Bunnahabhain 2001 10 Year Old Sherry Butt #1768 Signatory Cask Strength Collection

Bn1 Elements of Islay

This is the first Bunnahabhain in the Elements of Islay series. It’s a peated version from an otherwise unpeated Islay distillery. Nose: peated, no doubt. Rather deep smoke with a hint of rubber. Very sweet too: big notes of honey and quite some vanilla, which make this a nicely warm and rounded nose. Sweet apples. Citrus candy. Almonds. Soft...

Score 85/100

Bunnahabhain 1988 24 Year Old Cask #4111 Berry Bros

Bunnahabhain is probably my favourite 'non-smoky' distillery. This whisky is matured entirely in sherry casks for 24 years and it definitely shows in its colour. The nose is of burnt sugar with ripe red fruits and cooked berries. Raisins, Sultanas, even fig are apparent. Hint of blackcurrant and do I even detect liquorice? Very very slightly...

Score 93/100

Bunnahabhain Darach Ur Batch 1

This Bunna, for the travel retail segment, matured on new American oak. It is surprisingly dark. That new American oak offers quite some sweetness on the nose, in the guise of vanilla, baked apples, overripe banana and farmer’s butter. Sweeter than expected, I must say. There is also quite a bit of ginger and hints of oak – all of it within...

Score 81/100

Bunnahabhain Toiteach

Toiteach means ‘smoky’ in Gaelic and was launched in 2008. It is a blend of younger, peated and some older, unpeated whisky. The nose is very milky and ‘farmy’ to begin with: cereal and porridge are the dominant flavours, until peat smoke starts to emerge. After a while there is a whiff of apples, really faint. Very clean and a bit simple. The...

Score 81/100