Bunnahabhain 25yo 1964/1990 (46%, The Master of Malt Limited Edition, c#4852-6, 500b, b#121, 15039309): nose: immediately, creamy fruit jump out of the glass, with peaches (white and, er... regular), nectarines and plums, but also citrus (kumquat, satsuma, calamansi) and more tropical ones -- persimmon and carambola leading the way. A copious dose of white pepper suggests that the 46% will be more than enough... It soon calms down and allow leafier scents to bubble up -- cut grass, laurel leaves, ivy, apple mint, maybe even fir trees. Nougat, pine paste (remotely akin to Gocce Pino, though much more subdued), pine cones, perhaps honeydew melon (the green one). The carambola becomes the dominant aroma, in the long run, supported by hints of an old-school wood glue I have not smelled in decades. Odd! Mouth: the freshness and bitterness of leaves (ivy leaves, green-tea leaves, laurel leaves and apple mint again) for a second, quickly joined by creamy fruit -- oh! it is creamy in texture alright. Next to mint lozenges, this one offers calamansi, white peach and carambola, much to my delight. Mint-laced custard cream, green hazel branches, splintered from the tree, apple mint, Suc des Vosges (which suggests more pine tones) and white-peach juice. The strength is ideal, tickling the gums without taking the attention away from the flavours. Finish: the finish sees a similar freshness, with more mint lozenges, the same white peach-calamansi-carambola combination that made the mouth such a winner, and a more-pronounced sweetness than on the palate (caster sugar). A faint bitter note remains, a strange mix of flowering currant and laurel leaves. It keeps it entertaining, rather than being a nuisance. Splendid dram! 9/10
Bunnahabhain 27yo 1978/2006 (55.6%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Sherry Butt, C#2542, 509b, b#84, 6/0098): nose: this one is very woody and earthy from the off, with dried earth, roasted aniseed and toasted liquorice root, old cardboard, parchment and old scrolls. Rusk, Krisprolls, then a wave of toasted cereals comes crashing in. Treacle, cappuccino, mocha chocolate, dry clay floors, dusty casks, years after they have been emptied. Later on, prunes seem to appear alongside dried dates. The longer this spends in the glass, the earthier it becomes, with rich soil stealing the spotlight from the dry, crusty earth. Mouth: lots of prunes, here, soaked in cold coffee, dried dates again, a dollop of melted mocha chocolate, hot soil. Of the old wood from the nose, not much sticks out. It might have a gentle metallic note, on the other hand. Treacle, grated liquorice root... That last one brings a bitterness that I called rubber, the first time I tried this; it is more subdued, today. The obvious profile is a toasted one (toasted bread, burnt cake, liquorice and coffee grounds) with some chocolate and a pinch of earth. Finish: powerful in a tranquil-force sort of way, it comes in successive waves, starting with liquorice, then coffee grounds, then dark chocolate, then bone-dry prunes, then chocolate again, then rich soil, then dark chocolate, at which point, it seems to settle. The softly-bitter note of liquorice stays present, a reminder of the second wave, basking in a river of (bitter) dark chocolate. Now, this is by no means too bitter. It certainly has some bitterness to it, though. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)
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