When I first decided to dive into Scotch whisky I knew I would find myself with some Islay malts sooner or later. Now I’ve definitely dove head first and tried Lagavulin and Laphroaig(reviews to come), but I’ve often read Bunnahabhain is a great place to start for novice whisky drinkers wanting a taste of Islay. Picked up this mini from FineDrams online(the local mini options are few and far between). It’s another non chill-filtered whisky and has no coloring added. It is bottled at 46.3% which for an accessible 12y is quite nice. Poured the mini into my copita and rested around ten minutes giving it a few smells here and there. It’s got a lovely straw and golden hue to it. Nose: One of the first things that hit my nose is some brine and salt, not overwhelmingly so but it’s there. There’s a lot of sweetness as well, perhaps some dried fruits. It’s a pleasant nose but definitely one of the more subdued of the whiskies I’ve tried thus far. After sitting a while longer some smoke, just the faintest hint of it comes out as well. Palate: This whisky definitely has more to offer when you take a sip compared to the nose. Lovely dried fruits and a bit of brine mingle with the subtle smoke(more prevalent in the taste than the nose). A bit of spice and oak but overall it’s quite bright, not musty or heavy. Finish: The finish right around the middle on this whisky. It leaves you with some sticky malty sweetness and a touch of smoke that fades away. There’s a bit more oak and spice toward the end as well. Value/Overall Opinion: A fine malt that I would gladly drink again. I have to 100% agree that this is a great foray into a touch of smoke and what Islay has to offer for the uninitiated. This is definitely what I would call a “daily drinkable” type of whisky, not too complex or intimidating but it’s got enough going on that you would always enjoy it. It’s around $65-$70 a bottle in my area and I think at the $50-$60(thats about what HP12 is around here) price point it would be about perfect.