The Nectar of The Daily Drams Bunnahabhain 2008 12 Years Old

Style: Sherried, Herbal and Malty

Rating: ☆+ [Recommended]

Nose:

Immensely herbal, sherried and malty on the nose. The coolest wind of spearmint and green chilli sweeping across at high skies. Candied and maraschino cherries overlapping with cream honey and licorice, which is then reinforced by some sweet, hearty cereal and malt. Digging deeper there are dry spices and earthy taros, a trait which some of the Laddies and Bunnies tend to have. Is this an unpeated Islay thing? Whispers of orange peel oil, grape gummies at the back end.

Palate:

Sherry and malt taking full control now, whereas the herbal side steps back and powers the expression. Glazed hawthorns, red cherries and strawberry jam, figs with just a touch of summer blueberries to make it sweet and pleasantly balanced. Orange citrus elaborates slightly further and some lemonade and limoncello are along the way. The honeyed malt, as charming as ever, has taken some grassy and steamed taro brushes making the lingering tone fresh and earthy.

Finish:

The earthy tang continues to stay, while there are more cereal and cornflakes lightly dipped in strawberry yoghurt and milk. Quite delicious.

Thoughts:

Imagine if there is a fantasy distillery expression of Old Pulteney 12 cask strength, this is going to be it - Lip-smacking juice showcasing a reasonably complex unpeated distillate with ultra-high quality sherry. Maybe this cask was initially intended to be the sherry component for Bunna 18 in the future, but this cask is too good to be just a vat. Delicious and entertaining, a must for Bunnahabhain fans if you ask me.

[59.1%| Independent Bottling | 2008 Distilled| 2020 Bottled | Single Cask | Cask Strength | *+]

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