I have a hard time coming to terms with pretty bottles.
Don’t get me wrong: Bunnahabhain 27 That Boutique-y Whisky Company – Batch 18 deserves to be in the search for a “great” Bunnahabhain like any other. The nice label on this single cask, 27 year old 500ml bottle doesn’t detract from that.
It does muddle my initial thought on it. You see, I have a bad habit of judging whiskies by their label. I don’t apply this in my daily life with people, so you’ll be happy that I’m not the current leader of the Federal Conservative party or one of multiple ex-US Presidents, but I do have a hard time when it comes to whisky.
Why? Because pretty bottles can stay on a shelf and never be opened. That Boutique-y Whisky Company employs an impressive artist. I like some of their releases. But I almost reach for uglier, less social media ready bottles because I want to drink the whisky inside. I know, crazy me, wanting to drink the potable liquid. What next, breathing oxygen?
But we’re not here to judge art. Not completely. I’ll admit you eat (and drink) with your eyes, so a nice container can increase your interaction with a whisky. Luckily I only obtained a sample, so perhaps we’ll avoid leaving this up on a mantle?
Who am I kidding, I’m a millennial, mantles are for people with housing. Let’s just see how this tastes, shall we?
Price: $400 CAD for a 500ml
Region: Islay
Bottled: 2019
Number of bottles: 135
Abv: 42.6%
Colour: 5Y 9/4
Nose: Oyster, mace/spice perry, peanut, industrial oil
Big salinity here, not to be mixed up with big salinity, the secret cabal of shuckers who run the underground fight clubs. Huge oyster note at the start.
There’s some pear and spice, nuttiness, and an industrial note that I’m glad I don’t smell on a regular basis anymore. Not that I worked in a factory, I was just really hardcore into Dieselpunk.
Taste: Mineral, butterscotch/honey, mint chocolate, nectarine, casia Ouch, the low alcohol from the years is sure doing a number on this one. All of the complex salinity is down to run-of-the-mill salinity (best rapper of their time), and it takes time to pull flavours out.
It’s sweet, a bit floral, there’s some nice notes that pair well. I could see having this in winter, as it has the flavours I associate with winter. Since snow and ice will be a thing of the past soon though, I don’t really know if that’s still a thing. If you’re reading this in the future, there used to be a period of time when it was cold. Outside.
Finish: Ginger, honey, nutmeg, rosemary, rubber
Spice, some honey, some peated notes (maybe this was more peated than normal? Who knows). Nice floral aspect, still herbal.
All of that would be better if those greedy angels didn’t show up with their sixty wings and twenty three eyes and drink from whatever they use as a mouth.
Conclusion: Quite light, though it’s nicely warming and reminds me of a hot toddy. I think the Angel’s did a number on it though. It’s too bad. At one point, I think this could have been released as a simple, inexpensive dram (see another one of those in this series).
As it stands? I’d have a hard time recommending this whisky. It’s just too light. The company needs money as it was sitting around for 27 years, and there’s a lot of work that goes into ensuring it’s still drinkable. But all that said? They should have pulled it a few years ago. Finished it 10 years ago and released it cheaper.
82/100
Scotch review #1590, Islay review #412, Whisky Network review #2316
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