Whisky: Bunnahabhain 16 Year (2001), Elements of Islay Bn7

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 55.7%

Cask: Oloroso Sherry

Age: 16 years (Distilled 2001, Bottled 2018)

Nose: Rich with brown sugar, treacle dates, stewed fruits, leather, baking spices, hints of hay, coffee, and salt.

Palate: Medium-bodied, stewed fruits, cinnamon, dates, orange oil, herbal tea, leather, wispy smoke/char, sweet licorice and coffee at the end.

Finish: Long and lingering with dates, leather, and a kiss of salt.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Barn-Themed Steakhouse

Narrative & Notes: A classic sherry nose with loads of brown sugar and dates, stewed fruits over caramel ice cream, and leather padded chairs. Fine dining and desserts slowly moved outdoors as fresh ground nutmeg and cinnamon melded with a kiss of salt, treacle, coffee, and hay bales. The profile was equally as sherry driven with loads of dried fruits, baking spices, and leather slowly unfolding. A lovely shot of orange ran through notes of stewed fruits, cinnamon, dates, and herbal tea. Leather was everywhere and lingered through the finish with wispy smoke, sweet licorice (almost but not quite sambuca), and coffee. The finish was quite long with date pastries, leather, and a kiss of salt.

Though this malt was incredibly sherry driven, there was enough distillery character to it that I quite enjoyed the experience. It never felt too heavy or overdone, as the palate was almost juicy with fruit and spice. This Bunnahabhain was certainly a sherry bomb in cask intensity, but it was not quite big dumb sherry as there was more to it than just the cask influence. While not my favorite style, I thought this was a great example of when things come together right.

Image Credit: Islay.com