Bunnahabhain 25 Year

So I’ve had two cask strength Bunnahabhains aged 27 and 30 years before this one. Those were something epic and made my brother and me start to think this is the best whiskey on Islay. The 27 year Boutique-y bottle even laid waste to my cask strength single barrel Ardbeg 15. So came into this 25 from the distillery with high hopes. The nose on this is golden raisins, white peach, some earthy notes, oak, cinnamon and layers of caramel. The taste has a high viscosity with candied orange, apricot, golden raisin, light oak spices, caramel and a finish that lingers for a few minutes with the same notes as the taste. This is a very good whiskey but I don’t think it deserves the high price point. I was able to find the independent bottles that are older and far more complex than this for half as much. Glad I was able to get a small taster.

test

Lovely complex rounded nose. Full body, bold whisky. Very rich aftertaste. Great stuff but plenty of equally good whiskies at a lower price.

Rich, almost creamy taste. Slight pepper on the tongue.

Tried a couple pours at a dinner celebration at one of our partner’s home. This was pretty good. But for a 25Yr old Islay, averaging $600 - $800+, it didn’t quite hit the mark IMHO. It seems the age mellowed out much of the character. EVERY gustatory and olfactory sensation for this dram (smoke, peat, malt, fruits and other flavors), was extremely subtle. If there was ever a scenario where the typically positive refinement that comes with age was ambiguous, this would be it! I just remember thinking as I was savoring my pour, “is this it?” To be clear, my overall score heavily indexes on the vfm here. If this was a $150 - $200 bottle, this would prolly be a solid 4+. Nonetheless, it was somewhat too “smooth/delicate” to a point of diminishing returns. 3.75 - 4 ⭐️ Since I suspect some folks here will cry blasphemy, I’ll plan on coming back with more detailed notes and possibly a revised a score if I obtain a sample or somehow come in possession of a bottle.