Bunnahabhain 43 y.o. The Whisky Agency ‚Sea Life‘ 1968 – 2012, refill sherry butt, 498 btl., 47,0%

Comment: Excellent right from the start! It posesses a hugely fruity nose (this tropical and sour fruitiness I adore – passion fruit, melon, guava, grapefruit, kiwi, etc.) with maritime elements in the background and quite a combo of caramel and vanilla. A cookie-like and rather discrete oakiness is kept at bay by the ever-present fruits and whiffs of coconuts, almonds, late-harvest Riesling, heather honey, marshmallows and spring flowers. A really complex dram yet easy to like. On the palate it has more power and spice than one would expect, somehow not as well integrated as its nose – so let’s add water: yes, that was the key, now the beautiful aroma is translated all the way into the finish. A wonderful oldie, absolutely worth the 225.- Euro.

Score: 90-

Bunnahabhain 21 y.o. Archives 12.1990 – 03.2012, fresh sherry cask #14, 62 btl., 52,3%

Comment: This one is clearly sherried and comes from a good cask. Aside from the salt and parma ham, I am getting notes of morello cherries, plums, raisins and marzipan – yep, Christmas cake-like. Pepper and beef jerky complete the nose. On the palate it is less complex and the raisins and the marzipan take the lead along with wet dark wood planks. Then the dram turns dry towards a sherry- and cherry-laden finish. Water brings out even more raisins (some love that), which dominate the finale. The other aromas are there but more in the background. Very drinkable and suitable as a X-mas dram for sure.

Score: 88

Bunnahabhain 21 y.o. TheWhiskyCask 1990 – 2012, sherry butt, 54,0%

Comment: At first nosing, this darker Bunnie is very similar to the Archive bottling above but it is a bit more closed and dry, spicier (pepper, chili), less fruity overall. Prunes and plums, freshly ground Sicilian coffee, dark chocolate filled with cherry schnaps (Mon Cheri), Vintage Port wine and dark wood are the main elements. In the mouth it is even closer to its sibling from above, but it is more restrained with bigger coffee notes and a drier finish. Water helps a lot here and makes it much more enjoyable and complex. For sherry-heads, though.

Score: 88

Today I am clearing my whisky cabinet from those bottles that are almost history – you know, those bottles with 2-8 cl left in them but that still never seem to get empty although they are quite good. Of course I could refill them in samples … but I really have enough samples to wait, too. So, let’s kill them off, two old and two new ones. No huge tasting notes this time, just comments:

Glenberry 5 y.o., Straight Malt Scotch Whisky ‚de luxe‘, pear-shaped bottle, Premier Scotch Whisky Co., Italian Import by S.E.I.B.A. for Supermercati Pam-Spinea-Venezia, 75cl, 40 Gradi

Comment: Complex! Big wonderful OBF (Old Bottle Flavour), well-balanced between peachy fruit, dusty malt sweetness and peppery spice plus vanilla, toffee and whiffs of smoke from the oak. Later almonds, white chocolate, licorice, sawdust, orange zests and tangerines chime in. How can it be so complex with only five years of age? Good ole‘ times… . It even doesn’t fade away in the finish like other old blends and has traces that remind me of old Macallan and Tomatin 5 y.o. from the 1970ies. This Glenberry, bottled for a supermarket and priced below 10 Euros back then, can keep up with any standard Single Malt of today.

Score: 90-

Balblair 5 y.o. OB Pure Malt, Italian Import by Spirit S.p.A. Genova, 75cl, 40%

Comment: I have seen this in auctions for a very reasonable price and went for it – and never looked back. Well-made whisky that contributed to the world-renowned Ballantine’s blends. It is very flowery and light, again no offnote, but less impressive than the Glenberry. Hay, malt, honey, licorice, ginger, pepper, Marshmallows, apples, peaches and a little white oak can be found. A light ‚quaffer‘ that does no harm.

Score: 84

Glendullan 14 y.o. Murray McDavid for Malts and More, 5.5.1993 – 23.08.2007, Bourbon / Rioja Cask, 493 btl., 46%

Comment: It is rare that we get rather young Glendullan from the Speyside. Our friend Thomas Mansen from Malts and More recommended this one to me and it was enjoyed by most people who have tried it at our stands at fairs. Jim McEwan selected it for Thomas who made it an exclusive Malts and More bottling. Of course, this is modern whisky now, finished in a wine cask – a totally different ball game from what I had before in this tasting session. This is much more on primary notes. The wine is right there with the malt, herbs, blood orange and assorted (Asian) spices leaving a rather dry impression altogether. The nose is not overly complex at first, but after a while it becomes alive with melon, tangerine skin, berries and vanilla pod. On the palate I am getting grapes, raisins and sweet malt with whiffs of spice and smoke, really pleasant as a combo and quite sweet in the finish. Juicy! At 45 Euro, this is not a bad choice. If you mention ‚www.slowdrink.de‘ at your purchase, Thomas might give you a discount on it.

