Bunnahabhain Ceòbanach

Nose: Bright but subtle peat with a maritime quality - like peat-reek carried on a sea breeze. It's not highly phenolic or medicinal (although there is a little kelpy iodine) but neither is it the woody bonfire smoke of highland peat - it's somewhere in between the two with a light tarry quality and some minerality. There is a mild citrus sweetness in the background but the overall impression is dry, poised and restrained. Over time as it rests in the glass the sweet notes expand to present a mild honey aroma. Palate: A very sweet and lightly smoky arrival with a touch of saline and mild lemon. The smoky character amplifies as it develops and continues to build until it reaches a plateau and then begins to broaden. As it expands some mild vanilla and very soft white pepper is noticeable. It does not gain significant complexity, however, and over time the palate simply dissipates (but in a very pleasant manner). The texture is a little watery but far from anaemic. Finish: Medium. Simply a continuation of the palate as the smoky qualities slowly fade from view. There are no intrusive plastic or metallic notes on the very crisp and lightly sweet/salt finish. This is a simple but well-balanced whisky that it is very agreeable, with a fresh quality to both the nose and palate. It is extremely easy to drink and would be a great session whisky. It would also be an excellent first smoky whisky to pour for a novice as it shows many of the Islay facets but is highly approachable and "friendly". Adding water is neither necessary nor recommended. There is no heat from the 46.3% abv and water merely seems to flatten the nose and dull the palate. It also unbalances the profile by introducing a starchy-cardboard note. Take this one neat. You'd have to be awfully mean to dislike this merely because of its simple profile. It's a good whisky, but not a world-beater, and in my opinion a little over-priced. I tasted it from a 30ml sampler and although I enjoyed it I'm not enthusiastic enough to seek out a bottle. The official score here of 90 seems a tad generous. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

So, I’m finally finished plowing through our third round of distillery samples in the tour group. This Bunnahabhain was provided by our newest member, Telex. I didn’t have too many expectations here because this NAS is on the cheaper side, but boy-oh-boy was I mistaken. This one was quite possibly one of the most refreshing whisky experiences I’ve had in awhile. The Ceobanach, don’t ask me how to pronounce it, is a pale yellow in the tasting glass and comes in at a slightly elevated 46.3% ABV. My experience with Bunna is quite limited- I’ve only had the 12 year to this point, but that was a nice dram and this one is a winner as well. The nose is a wonderful blast of seafaring notes: seaweed, salt, brine with a nice citrusy overlay. It smells like what I imagine an old sailing vessel would smell like. The peat adds an extra dimension and some smoke comes and goes like the waves of the ocean. While I wouldn’t dare say it’s inviting, it’s just a sensory thing to me. Very interesting and, I gotta say, cool. The palate falls in line with the nose. Salt, seaweed and peat smoke that winds its way towards pepper and oak barrel notes. It’s drying towards the end, but that feels appropriate and welcome IMO. The finish is medium length, smoky and sun-dried peat wrestle again with the lemony citrus zing. Salty and dry leaving your lips feeling like the first night you got sunburn on your face. What can I say, this is more of an “experience” in a glass, than a thirst quenching dram. It hits the spot if you know what to expect going in (and if that’s what you’re feeling at the time). If you take your time with the nosing it will lead you down the path that this whisky wants you to take and for that I give it a bump in score. Flavor profile, mouthfeel, etc- this is a 3-3.5 star juice, but if you follow the path it’s asking it’s a 4-4.25 star experience. I really liked that. Thanks again to Jason for sending this one my way. Bon voyage, my friends.

info: Ceobanach veut dire, en Galeique, "smoky mist" ou "brume fumé" en référence à l'époque où la tourbe était une ressource essentielle à la vie courante notamment pour le chauffage. La tourbe provient naturellement de l'eau utilisé dans le processus qui doit être distingué du processus des autres produit de la distillerie. L'idée de conception de ce scotch est venue en rêve au Master distiller Ian MacMillan. Mention d'âge de 10 ans affiché sur l'arrière de l'étiquette. Non filtré à froid et sans ajout de colorant. Esthétique: Pas wow mais rien à dire vu la gamme de prix. Belle couleur et bel emballage. Je ne pénaliserais pas ici. 10/10. Nez: Sucre, céréale et fumé. Un sel maritime typique de Islay. Bunnahabhain ne nous a pas habitué à un tel éventail aromatique. Quelque chose de frais comme de la coriandre. Pas agressif du tout sur l'alcool. Agréable au nez 18/20 Bouche: Sucre, algue, verdure, sel marin, fumé bien présente mais quand même bien équilibré sur l'ensemble. Un poivre et de la vanille. Beau manège d'arôme! 35/40 Final: Frais et fumé. Sucré-salé. poivre. L'aftertaste est très agréable! 26/30 Overall: On croirait presque un Laphroaig légèrement moins tourbé et médicinal. La tourbe ici est sucré-salé et peu agressive. Le 46,3% est parfait pour exprimer ses arômes. J'apprécie en général. La complexité de ce scotch est très bien développé. surtout pour le prix. Bon rapport qualité-prix. Est-ce que ça plaira à ceux qui n'aime pas la tourbe? Non, je ne crois pas que c'est celui va changer l'opinion des gens sur la tourbe. Est-ce que les fan de tourbe forte vont aimé? La tourbe me semble assez présente pour satisfaire mes craving de tourbe. Peut-être que certains vont être deçu de l'intensité de la tourbe, y voyant un manque de caractère. Pour m'a part, j'apprécie l'équilibre général. 89% cette édition limité va me manquer une fois terminé!

