Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Review And Tasting Notes
If you like sumptuous, marine, elegant single malts but not too marked by smoke and peat, then the 12-year-old Bunnahabhain is the right choice for you.
Consider that the Bunnahabhain distillery, being one of the most venerable and acclaimed on Islay, began producing peat whiskeys only in 1970, but not for lack of peat or peat non-conformism, but stylistic choice. The distillates of this producer are born first of all from the sea. They are fresh, sharp, very thin, and often refined in barrels used for sherry to round out the minerality of the trait.
There are only two peaty single malts produced by Bunnahabhain, this 12 years old and the Toiteach in Dhà, but peat is always a suggestion, never a brand or a characterizing component. Let’s say that this whiskey has just approached a small fire, just enough to be tinged with haze.
Obviously, the 12-year-old Bunnahabhain is a Single Malt, born from a double distillation in a copper alembic, which first ages in large oak barrels and then finishes rounding off in barrels used for sherry.
In this way, the excellent saline load, the fruit, and the little bit of peat become more nutty, nutty, ripe, caramelized, and turn towards an oxidized, slightly decadent appeal.
That said, if you are approaching the world of peaty whiskeys or if you don’t like very smoky spirits, this is an excellent bottle to start making friends with peat.
The bouquet
Rich, elegant, it opens little by little: first comes a ripe and dense fruit with hints of apricots and plums in alcohol, then it is the salt, the waves of the Scottish sea roar in the wind, and finally, a trickle of smoke sneaks in stealthily to light a small fire. Few and well-dosed spices, dried and candied fruit shot in a glowing kaleidoscope where aromas of chocolate and coffee close in the finish. It is a baroque nose, sometimes exhilarating but always precise and aromatically credible.
The taste
It is full, full-bodied, salty on the palate, but the refinement has smoothed out the tones and coated the whole with sweetness. The structure is impressive. Warmth, spices, and hints of mint pinch the palate, giving rhythm to the tasting. Peat is a thin veil that takes you by the hand to caramel and candied orange finish.
Overall it is a great whiskey, very oloroso. Peat enthusiasts will find it lacking due to its soft smokiness, but it does not want to hit hard. It is not a black swan but a splendid albatross of the sea.
Price
50-54 euros: a fair price for an excellent bottle.
Food Pairings
Considering its caramelized and salty duality, combine it with chocolate in all its forms. It is one of the best spirits for taming extra dark chocolate. But also try it with trifle, chocolate, salmon terrines, brisket and pulled pork, chocolate salami, apple pie, tiramisu, and creme brùlée.
Lately, the label has changed, but the substance is the same.