Bunnahabhain 1999 Amontillado 21 Year

We had our quarterly online tasting this past Sunday ( we as in @pkingmartinartin @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington and me). This one of @pkingmartinartin’s contributions. Distillery only bottles are hard to get. But seems like Bunna was selling some, and able to ship to the US as well. It’s matured for 21 yrs in amontillado Sherry, which is a bit drier, with taste of roasted nuts and caramel. Unlike Oloroso and PX, it doesn’t impart the same level of sweetness. So, knowing that, I fully expected this to be a bit too dry. Surprisingly, no…rather with some water, it really opened up to reveal taste of aromatic apricots , roasted nuts, and a tinge of smoke. I’m surprised to get a tinge of smoke, considering it’s the unpeated version of Bunna. Either way, it’s an amazing Bunna, well worth the experience , but debatable on the premium price tag. Thanks @pkingmartin for the pour !

When browsing through Bunnahabhain’s website, I discovered this hand filled distillery exclusive that had aged for 21 years in a single ex-Amontillado cask before being bottled at 54.0% ABV. I likely won’t be making it to Islay anytime soon to fill my own bottle, so I decided to take the next best option and bought a bottle to have a distillery experience brought to me. The nose starts with a mix of toasted almond croissant, apricot preserves and light rosemary spice then charred hay bales, seaside rocky minerality, dark chocolate covered raisins and honeysuckle followed by mango, charred pineapple and caramelized peaches that transitions to mild baking spices and polished antique furniture with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium to full mouthfeel starting with creamy tropical fruits before a mild spice that quickly fades to toasted almonds, dehydrated apricots and mild herbs then charred hay bales, seaside rocky minerality, dark chocolate mocha and honeysuckle followed by mango, charred pineapple and caramelized peaches that transitions to mild baking spices and polished antique furniture with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with lemon meringue pie, toasted coconut, hay, seaside rocky minerality, dark chocolate covered raisins, almond paste, light baking spices and freshly lacquered antique furniture. This is a really unique dram that has a captivating nose that starts with rich sweets underscored by lightly soured citrus and herbal notes along with a mix of charred hay bales, seaside rocky minerality, tropical fruits and the well-aged oak that carries over to the taste with the creamy tropical fruits leading before fading to similar notes found on the nose but the fruits leaning slightly more on the sour side than I prefer before a long and lingering finish with a balanced mix of sweet and sour citrus, seaside rocky minerality and well-aged oak. I’m not sure if this justifies its premium price tag and I could likely be swayed either way, but I finally got to try a hand filled distillery exclusive single cask from one of my favorite distilleries and now I’ll just need to work on persuading my family into making the trip one year to fill my own.