Origin: Isle of Islay (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 51.2%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Burn Stewart Distillery plc.
Average price: € 120.00
Official website: bunnahabhain.com
Vote: 83/100
For the Fèis Ìle of 2023, the Islay distillery has made three special bottlings, one NAS and two with declared age: the 17-year-old Mòine Triple Cask (which you will see on these pages), the 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish and this Canasta Cask Matured.
These are not casks filled with playing cards, but rather a type of sherry (the full name is cream sherry canasta) invented by the William & Humbert bodega that consists of a blend of oloroso and PX (75/25 more or less) aged together around six years following the solera method. It is a very popular type of sherry and was in fact the previous content of most casks arriving in Scotland before the 1990s, but there aren’t many bottings openly declaing their use: Bunnahabhain itself made another in 2021 as a distillery exclusive.
Sherried bombshell? Who knows.
Tasting notes
Red fruits dominate the nose, a compote of currants, raspberries, cherries in spirit and sultanas with chunks of ripe plums and orange spread over a strip of leather, all marinated in lemon: sweet and sour but not too much. Nutmeg and cinnamon occupy the spice compartment, while maple syrup, chocolate and a whiff of saltiness emerge over time, leaving a trail of wet leaves in the background. At length, peanut butter. Fascinating.
In the mouth, the sweetness lowers the tones bringing forward the coastal and mineral component, with a good viscosity on the palate, while the red fruits become more acidic with a greater spicy inflection. Hazelnuts, salted cashews, chocolate and a definite vegetable vein complete the picture, not very complex and youthful.
The finish is medium long and dry, saline, of red fruits, vegetable notes, chocolate, spices.
More promising on the nose than it holds on the palate, this is certainly a young and edgy whisky that has not yet found its own way but can be drunk with pleasure.