Whisky : Bunnahabhain Mòine 8 Year Bordeaux Finish Fèis Ìle 2021

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 59.6%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon, Bordeaux Wine

Age : 8 Years (Distilled 10 Oct. 2013)

Nose :  Meaty, smokey, and maritime.  Seafood barbecue by the shore; grill smoke, sea shells, meaty fish, and roasted pork.  There was a sweet edge with notes of sticky dried berries, chocolate, and an herbal sweetness of burning pine or dried pinecones.  Salty ocean air, calcium minerality, and wood smoke like a bonfire by a coastal log cabin.

Palate :  Medium to thick and oily with notes of smoke, meat, and caramelized sugars.  Smoke billowed off a charcoal grill pit with meaty notes of roasted pork and Chinese duck— sweet caramelized skin with licorice notes of anise, black pepper, and slightly medicinal herbal spice.  Mild maritime salt and fruit with jujube red dates, wolf-berries, and cacao nibs.  Malty chocolate and cinnamon babka emerged with a few drops of water.

Finish :  Long and lingering charred fruits and charcoal.

Score : 8

Mental Image : Cascadia Shoreside Bonfires

Notes :  The final of three drams from the 2021 Fèis at Home tasting pack that Bunnahabhain put together.  This was absolutely superb and a great finish for our Fèis at Home tasting.  I was not surprised at all when the wife held this one up and said “smells good” with a wiry smile.  I had a feeling this would be right up her alley and I was really happy with how it turned out.

This dram had an excellent balance between a meaty maritime peat and the fruity chocolate influence of the Bordeaux wine casks.  The nose on this promised a barbecue and the flavor profile absolutely delivered.  I thought it was fascinating how a few drops of water curved this around toward pastry notes and the sweet delicious impression of a cinnamon or chocolate babka.  The chocolate notes of the wine cask really began to come through after water was added.

Overall, this was the meaty maritime barbecue I hoped it would be and it was better than I expected.  I thought this was easily a couple notches above the 2020 amontillado finished mòine released for Fèis Ile last year, while they both had amazing maritime barbecue aromas, this one was less intensely sweet on the palate and felt more balanced.

Image Credit : Bunnahabhain