We saw a release of Bunna vs. brandy last year – through that was a peated (Moine) expression. For the 2019 Limited Releases we’re now treated to the unpeated variant - matured in refill ex-bourbon casks and then finished in French brandy butts. Bottled at 52.5% ABV and with an RRP of £90 – there’s a worldwide allocation of 2764 bottles.
Nose: Sweet, fruity and dessert-forward. Freshly baked apple pie sprinkled with cinnamon and brown sugar. Creamed rice topped with baked figs and dates. Soft-centred meringue served with chocolate cheese cake. It’s almost a Masterchef final. Dilution further enhances the patisserie aromas with cookie dough, French crepes and warmed breakfast croissants and pastries.
Taste: The arrival has viscidness and mouthcling – ripe green apples, apricot in syrupy and hints of mango. There’s plenty of reduced sugars here – icing, caster and brown – all intermingled. The development once again feels rather Greggs – baked loaves, buns and pastries, before being enriched with ground nutmeg and milky coffee. The addition of water brings out some ginger ale as well as adding tinned peaches. Pleasingly, it maintains the weighted texture.
Finish: Medium in length and cask-centric – cinnamon, nutmeg and earthy cereals.
The cask finish has added layers of pronounced pastry and well-judged spicing on top of the naturally sweet Bunnahabhain spirit. The result is a very enjoyable combination that is as fresh and fruity as it is as sweetly opulent. Brandy + Bunnahabhain is clearly a ‘thing’.