Whisky : Bunnahabhain 8 Year SMWS 10.180 “Westering Rhone”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 60.5%

Cask : 2nd Fill Red Wine Barrique

Age : 8 Years (Distilled 27 Sept. 2010)

Nose : Fruity and spicy. Kelp, sweet cream, citrusy lemon meringue, baking Granny Smith apples drenched in butter, and graham cracker crust.  Beyond the pies (and kelp) sits cracked black pepper, fresh lumber at Home Depot, and cinnamon bark— or in combination with the graham cracker crust it is almost like cinnamon toast crunch.

Palate : Cinnamon apple sauce, cassia bark, and sweet cream.  Cinnamon and ginger spice dominate the fruity apple notes.  Overtime the a tannic dryness builds across the palate. Lovely earthy complexity— moss, salty stone, churned soil, and saw dust.  Creamy and salty like a béchamel sauce on the finish.

Finish : Lingering red apples and cinnamon candies.

Score : 5

Mental Image : Poached Apples

Something Better : Longmorn 15Y SMWS 7.226 (similar apple/cinnamon, more tropical fruit)

Something Similar : Peat Faerie 3rd ed (similar apple/cream, more vanilla, less tannic)

Notes :  This was okay, but not my cup of tea.  It was overly tannic and opened with a sharpe spicy bite before apple sweetness came to the front.  While there was some nice earthy complexity that came through, it quickly faded once a few drops of water were added to the glass.  Water brought out some creaminess on the palate, but otherwise pushed the flavor profile firmly into cinnamon apple territory.  That may be a boon to some— Balvenie fans in particular might find a lot to love here— but the cinnamon spiced apple profile is one of my least favorites.  Overall this was a fine and simple Bunnahabhain, but ultimately one that felt overly cask driven and without a lot of complexity (at least in a way that I enjoy).  I suspect true fans of the distillery might enjoy this a good bit more— but I am not certain, since it does not really scream ‘Bunna!’ in the flavor notes.