Whisky Review: Bunnahabhain 2008 Post-Octave

• Category: Islay single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Bunnahabhain distillery
• Bottling: Duncan Taylor, The Octave, IB
• ABV: 52.8%
• Cost: ?

What they say

For many years, Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Ltd. has experimented in the use of differing cask sizes for the maturation of Single Malt and Single Grain Scotch whiskies. The research stemmed from a simple premise that there is more interaction between the wood and the spirit over a shorter period of time in a small cask than in a large cask, therefore allowing a more rapid “melding” of wood, air and alcohol.

What I say

Thanks to Duncan Taylor for the sample.

Distilled at Bunnahabhain in 2008 matured in an ex-bourbon cask and transferred to a sherry octave cask for an indeterminate finishing period.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Bright Copper (8/20), numerous but very slow medium tears, long fine legs
• Nose: Dried fruits, fig, raisin, date and toffee great you first, unctuous aroma’s almost slightly cloying cling to the nose and back of your throat, dry tanned leather, butterscotch some integrated baking spices, banana and gingerbread or malt loaf covered in butter.
• Taste: Date-filled sticky toffee pudding smothered in butterscotch and salted caramel sauce, dried fig jam, molasses, drying tannic leather, sour liqourice root
• Finish: Long, creamy but well-spiced now, toffee and charred wood.

Overall

A massive improvement again on the original cask, some of the spices still carry through but appear mostly on the finish here.

Score 83/100

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