I went to Islay with a local whisky club, and we basically rented a bus and had a chauffeur drive us around the island for a few days. We had planned a Bunnahabhain visit, but for ferry schedule reasons we had to skip it. I was of course upset by this but managed to convince the stern but fair tour guide to let me hijack the bus (with the driver) and make a run for Bunnahabhain while the rest of the group had a beer after coming back from Jura, before heading over to Caol Ila. Said and done, I made a run for the bus just after crossing The Sound of Jura and left before the others could notice. When the winding roads to Bunnahabhain finally came to an end, I literally ran to the gift shop and grabbed whatever distillery exclusives I could find, paid for them, shot a longing glance at the distillery and warehouses, ran to the bus and made it back in time. I tipped the driver afterwards, of course.

1.7 (Burnt umber)

Nose

First up is a deeply oaky aroma. A little sherry fruitiness, but it stays in the background. Nose is light and it take some time for the strength to show.

Palate

Spritzy mouthfeel right off the bat. Big and fresh. Fruity and sweet at first, but then it takes a sharp turn towards red wine and a sulphury taste (rubber, matches).

Finish

Dry, hot sand, tea and like licking a newly planed piece of wood. Did I mention dry? It's dry.

Quite a ride. A whisky with a statement and a challenge. Fun for sure, but I think the dry sulphury overload at the end kind of ruined it a little bit bit, to be honest. Even with the deep and awesome oakiness that usually is found in really well-aged whiskies, this wasn't a great hit for me.

Score

70 / 100
0-50 Subpar 51-60 Drinkable 61-70 Decent 71-80 Good 81-90 Great 91-100 Fantastic

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