Whisky: Bunnahabhain 15 Year (2003), Abbeyhill Distilling Co.

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 57%

Cask: Sherry Butt

Age: 15 Year (Distilled 2003, Bottled 2018)

Nose: Dried fruits, gingerbread, candle wax, baking spice, leather, a hint of salt, dried grass, and cocoa powder.

Palate: Medium-bodied and well-balanced, dried fruit, cinnamon, and leather upfront, tingling citrus at the end, and hints of chocolate and holiday spice throughout.

Finish: Medium-length dried fruits with a soft astringency.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Christmas by Candlelight

Narrative & Notes: Very sherry with loads of Christmas nostalgia for pre-midnight mass desserts and the tentative warmth of burning candles on a cold evening. Figs and dates came to mind between waves of dry baking spice— cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamon— while chocolate lingered in the background and became stronger after a few drops of water. The palate was full-on Christmas with ample dried fruit and dense cake atop a river of spiced molasses and chocolate which ran throughout. Classic sherry notes of stewed plums and figs with cinnamon, star anise, and leather. The finish was medium-length with a soft astringency and dried fruits.

Well-balanced— while this malt was very sherry forward, it felt less cudgeled into submission than it did tucked into a warm blanket of sherried fruits and spice. Hints of classic Bunnahabhain salt and grass peeked in from time to time during the otherwise festively holiday-flavored malt. An ideal pour on a cold winter’s evening— sure to put some warmth back into your face.

Overall, a lovely well-sherried Bunnahabhain, sure to please fans who wish they could have their Bunnahabhain with the sherry turned up on high. I reviewed a sample of this whisky provided to me by a buddy with a whisky bar back in Japan. The sherry butt must have been a first fill considering its dominant role in the flavor profile; I prefer refill casks so that more of the malt shines through— but I am sure sherry lovers will not mind one bit.

Image Credit: Whiskybase