Whisky: Bunnahbahain 10 Year (2010), Cadenhead

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 58.9%

Cask: Bourbon Hogshead

Age: 10 Years (Distilled 2010, Bottled 2021)

Nose: Maritime and herbal with sharp citrus, heather, straw, wildflowers, hints of buttercream, vanilla, and bergamot.

Palate: Medium-bodied, sharp citrus with hints of butter, earthy undercurrent, dried grass and hay, horse blankets, hints of tobacco, more citrus and dried grass at the end.

Finish: Medium-length with citrus and dried grass.

Score: 5-6

Mental Image: Seaside Stables

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was clean and maritime, classically Bunnahabhain with salty sea breezes, dried grass, heather, wildflowers, and hay bales along coastal limestone cliffs. A sharp lemony citrus ran throughout and cut through heavier hints of vanilla, buttercream, and bergamot. The palate was medium-bodied with a sharp citrus and a slightly farmy-earthy undercurrent. Lemon exploded across the palate with its tart sweetness and subtle hints of whipped butter, bergamot, and vanilla. As the citrus receded, dried grass, earth, leather, hay, and horse blankets remained. Hints of tobacco arrived at the end with lingering citrus embers and more dried, slightly farmy hay bales. The finish was medium-length with citrus and dried grass.

Blind, I probably would have thought this was a modern Bruichladdich— not quite the farm bombs of the McEwan era, but a softer version, more like the current farmy funk. I have never had a Bunnahabhain that reminded me so much of a Laddie, but this would have been right at home with the Classic Laddie or the Laddie Ten Year. Yet, for all those potentially Laddie-adjacent notes, the underlying grassy and maritime qualities were classically Bunnahabhain, and this reminded me of the great SMWS bottle name “Burning scarecrows by the Sea.”

Overall, an intriguing Bunnahabhain— though I wondered what this would have been like with a few more years, or even another decade, in the cask. It was a bit rough around the edges and not quite fully formed. It was interesting, but I could not help but think that it could have been even more.

Image Credit: Whisky Auctioneer