Review: Bunnahabhain 36 Years Old 1978 – Mission Gold

Category: Islay single malt scotch whisky

Origin: Bunnahabhain Distillery

Bottling: Murray McDavid – Mission Gold

ABV: 50%

Cost: £TBA

Score: 92/100

What they say:

Mission Gold

BUNNAHABHAIN 1978 Autumn 2015

By taking an old, naturally rich Bunnahabhain single malt whisky, then finishing it in a Willi Opitz Austrian premium dessert wine cask for the best part of a decade, we have created an enormously complex spirit. This dram bequeaths aromas of fresh cut wood chippings, rum-like molasses and polished walnut, against a very subtle smoky background. In the mouth, the deeply developed flavours of cigar smoke and salty nougat linger on the tongue, finishing with a luxurious dark chocolate and black cherry symphony. A fine example of the art of maturation.

Aged ₃₆ Years

MISSION GOLD

• Region Isle of Islay
• Bottled October 2015
• Wood Bourbon barrel
• Finish Willi Opitz Wine cask
• Cask# 1

LIMITED RELEASE

REF15/131

70cl/50.4%Vol

What I say:

Sampled as part of the #MurrayMcDavid twitter tasting

Colour:

Refractive new copper or brass (10/20), inexorably slow-forming fine tears and fine legs

Nose:

Polished walnut dashboard, molasses, sweet and spiced, rum, fruit & a hefty dash of vanilla essence, gorgeous!

Taste:

Salted caramel, butterscotch and highland toffee, cigar boxes, dark chocolate, Christmas pudding, cinnamon schnapps, spiced rum, black cherry & blackcurrant

Finish:

Long, gently spiced fruit pudding with brandy and chocolate sauce