“Bunnahabhain & Friends” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 15 June 2022. Whisky #5 Nose: A deep, sweet fortified wine aroma, raisins, plums, blackberries, dark cherries, figs, toffee and a note of machine oil in the background. With water and a rest in the glass a softer syrupy fragrance appears. Palate: A sweet but dry arrival with stewed dark fruit almost overshadowed by intense cask tannin and astringently oily walnut skins. Morello cherries (but in a sweet syrup) and more dark fruits appear as it develops, with leather and tobacco notes gradually building. The texture is chewy, full-bodied and has a slightly mouth-puckering dryness with a touch of salt. A dash of water softens and sweetens the palate. Finish: Medium. The dark fruits and toffee from the palate fade gradually into a dry aftertaste with cocoa, walnut and spice. Port cask finishes are seldom ordinary, typically they are either wonderful or a disaster. Thankfully, this is one of the better examples. The majority of this whisky’s maturation was in sherry casks which provided a solid foundation for the more demonstrative finish. Most of the sherry wood was probably ex-oloroso but I could easily believe there was also some fino casking involved. A very good, full-bodied and interesting whisky but not one of the easiest to appreciate. I would not recommend this to novices as the leafy tannic dryness could be off-putting, but I think most experienced enthusiasts would find it interesting at the very least. I thought it was the second best Bunnahabhain expression we tasted on the night, after the excellent 18 year old. As an aside, making fun of the names used by Bunnahabhain for their expressions has become a cliché, but I have to admit this is one of the most difficult they have used. On their site they recommend saying it as "oon-ouch" but that does not convey the subtle intonation of the Gaelic. Our attempts at pronunciation must sound hilarious to them! “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)