Bunnahabhain Palo Cortado 11yr

Revisiting this courtesy of the bottle @PBMichiganWolverine left me after we opened it a few weeks ago. It didn’t stand up to the competition on the night and it’s clear to see why when tasted in isolation: it’s a bit of mishmash. There’s some tasty sweet sherry/spirit integration mid-palate but the nose is quite muted and the finish veers off in a wood spice direction that feels non-sequitur to what precedes it. While I’m no fan of heavily sherried whiskies, this is one instance where I think the spirit would have benefited from longer in the cask.

Just as the Santis 7 yr merlot cask was the surprise hit of the evening yesterday at @Richard-ModernDrinking’s tasting, this was the surprise disappointment, at least for me. I expected so much more, considering how well regarded was Bunna’s Palo Cortado cask. Palo Cortado supposedly is more expensive because it’s the stage in sherry cask maturation which is harder to control and manage. Maybe it was because this was right after the Michter’s 10 yr and a few other potent tastings, but I just felt the nose and palette were weak. It was more like a Pinot Grigio than a whisky. Way too light with barely a hint of lemons and citrus. Slight peat. But really I wasn’t getting anything else. I might have to give this another go, without preceding it with a Michter’s or other assertive whiskeys.