Bunnahabhain 2004 Mòine Tokaji Cask Finish (Fèis Ìle 2022)

I’m a huge fan of Bunnahabhain and was excited to find that you can get samples of Feis Ile bottles or distillery exclusives through their website and grabbed a sample of this Feis Ile. The nose starts with dehydrated apricots, poached pears and vanilla salted taffy followed a campfire with burning leaves and light diesel fumes then baked plums, fig jam and candied lemon peel that transitions to candied ginger, cloves, leather and mildly bitter black tea with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with dehydrated apricots, poached pears and vanilla wedding cake followed by a moderate bitter spice that slowly fades to fallen leaves, charred hay bales and light tar then nectarines, fresh figs and gooseberries that transitions to candied ginger, cloves, leather and mildly bitter black tea with medium ethanol burn The finish is medium length with golden raisins, dehydrated apricots, charred hay bales, ginger, cloves and mild campfire ash. Overall, this is just shy of excellent that manages to take those leafy, earthy and smoky peat notes and combine them with the Tokaji sweetness to create this sweet and smoky balance that works incredibly well together but suffers from a slight youthful sourness along with moderate bitterness on the palate that throws off that balance of sweet and smoky toward a tannic spice. At the cost of $200+, I don’t think this justifies its premium price outside of bragging rights to have a Feis Ile bottle and it seems like I’m not alone as these are still sitting for sale on their website. Still a very good whisky, but I’d like for them to take that Feis Ile off the bottle and drop that price to $120 for me to be ready to make the purchase.

A gentle nose of pear with a hint of smoke. In the mouth, an initial burst of tinned clementines gives way to peppery peat. Then dark chocolate and moist soil with a long aftertaste of chilli chocolate mixed with peaches. An interesting mix of flavors but I found the overall effect a little disjointed and underwhelming. Still, I could see myself drinking through several pours of this, just in case my initial conclusion was wrong!

Nice peat and sweet combination with lush sweetness and subtle smoke. Nose: Honey, Figs, Sultanas, Salted Caramel, Mackerels, Pears, Walnuts, Oranges, Caramelized White Chocolate Palate: White Chocolate, Sultanas, Pears, Peaches, Pineapple Syrup, Smoke, Mackerels, Almonds Finish: Pears, Figs, Minerals, White Chocolate, Banoffee Pie, Papayas