Bunnahabhain G&M Collection 2005

Found this Independent bottling in a real store with humans, I read some good things about it and it was very affordable. 9 yo peated and uncolored Bunnahabhain for just €34,- seemed like a good deal so I took it to enhance the after dinner holiday experience.

Nose: without water it remains a little closed with roasted nuts, vanilla, bitter oak, dried fruit and some smoke in the background. With a few drops all the fruit appears, apricot, winegums, apple pie and white flowers. But also more soft heathery smoke.

Palate: very soft and slow arrival with some not too sweet creamy barley, coal, much more smoke on the palate, bitter wood, tobacco, coffee, dark chocolate and more vanilla. With water the focus moves much more to the creamy fruity notes. Kind of two faced this one.

Finish: a gentle glow leaving the tobacco, earthy/planty notes, ashes, roasted coffee and some of the nutty cream. The peat shows up a little later and carries the other flavors on its back for a while.

Even though the arrival is really soft, the balanced flavors coming later make the wait worthwile. Its not too sweet and not too dry. A very dangerously easydrinking one, the bottle didn't last very long in the holidays cause everybody loved it. There is peat and smoke, but not too much so the other flavors get most of the room. Dont put it next to a Toiteach, this is not so powerful and ballsy, but a nice way to get an idea of peated Bunnahabhain nevertheless.

Find where to buy Bunnahabhain whisky