Some time ago I promised myself to try to get a pour of every peated Bunnahabhain I can reasonably get my hands on. Reason being that most of the ones I had were just so good. There were some that were just too much for my taste buds but the majority I really enjoyed. Some I purchased afterwards. I also really like their unpeated bottlings. Bunnahabhain is one of my absolute favorite distilleries. Next on the list was the Ceobanach that I got as a sample from @Der-Duesseldorfer. It is in its root a 10 years+ old Moine at 46% ABV and this limited editions name means “smoky mist”. Nose: mild and fruity yet familiar peat, very vibrant, next to the peat the nose is more on the laid back side. There is a cookie-sweetness and salt. You definitely notice that this is bourbon cask maturation only although the typical vanilla isn’t as prominent as expected. Palate: peat like mineral oil and a bid of burned rubber - but very nicely balanced with a fruity vanilla sweetness. Much more salty now. Finish: charred wood and burned sugar with a very nice mix of sweet and brine. A straight forward whisky that doesn’t branch out into exotic flavors. Very honest with a nicely balanced combination of peat, salt and vanilla-sweetness. The nose could be a bid more intense but other than that it is a great whisky. Not as good as the Cruach Mhona but that’s probably because that one comes in 50% ABV and has some additional spices and dark fruits. But if you can’t get that this one here is also a great bottle. Edit: despite what @cascode said I added some few drops of water and for me that actually improved the nose and finish. It became a bid more fumey and the peat got more present on the finish. Got better over all in my opinion.

Rewarding. That is my summary of this not so complex whisky that i have enjoyed. It is not something that will change your life but i just truly had a good time tasting it. This is my third Bunnahabhain and frankly the other two did not impressed me much (Shania Twain quote). Ceòbanach actually means "Smoky Mist" and it is properly pronounced 'kyaw-bin-och'. This is the heavily peated expression from this distillery, famous for been "not so peated". Bottled at 46.3%abv, natural pale straw color, un-chill filthered. On the nose, this is very interesting. Right away when you open the bottle, you will feel the peat and yellow apples. But those are fake aromas; when you pour yourself a dram, the notes change into this very creamy, peaty whisky. The most amazing and accurate aroma note is Rum Raisins ice cream. It is amazing how clean that aroma is here. Earthy peat is intense, sometimes too powerful as alcohol not as peaty. There is a marvelous tropical sweetness. Grapes and White wine. Beautifully perfumed.So far this is the best bunna' on the nose. So creamy. On the palate it is quite spicy. Definitively some raisin influence.Turns spicy fast. Rum raisins ice cream. Aftertaste has a lovely tobacco smoke. Very rewarding. Nice Pepper, Puffs of smoke, very pleasant. Ginger and salt. Overall this is a very good, straightforward dram. Not complex but somehow manages to be pleasant and "fun". I had to reason it a little while, because it was good enough to trick my scoring system into something higher, but a fair score for it is 88 over 100. For $70 a bottle, this one can be recommended.

I've said this often but I hate reviewing basic peated whisky. I just suck with tasting notes. This is batch 3 if that matters. Nose - Pretty basic peat profile with a touch of citrus fruits. The overall profile here is pretty clean, much more in the caol ila peat vs the southern islay. Though some of the sweet citrus here does give me some flash backs to lagavulin, but the peat is nothing at all like their profile. I have a cadenheads 11 year example of peated bunna that blows this one so far out of the water that it's insane. Taste - You do get that this is younger whisky, some ethanol and bite is here and off, but overall the citrus sweet and clean mellow smoke is here. There's some mineral notes and light clay. It's a touch salty as well. There's however no real peat punch, it's not rich, and it drinks kinda thin. I'm tasting what feels like a 40 dollar bottle and I believe this was a good bit more. I love bunna but this isn't a winner from them. 1.5, it's below average but peat lovers will enjoy it and while I think it's over priced, it's a nice change of pace if you have the money to over pay for this one.