approach Highland Park levels at times. This was one of two Feis Ile releases this year and, contrary to the Distiller information, spent its entire maturation in oloroso sherry casks. I don’t comment often on the color of my drams but this one is ridiculously dark, and naturally so as far as I can ascertain. The nose is rich with stewed fruits and Christmas fruit cake. I was expecting some harsh alcohol notes given its strength but it’s very approachable and doesn’t numb the nostrils. Not so in the mouth, where the aftershock of the undiluted spirit overwhelms the taste buds. It takes a couple of teaspoons of water to tame it and find the fruity flavors of the nose. They’re yummy, but it’s very cask driven and I didn’t taste much of the peated spirit coming through. It’s on the finish that things get more interesting. It’s dry, like black tea, with a long aftertaste of plums and dark chocolate. And that aftertaste keeps going, morphing into a mouthful of juicy raisins soaked in wine and hanging around for at least an hour after I’d emptied the glass. It’s a five-star finish to a whisky that I’d otherwise rate three stars because the sherry influence has overwhelmed the heart of the Bunna spirit, so I’m splitting the difference and calling it a bottle worth buying if you can find at a sensible price.

And so we reach the eldest of my samples from the Canadian special releases of 2017, and indeed the oldest age statement ever produced north of the border. The Canadian Club 40 is deliciously creamy on the nose, with oodles of vanilla and a hint of buttered toast. The creamy flavors continue on the palate, but it quickly turns spicy from its decades of interaction with the oak and finishes aggressively peppery. It’s pleasant enough but quite simple and I didn’t detect any of the plum or caramel notes referenced in Blair’s Expert Review.

I’ve been sitting on this review for a couple of weeks because I know I’m going to be in a minority on this one. I’m a little picky when it comes to Lagavulin. I like it best when it’s meaty and dirty, like the 2016 12-year-old special release, but they’re not all home runs for me. This one was fine but unspectacular in my book, making it the second Lagavulin Feis Ile release in a row that I’ve rated three stars. The nose is an intriguing mix of burnt rubber - like the aftermath of a getaway car - along with seaweed, shellac and grapefruit. I struggled to make any progress with it neat, but after letting it stand a good while and adding a touch of water I got some flavors of lemon and brisket. My notes peter out after that, perhaps because I was overcome with guilt for not enjoying @PBMichiganWolverine’s rare whisky more, but I’m glad everyone else is enjoying it. It’s good, just not as great as I was hoping.

I haven't tried this, but why would you finish a 45-year-old whisky in port pipes for five years unless you needed to mask the taste of bad wood? I like a good port finish, but surely that's a trick best used on young whisky.

Returning to the Northern Borders collection from 2017 for my second multi-decade-old sample of the night, and what a treat. It’s a perfect realization of the Bourye concept, much smoother and better integrated than the High West staple. Deliciously creamy upfront and peppery on the back-end, it wraps up with a very long finish that leaves an aftertaste like a satisfying bowl of vanilla ice-cream. I could drink this all night. For a whisky that’s spent 35+ years in oak, some of it fresh, the wood influence is remarkably well balanced. It’s by no means a complex dram, but for pure drinking pleasure you can’t ask for much more.

Belatedly drinking the 44-year-old sample from @PBMichiganWolverine referenced below. The nose is a refined combination of marmalade and wax polish. It’s oily in the mouth, with flavors of caramel and warm sponge pudding. Curiously, a brief note of peaches emerges mid-way, totally out of context with everything else that’s going on but delightful none the less. The finish is very long and satisfying.

My impressions from a couple of quick tastes in New York today: the nose is rich and perfumed, in a similar vein to No. 3 if my memory serves me right. On the palate, it's lightly honeyed. The finish is short and a little bitter. Hard to form serious impressions from the small samples that were on offer, but this didn't immediately strike me as being in the same league as No. 2 or even No. 3. Still, I'd try it again if a more leisurely opportunity presented itself. Or maybe I'll just wait 18 years for the new distillery to provide something better at a post-crash price.

Decided to finish off the last 4oz of the bottle. It really is the pinnacle of whisky at this price.