Whisky : Bunnahabhain 7 Year SMWS “Smoky Maritime Hit”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 59.6%

Cask : 2nd Fill PX, Recharred Hogshead

Age : 7 Year (Distilled Oct. 2013)

Nose : Charcoal, grass, and maritime meat. Acrid smoke from charcoal smothered the senses briefly before the smoke parted and left behind gentler notes of charred wood, leather, musty wet must hay— an herbal and dank impression— with hints of fresh beachside florals, morning glories maybe, and grilled shellfish. Oily maritime notes cleared the sinuses.

Palate : Medium-bodied and oily with notes of coffee, ocean, and cola. Oily fresh roasted coffee beans along with a light smoke and chocolate— a cafe mocha with a dash of chili. Sweet and salty, the dram recalled chili sauce over shellfish, barbecued shrimps, and salty miso and clam soup. Earthy ʻalaea salt came at the end with hints of cola.

Finish : Lingering miso and shio seafood broth.

Score : 8

Mental Image : Seafood Grill in the Hawker Center

Notes :  SMWS is best known for its single cask releases— the model of the independent bottler has been built around the release of single cask scotch from both well-known and rarely seen distilleries. Occasionally they also bottle other spirits: rum, Armagnac, cognac, wheat whisky, single grain, gin, etc. Sometimes they even create scotch whisky blends. This bottle was an example of yet another thing they do— single malts that are not single cask. This seven-year Bunnahabhain was created by vatting together several hogsheads from the distillery.  

Vatting several casks is hardly unusual; most distilleries batch together lots of casks to create their releases which helps smooth out flavors and balance the mouthfeel. Not every cask is ideal for bottling as is, and often they work better when combined. While SMWS does not typically release a lot of small-batch single malts, they have done so a bit more lately. They have also occasionally vatted together many casks from one distillery and then recasked them to age separately for years. Each of these approaches can be used to create a more consistent product, and one which I feel invites a bit less FOMO as you know another release from the set will come around.

I thought this was excellent and easily one of my favorite Bunnahabhain. I thought the dram was a bit hot at first and a bit sweet, but after a few months, the youthful spirit had calmed, and the overall sweetness of the dram felt significantly reduced. I found water helped bring some of the damp grassy notes onto the palate and accentuated some initial smoke. I found time did more to improve the dram than water, though they gave the best results in combination. The bottle, like many young heavy-hitting peated drams, transformed slowly.

Overall, I loved the artwork on this bottle and thoroughly enjoyed it.