“Bunnahabhain & Friends” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 15 June 2022. Whisky #6 Nose: Blackcurrant juice, raisin, sultana, sweet grape juice, cashew, caramel, honey, orange, peach, pecan pie, rose-hip syrup and guava. A densely floral and fruity nose. Palate: Huge entry – sweet, soft, enveloping fruits and fortified wine. Things calm down as it moves into the development with spicy honeyed notes and an oily mocha character showing through. The palate remains mellow and blanketing throughout. The texture is rich, creamy and voluptuous and has a hint of wax. Finish: Medium/long. Grape jelly, sweet fruit tart and spice with a little dusty oak. This was an unexpected extra dram slipped into the lineup as the second last tasting of the night. We were given this blind and told only that it was a finished Deanston and they challenged us to guess the age and casking. The consensus was that it was of good age, probably around 20 years, bourbon cask matured with a fortified wine finish. Some folks correctly identified muscat (I said sauternes) and a couple guessed muscat and 28 years old (which seemed unusually accurate … hmm). This is the softest, most full-bodied and easily approachable Deanston I’ve tasted. I’m not overly fond of their whiskies but this is a good one. However, I was surprised to learn it was 28 years old (my guess was 18) and I occasionally had the feeling while tasting that it was almost a caricature of a whisky, the finish being laid on so heavily. I’ve seen this available for $450-550 from various retailers but the average price is around $480. That’s pretty steep, and I would not pay that much, but these days it’s not outrageous for a 28 year old whisky (unfortunately). “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)