Reverend357
Bunnahabhain 12 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
February 20, 2019 (edited November 30, 2019)
Well, time for a new tasting. Been holding off for a while because I started to react badly to any kind of alcohol for a while (bad heartburn, no fun), but that got better, so I can finally start enjoying whisky again. Didn't even get a drink on my birthday earlier this month.
But, since today is kind of a second birthday (the anniversary of my surgery), and I'm in a great mood (down exactly 170lbs in one year), I decided to grab a classic scotch. And discovered that I don't have many of those left in my samples...mostly Rum these days. But I got the Bunna 12, and man, that was a nice choice.
On the nose it starts very scottish. Honey, salt, a surprising dose of roasted hazelnuts, some buttery biscuits (that I usually associate more with irish stuff, but it is there) and a fruity raisin note. Very nice start.
The taste is a bit weird. Salt and smoky char up front, but the softer notes break through after a bit. Honey, caramel, dried fruits and even a hint of dark chocolate. So far, so good. What I didn't expect was a very strong bitterness. Oak maybe? Almost hoppy...IPA level intense. That almost ruined it for me, not a huge fan of bitter, but the rest of the notes kept in check enough for me to still be able to enjoy it.
Aftertaste is a bittersweet and warming combination that lasts a decent amount of time.
Was a bit torn on how to rate this, what bumped it up to a 4.0 is the price. It's about the price level of a HP12 or Talisker 10 these days, and in that price range, it is actually on the more complex side. And if you like bitter, you might enjoy this one even more.
Now that I have a baseline for Bunna, there are a couple more samples that I want to try. Soon(tm).
39.0
EUR
per
Bottle
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