Jose-Massu-Espinel
Bunnahabhain Cruach Mhòna
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
January 1, 2021 (edited July 23, 2022)
Bunnahabhain, that one Islay distillery with the hardest name, the unpronunceable expressions, and the most different tasting notes of them all. Having said that, i mostly like their whiskies, they give me interesting experiences, and it even have one expression (Moine) that made into my top 10 affordable whiskies of 2020. But this Cruach Mhòna, is not one of those great whiskies.
"Cruach Mhóna" is not a martial art if you were wondering it, it is the gaelic term for a "drying pile of peat bricks", which of course mean this one is a peated expression of "Bunna" which is mostly famous for their unpeated range.
Bottled at 50%abv, tawny color.
On the nose, it is acceptable. Starts pretty grapy, to then develop a earthy peatiness, with hints of vanilla/chocolate. Nice perfumed peat, lavender; there is some citric aroma growing here. Hay, heather. After a first sip, it revealed more vanilla and sand.
Palate is very unbalanced. Starts peaty right away, which i believe was nice, but then a salt bomb appeared. A little meaty, SUPER SALTY. A couple more sips revealed a dim vanilla note, but mostly a overload of salt.
Aftertaste was a little better, but still very dissapointing and a little off-putting. Peat, hay, slight vanilla. A sparkling peppery note that felt like crazy dips popping. Then... SALT. It is like eating a spoon full of salt, like you are having an overly salted piece of meat. Not good.
Overall, i wish i could have avoided this, and the nose saves it a little. I even wanted to stop drinking it before i finished the glass. Felt extremely salty, i don't know if someone likes this, but maybe there is. Im not a fan, my score for it is a very generous 63 over 100. Thumbs down.
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@Jose-Massu-Espinel ... and that is exactly what I love about Whisky.
@Jan-Case i love peat, i am a peat craving guy, but i did not find it as peaty, or earthy or smoky as it should be, and it felt overly salty. i have seen a lot of people liked it, i couldn't even finish my glass without a little struggle. whisky is so subjective.
@cascode i dont know why, most people have loved it, but i founded it to be overly salty.
@Milliardo thanks!!
I always enjoy your backstory on these. Thanks!
I tasted this from a commercial sample about 18 months ago and liked it enough to put it on my wishlist, eventually buying a 1 litre bottle for AUD$80 at TRE when we were overseas at the end of 2019. I've not opened my bottle yet, but neither is it being hoarded in the long-term stash. I remember it as being enjoyable but then I quite like that lemon/brine/seaweed maritime profile.
This Bunnahabhain expression was the key for me to heavily peated whisky. I liked it quite a bid but I can see where you are coming from with your observations. It is rough. It is wild. It is quite challenging. That I my eyes gives it character.