Score: 87

Bunnahabhain 13 y.o. ‚the Octave‘ by Duncan Taylor, 1997 – 2010, Cask No. 383244, 73 btl., 51,2%

Comment: These peated Bunnahabhains from 1997 were always nice, but a bit simple. Now, as they gain greater age, they convince more and more people and show Bunnahabhain’s diversity. This one is a textbook example for that. And it is another bottle from Thomas Mansen. This Bunna with atttitude has rooty peat like a Port Charlotte but counters it with a bigger body to balance the phenolic load more evenly. Ashes and powerful spiciness meet maraschino cherries, lime, latte macchiato, leather, herbs, tar, diesel, kola nut, salt, chalk and traces of Nocino (green walnut liqueur). The palate reveals the three months in a small Sherry cask because of sweet wood-rancio-sulphur-mix that often comes with drams from such Octaves – unusual and more Bunnahabhain now, but you have to like sweet Islay Malts with gunpowder. This is a real alternative to the South Coast whiskies and screams for its use in blind tastings. Priced around 55 Euro. Same deal as with the Glendullan from above: mention us to Thomas for a discount.

Score: 88+

1) Ledaig 1998 for Malts of Scotland, 13 y.o. around 59% – exact dates coming soon (no label exists yet)

A wonderful drinking whisky in the peated genre – only few people wouldn’t put this on Islay in a blind tasting. This expression is significantly older and more mature than the recent Berry Bros. & Rudd releases of Ledaig, but surprisingly also a bit less complex. However, it still is a buy for me at a fair price – but hurry, these are quite limited- This is the second half of a Sherry Butt 800025, 256 btl. released by MoS in 2010.

Score: 88+

2) Maggie Miller’s new Port Ellen for the Scotch Single Malt Circle, 1982, 28 y.o., Cask 2860, 63,6%

This is a classic Port Ellen but nothing expressive or magical to it. Straight and honest bottling here, but not a must-have.

Score: 87

3) Bunnahabhain 1991 SSMC, 18 y.o. Sherry Cask 5447, 312 bottles, 54%

This SSMC bottling is a real stunner and worth more than the PE in my eyes – drink more Bunnahabhain, guys, there are beauties out there. This is wonderfully sherried and perfectly aged. People drank this big sweetie quickly at my stand.

Score: 90

And if you like your Ex-Sherry Bottlings even more complex and ‚old-time‘ get Maggie’s bang for a buck:

4) SSMC Glenlossie 1984, 25 y.o. , Sherry Cask 2534, 60%

L_O_V_E    I_T ! It is as good as  e.g. old Glenfarclas bottlings around the age of 30 and reminds me of classic mature Speyside Whisky from way back…the ones we hunt for at auctions. No offnote here, this is a classic! Don’t miss out on it! A big recommendation and this article’s second-highest score!

Score: 90+

5) Bunnahabhain 1997 – 2010 Octave (Duncan Taylor) for Malts and More, Sherry, 51,2%

This is a peated version that many people liked: big Sherry meets peat and Bunnahabhain’s style adds to the combo. More on primary notes but punchy and well-priced – another ‚easy-to-sip peater‘ like the Ledaig MoS. Mention our name to our friend Thomas Mansen for a little discount on this one.

Score: 87+

6) Glenglassaugh 1978 for Villa Konthor, 32 y.o., 46,2%

This I could try at the Whisky Agency stand, it was bottled for Villa Konthor (which we inaugurated in its basement with a memorable Slowdrink.de-Event!). A well-made Glenglassaugh, but not as magic as others from that time, rather fruit-driven with malty and woody sidekicks. But this is nit-picking: undoubtledly great whisky.

Score: 89+

7) Glen Grant 1972 MoS, 38 y.o., Sherry Hogshead Nr. 8235, 148 btl., 48,2%

Despite a different cask type, it resembles the style of the 1969 Lonach from my tasting (see article about Biberach tasting), which was also 38 y.o. – this one is a bit more fragile and not as strong on the mid-palate, but the complexity is just as great. Mature whisky of a fine distillery.

Score: 90-

8) Laphroaig 1996 – 2010, ‚Rolf’s No. 2‘, 14 y.o., matured in Bourbon Cask, finished in ex-Springbank Sherry Bloodtub, 66 btl., 58%

Last but not least, my favourite find of the day: this Laphroaig has been finished in an Ex-Spingbank Sherry Bloodtub which Rolf had bottled before as his ‚No. 1‘ (89/100). It has all the elements of a powerful Laphroaig plus another dimension given by the Sherry, perfectly integrated and without the blue-cheese that often goes with it in sherried Laphroaigs. Great balance, secondary and tertiary aromas have developed, rendering a wonderful maturity – therefore it is high quality stuff and dangerously drinkable! It somehow is bigger than other Laffis from that time. Mmmmmh. I could convince Rolf to sell me bottle 6/66

Score: 91-