Bunnahabhain 12 Year

Unique. Nutty and chocolate up front, strong after afterbite.

With a good blend, the master blender has put in a lot of work for you; the vatted malts and grains have been selected to work together and to produce well-meshed flavours, a homogenised bouquet of aromas. A good blend's flavourscape is like a sphere; regardless of the angle of approach, the flavour surface is presented the same. On the opposite side, single malts tend to lean individualistic in character, presenting a more discreet set of flavours; sniffing and sipping over time, the drinker can more easily identify, classify and name individual flavours. Good single malts do this well. Better ones take it up a notch and release new and balanced notes as they breathe out in the glass, or are diluted with water. The top malts can give an impression of unfolding structure, indulge you to a geometrical mind game of flavours. Some malts present their flavourscape vertically, the unfolding taking place one peeled-back layer at a time, with flavours such as "Christmas cake", "tarty apple pie" and "smoked herring" used to describe each layer. Other malts present their flavourscape horizontally, in a series of columns, inviting the drinker to go back and forth, one column at a time. Bunnahabhain 12 is one such "horizontally-orientated" top single malt. There are flavour columns of fruit, spice, herb and nuts, all bound together by a circle of Islay sea salt. On the nose, the Column of Fruit shows up with dried plums, figs, and darkest of raisins. At the top of the column there's a bunch of overripe but still fresh pinot noir grapes. The Spice Column is prominent and stacks up clove and nutmeg, a most enticing spice mix of cumin, thyme and ginger, and a couple of vanilla pods perched right at the top. Right next to it stands the Column of Herbs, not as tall as Spice, but wider, with heather, fennel and Alfalfa hay, recently cut. The Column of Nuts is short and thin but elegantly made; it gives out waxy walnuts, blanched hazelnuts, and cleaned and toasted pumpkin seeds. Bunnahabhain 12 is unchillfiltered and it shows in the mouthfeel with a soft, full and engaging texture. The arrival on the palate is of a sweet intensity, similar to that of a PX sherry, but only for a second; the tongue quickly recovers from that initial shock, flattens the sweet, amplifies the bitter and salty, until a balance is reached midway through, a warming malty development that includes dark fruit, wood spices, a touch of pepper and tendrils of smoky nothingness - this last is either a semblance of peat, or the mind is playing tricks from knowing this to be an Islay dram. You don't really want the taste to end and are rewarded by a long, luxurious recap of a finish; despite the 46.3% ABV, there's no residual heat, but instead you're passed from one flavour column to the next, visiting the fruits, the spices, the herbs and that nutty aftertaste for as long as you choose, until the next sip. This is easily one of the best 12 year olds out there. Similar to a goodly bar of +70% dark chocolate, a bottle of the Bunna 12 needs always be stocked in the house - just knowing it's available and at arm's reach should be enough to increase dopamine levels. Side note: The distillery is known for its very large onion shaped stills; their large copper surfaces combined with low fill levels help to produce a clean, light and elegant distillate. Bunnahabhain 12 yo is vatted from three different casks: sherry, ex-bourbon first-fill and second-fill. There's a count of a measly 2-3 ppm of peat in it, which, together with Bruichladdich, practically makes them the only two distilleries on Islay to offer unpeated whisky in their core lineup.