Bunnahabhain 1986 Duncan Taylor Review

“Some Like It Hot”

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Brand: Bunnahabhain 1986 (Duncan Taylor The Octave Series) 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 25 Years

ABV: 54.3 %

Colour: Full Gold (Natural Colour)

Nose: Full and Mature. Quite Sweet and Fruity with Barley Sugar, Pineapple, Melon, Orange, Overripe Banana, Butterkekse, Salted Nuts, Polished Leather, Dried Fruits, Dark Chocolate, Marzipan, Pepper, Cinnamon, light Honey, Fruit Syrup, Oak and a hint of Tobacco. There's a pleasant Old-Fashioned, Rusty Mineral feel to this Bunnahabhain. A light Bitterness towards the end creates a fine balance with the Sweet Fruity notes. Well done! 

Palate: The Oak is much more present now along with the Wood Spices. On the Palate, this Bunnahabhain is Bitter-Sweet and a bit Oily. I find Toasted Barley, Caramel, Dark Chocolate, Brown Sugar, Tobacco, Herbal Tea, Orange, Berries, Red Apple, Pepper, Nutmeg, light Menthol, Polished Wood, Licorice, Cardamom and Dry Earth. The Alcohol is a bit on the "Hot" side.        

Finish: Middle-Long, Woody and Bitter-Sweet with Dried Fruits, Orange, Dark Chocolate, Overripe Bananas, Oak, Brown Sugar, Beeswax, Herbal Tea, Toast and Salted Butter, Pepper, Nutmeg, light Menthol, Cinnamon and Licorice.   

I added a couple of drops of water. The Nose becomes more Fruity but it looses density and complexity. Palate and Finish become quite Woody an Spicy but some Sweet Fruit shines as well. I prefer it neat but you can certainly try out a few drops at a time. 

Rating: 86.5 

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5 

General Remarks: The Single Cask Bunnahabhain 1986 I'm tasting today was distilled in 1986. It matured for 25 years in an Ex-Sherry Cask # 382893 before being finished for six months in an Octave 50 L Cask to get extra intense Wood contact. It was bottled at Cask Strength in 2012 by Indie Bottler Duncan Taylor for the Dutch based Whisky group the Casqueteers in The Octave Series. It is of course Non Chill-Filtered and was sold at around 150 US Dollars but it will be very hard to find, if at all.

Bunnahabhain (Mouth or Foot of the River) Distillery was founded around 1881 and is located close to Port Askaig. Usually, the Distillery dries the Malt with hot air or light Smoke, giving their whisky a more subtle flavour then most of its Peated neighbours on the island.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: If you like fully matured Ex-Sherry Cask whisky you can't go wrong with this Bunnahabhain. The Octave Cask finish further enhanced the Woody Flavours but not to a point where it would become too much. On the Nose I found a wonderful balance between the Oak, Spices and Sweet Fruit. On the Palate and in the Finish the balance swings a little towards the Oak and Spices although the situation never gets out of control. The Alcohol is a bit Hot so naturally you are tempted to add a little Water. In doing so however, the Spirit looses part of its complexity, especially on the Nose. And that's a pity because that's the best part of this Bunnahabhain. So be careful when you add Water. You don't want to drown this Islay Spirit. If you like the Flavour - and Aroma profile of this Bunnahabhain you can safely buy it if you can find it. The price is quite reasonable for a Spirit of this age!

Jan van den Ende                                                              December 10, 2015