This week’s Twin Cities restaurant report will be posted on Wednesday. For now let’s keep the reviews of sherry-bothered malts from Bunnahabhain going. The series did not get off to the most promising starts yesterday. My first review of the week was of last year’s Feis Ile release, a vatting of ex-bourbon and smaller PX octave casks, and I found it just about drinkable. Today’s review is of the 2021 release of the Bunnahabhain Cask Strength. This is a vatting of oloroso casks. I am hoping it will be at least a little better than the 2022 Feis Ile. Let’s see if that proves true.
Bunnahabhain 12 Cask Strength, 2021 Release (55.1%; oloroso casks; from a bottle split)
Nose: Now, this is very nice: rich, cakey sherry notes with some dried orange peel, some toffee and a touch of apricot mixed in. No sign of oak. On the second sniff there’s caramel and then a meaty quality begins to develop (beef stock). With more time there’s more of the apricot and toffee. Softer still with a few drops of water as some coffee cake with buttercream frosting joins the party.
Palate: Comes in as advertised by the nose but with a bit of an oaky backbone (not tannic). A bit sweeter here. Very approachable at full strength; nice texture. Continues in this vein for a while and then the sweeter notes expand and the oak gets a touch spicy. With more time still the oak gets more assertive and a little bit tannic. Okay, time to add water. A few drops push the oak back and pull out more of the toffee along with some brown sugar.
Finish: Long. The sweeter notes linger, picking up some burnt toast and then some coffee grounds. Gets saltier with time (salted nuts) and then the expanded, spicy oak from the palate lingers here as well. As on the palate with water.
Comments: After Monday’s disappointing Feis Ile release, my expectations for this were on the guarded side. As such they were handily surpassed. This is very good indeed: balanced sherried whisky that comes across older than it is. Okay, I’ll look for the next release of this.
Rating: 88 points