Whisky : Bunnahabhain 10 Year, Lady of the Glen

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 58.6%

Cask : Oloroso Sherry Hogshead

Age : 10 Year (Distilled 11 Nov. 2010, Bottled 12 Jan. 2021)

Nose : Dried fruit, brown sugar, and rich spice.  Dried plums, raisins, apricots, and dates reflected the heady concentrated sugars while an almost sweet preserved meat note added richness.  Coriander, pepper, cinnamon, star anise, and nutmeg carried the dram toward Christmas cake or gingerbread.  Almost winey at times with dried fruits and leather.

Palate : Thick and tannic with dried fruits, spice, and caramel.  Waves of rich dried fruits— plums, dates, apricots— led into an almond-like nuttiness that brought to mind honey-soaked Moroccan desserts.  Dry, or at least semi-sweet, notes of cinnamon and nutmeg transitioned to thick gooey molasses and Christmas cake.  Sweetness emerged toward the end with caramel fudge brownies.  A bit of water opened up the tannins and brought hints of citrus zest to the smorgasbord of dried fruits.

Finish : Lingering dried fruits and cinnamon spice.

Score : 5

Mental Image : Christmas Cake Surprise

Notes : If the notes sound good and you love a heady sherry bomb, then I have no doubt you will love this more than I did.  This was thick and rich in a way that just does not tickle my fancy.

After nearly a decade in an oloroso cask, this dram was just drenched in heavy wine notes.  The malty profile got a little bit lost as the wine and wood tannins took center stage and did not share the spotlight.  I thought the nine-year Lady of the Glen bottled in 2020 was more balanced between spirit and cask.  I know there was a lot of demand for this bottle— these sherry bombs certainly are quite popular.  

This reminded me a fair bit of the SMWS bottle “Norse Mythology” which had a similar tight profile with tons of dried fruits.  That bottle had an interesting herbal edge to it, which was lightly present on the nose of this one at different points, but otherwise missing on the palate.  Notes of spice and nuts complemented the fruit and a few drops of water helped balance out the mouthfeel, but this was just not my favorite style.