Got a lovely bottle of Bunnahabhain 12 yr old for the holidays last year (Thanks, Robin & JT!), and while I’ve been sipping off it here and there, I hadn’t gotten around to reviewing it in full. This seems like a good night for it, as we head into late autumn.
In the glass, it’s a medium amber leaning toward russet. It’s an inviting color, that suggests a good body.
The nose has a medium smokiness, and hint of iodine that’s well below the “medicinal” threshold; rather, it reminds me of a cold day on the Atlantic coast, when the air takes on an astringent, clean quality. The alcohol smell is present, but not at all dominant, and its well tamed by smoke and coastal air scents. There’s an underlying sweetness as well, and some floral notes but suggestive of wet fallen leaves.
The first taste is sharp and I found it really hard to process what I was tasting – the astringency was surprising, and immediately followed up with a sweetness. The aftertaste brought more of that “autumn leaves” impression, and some smokiness… but a way off – like the guy two houses down is burning leaves.
The further I get into this drink, the more pleasant I find it – its crisp and defined on the tongue, but there are no strongly dominant flavors. While I wouldn’t say that it has tobacco flavors as such, I’m finding that I’m thinking of an unfiltered Lucky Strike – that touch of tobacco shake on the tongue just before you light it. The aftertaste sometimes brings up plums but more often a lingering sweetness somewhere near roasted chestnuts and sherry. The aftertaste is really long lasting – I’m on minute 6 – but not cloying or oppressive.
This stuff is just brilliant. It’s a cut above an everyday dram, but not the sort of drink that wants for indefinite hoarding – this is one to share with knowledgeable and appreciative company.
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