[WHISKY REVIEW #39] An Exclusive Bottle From The Annual Fèis ìle Festival 🥃
We're back on the isle of Islay; this time on the rugged northeastern coast near the picturesque village of Port Askaig, where the Bunnahabhain distillery is located. Bunnahabhain, which means river mouth in Gaelic, was founded in 1881 by William Robertson and brothers William and James Greenless. The rest of its history can be read in my article on the Bunnahabhain Cruach Mhòna.
The bottle we have in front of us today is a rather rare single-cask bottle that can normally only be bought on the private dramming sessions in Warehouse 9 during the Fèis ìle festival. I was lucky to pick it up on eBay a tenner cheaper than it's usually sold for. The beautiful little 20cl bottle that looks like something out of a doctor's bag from the 19th century, was hand filled by Sarah Ferguson (whom I guess is/was the warehouse manager) who also hand signed it. It was put on cask on the 14th of February 2005 and bottled 12 years later on the 27th of February 2017. The cask (no. 332) used for maturation was a Manzanilla Sherry Butt from González Byass, one of Spain's most well-known sherry bodegas. Manzanilla is a type of fino-sherry that is only allowed to come from a tiny area around the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the province of Cádiz in Andalusia. This type of sherry is known for its light, dry and fresh character with a salty flavor and notes that resemble chamomile tea. This is the first time I try a whisky that has been matured on a Manzanilla cask, so it will be interesting to see if any of those flavors are reflected in the whisky.
Bunnahabhain - Warehouse 9 - Hand Filled Exclusive
ABV: 52.4%
Age: 12 years old
Region: Islay
Vintage: 14.02.2005
Cask type: Manzanilla Sherry Butt (Gonzalez Byass)
Cask No: 332
Price: Around ~55 USD / 0.2L
Natural color & non-chill filtered
Appearance: Amber.
Nose: Fudge with raisins, French nougat and brown sugar together with countering medicinal phenols and faint smoke. Really puts a smile on my face this one.
Palate: First a lovely note of salty toffee on the tip of the tongue. Then grilled bananas with brown sugar, popcorn kernels, smoky and sweet strawberries with mint leaves, overripe papaya, english breakfast tea and milk chocolate. After 30 minutes in the glass I pick up notes of dried coconut flakes. No bitterness whatsoever. Super complex stuff.
Finish: Exceptionally long with deep notes of sherry, sultanas, funky white grapes and leather.
Conclusion: A true masterpiece with endless complexity and the best dram of the year so far for me. Despite the abundance of aromas, they never crash and all the components go extremely well together. My only complaint is that they don't make 70cl bottles of this one. A real sipping whisky that demands your time. 98 points out of 100.
Hey! Great review I was on Islay last year and got a small bottle of 1st fill Oloroso :) Amazing! I am not able to write a review but will learn how to do it ;) Nice to see that there are some #whiskylovers on #steemit
Great! Would love to try the oloroso version some day! Did you enjoy it?
Yeah I love Bunna' in general, this one is very sweet. It's 59.9% and you have to be ready for the tasting... Do you want a dram? Can send it to you ;)
If so, I'd love to return the favor! :) Either with this Manzanilla version or some other bottle. I just received this beauty: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/38172/hazelburn-2003-13-year-old-sherry-wood
Nice one, I have Hazelburn but not in Oloroso Cask. I wouldn't say it's something "special"...
Are you on steemit chat?
Yes, I am @steemswede on steemit chat
ok let's manage the dram story ;))) sent a message in chat.
Hey buddy! As you've probably seen, Steemit Chat is down. Anyway, I received the package today! :)
I just poured the Bunnahabhain, and holy cow it's dark and cloudy! A lot of figs on the nose, almost like a barley wine!
Will resend the package tomorrow with some goodies :)
Btw, can you rewrite your address to me on: x
You're making me thirsty.
wowww
great post @steemswede
Great post and narrative! I'm thirsty now!