13/01/2025 Bunnahabhain

Bunnahabhain 40yo 1973/2013 (46.2%, Acla da Fans Acla Selection, Refill Butt, 167b): nose: pillow-y and soft yellow flower petals -- tulips, daffodils, irises, buttercups. That suddenly morphs into apricot jam and pineapple paste, which is difficult not to like. It has a fragrant note that promises the acidity of yellow passion fruit too. It is, in fact, very yellow. Deeper nosing unearths a delicate mineral side, more plants growing on limestone than quarry chippings, but still. Could that be a type of dry green grape, then? Maybe. It also has a drop of peppery after-shave lotion. A sappier note then develops, gentle and elegant, that merely adds complexity to this tantalising nose. It does not shout, by the way, and goes even quieter in minutes. It is probably not one to let sit in a glass for hours. The second nose is more acidic and less exotic; we find crisp red apples, wood dust and a sprinkle of ash. Also a toast with warm cherry compote, funnily enough. Mouth: soft, fruity, the palate quickly turns sappy. Oh! it is not dandelion-stem sap, yet it does add a mild bitterness. Chewing injects apricot jam in all that, or apricot compote, to be accurate. That does not fully mask the sap, and I can hear a grinch or two accuse this of being soapy. It really is not, according to tOMoH who is not particularly sensitive to that, though it has aspects that could be interpreted as remotely soapy. tOMoH prefers to point out an oilcloth in a tablecloth form mackled with dried apricot-jam, and upon which sappy cut flowers are waiting to be put in a vase. It is more and more buttery with each swirl in the mouth -- a sappy butter. Just as it did on the nose, the second sip brings crisp red apples, some fresh, some stewed, cherry compote, including a couple of maraschino ones thrown in for the grown-ups. It retains a vaguely-soapy note, more flower-stem sap than shampoo. Unless it is unripe plums. It is slightly bitter, at any rate. Finish: bigger than anticipated, it is a little fruity, a little sappy, and especially buttery and woody. Hard to relate to something that exists, this has a knob of butter that would have the taste of galangal paste, a pinch of ginger powder, and lemongrass yoghurt. It is a bit foreign, but it works very well. Like a yoghurt too, it leaves a creamy feel in the mouth. The second gulp adds a warm milk-chocolate paste that is a tad too bitter for its own good, and dials up the galangal paste. The more one sips this, the more the fruit leaves in favour of woody tones, though it is never plank-y. If it does end up unveiling eucalyptus paste, it never reaches peppermint. This would be an easy 9, were it not for the sappy notes that stop the whole shining more brightly. I am less impressed than the first time. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)