Bunnahabhain 27 Year Old 1988 A.D. Rattray

This Bunnahabhain is a brand new bottling from A.D. Rattray, bottled on 5 May of this year. I encountered it at the Whiskyfestival for Independent Bottlers in Belgium and of May 2015. It was a sherry butt that hosted the Bunna spirit from 1988 for 27 long years. It was bottled at cask strength and as usual from this bottler at natural color.

Oh, my, what a wonderfully sweet nose this Bunna has! Maraschino cherries, toffee apples, rum raisins, chewing tobacco. Forrest berries, blue grapes and a handful of nuts. Hint of shoe polish – sounds terrible, smells great. Some leather and loads of spices. Think nutmeg, aniseed and vanilla. The peat it all the way in the background, overpowered by the sweetness of the sherry cask. Wonderful!

The arrival is powerful, spicy and sweet. Mouth coating and almost creamy. Wonderful balance between sweet and salt on the palate. The spices on duty are nutmeg, ginger, aniseed and liquorice. Midplate it turns mildly drying, but it remains fruit more than enough to be simply marvelous. Think plums, cherries, oranges and blueberries. This is pure enjoyment.

The long finish leaves your mouth completely dry. It is warm and drying.

Well-aged Bunna, matured on an active sherry cask: always a pleasure.

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