Bunnahabhain Cruach Mhòna

Nose: It's a bright, clear day on Islay. Brillant blue skies, warm sunshine and a bracing onshore breeze lift the senses as you take a morning stroll on the foreshore at Bunnahabhain Bay. Sunlight sparkles off the water and you suddenly smell the aroma of a beach bonfire - dried kelp burning on the sand, carried to you on occasional gusts of wind. Upwind, someone opens a container of freshly shucked oysters and squeezes lemon over them, and on the hills to the west someone starts a diesel engine and fires up a Toscano cigar. Palate: Delicate sweet-brine on the entry with developing peppery smoke and a delightful oily texture. As it unfolds, the peat-smoke builds and expands, gaining a warm and comforting tarry quality and a phenolic presence. Creosote, lemon, Seville orange, rhubarb, sage and brine build alongside the smoke. Finish: Medium/long. Initially herbal, smoky and citric, but the late finish and aftertaste bring a most unexpected chocolate-malt note, which is delightful. The initial nose is refreshing and crisp, and continues to open and develop as it rests. After a while, sweeter fruity aromas become apparent and these are in turn followed by more lemon, some soy sauce and just a little discreet oak. It's a marvellous nose, and classic Islay all the way. The palate is just a half point less impressive than the nose but that does not mean it disappoints, as it has a rich and satisfying character. Don't add water, this is just perfect neat. An (unfortunately) rare example of a good value TRE bottling. At retail prices, when it's available, this costs about AUD$160, but when I purchased it at Sydney airport a while back it was AUD$115 for a 1 litre bottle, and at that price I'd certainly recommend it. It's very different in profile to the Lagavulin 16 I tasted yesterday, but easily its equal. I've tasted several of the peated Bunnahabhain expressions and this one is far and away my favourite. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

What we have here is another sample from, what I like to call, Bunnahabhain’s Unpronounceable Series. This is a travel retail exclusive and I received a sample of this from my friend @Telex, after I traded this bottle to him for something else that escapes me right now. He was gracious enough to send me a hearty pour so I can review it. This is a deep gold in color with undefined legs that snake their way down the Glencairn after a vigorous spin. It leaves behind tiny, watery droplets even though it’s bottled at a hearty 50% ABV. I paid just over $110 for this 1L bottle from an online shoppe out of the UK. The nose has lots of campfire and creosote smoke initially. There’s a nice splash of red berries, but that charcoal note permeates the fruitiness. Then I get a hit of an odd, musty smell. It doesn’t belong at all- sometimes I get that same type of band aid note from a few Islay whiskies and I think it’s out of place. It’s not off-putting, it just doesn’t quite belong. Thankfully, it fades but so does the berry note- leaving just the smoke. The mouthfeel on the palate is nice. There’s smoky, earthy peat mingling with some fresh pastry notes. Those delicious red and black raspberries come along again. It’s a tad thick, especially for such a high ABV, but it works. The finish is medium to long, but it turns quite harsh and leaves a good bit of heat from the alcohol lingering longer than I’d like. The smoke is gone, the fruits are gone- it’s just abrasive alcohol. This is where some well-aged whisky needed to swoop in and save the dram- but it doesn’t and that’s a shame. Overall, it had a lot more potential than I think it capitalized on. The funky nose and high heat finish really hurt this one on the overall score. 3 stars. Cheers.

Another of the bonus samples from the SDT. This time we venture over to Islay’s northern shores to Bunnahabhain, where we have Cruach-Mhòna, a travel retail exclusive. Gaelic for “peat stack”, this single malt comes in at a respectable 50% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of medium amber. The nose is sweet billowing peat smoke...oh I love it already! Sherry maturation is evident with sugary dates, plums, raspberries and blackberries. Cigar ashes, creosote, tennis balls and rubber...oh so good, a proper Islay profile. Vanilla custard, some polished oak, molasses, ginger and even a drop of teriyaki. It turns slightly to citrus with oranges/tangerines and a twist of lemon. The addition of water brings the berries out a bit more as well as the ashy notes. The palate is all sweet peat. Sherry and raspberries. Tennis balls and rubber, less than the nose but still present. Orange peel, licorice, almonds or maybe hazelnut and some well integrated oak. Water does little but lessen the intensity and produce a slightly bitter taste. Without water is definitely preferable. A medium to full bodied mouthfeel that is oily and creamy and mouthwatering. The finish is long, smoky, sweet(ish), with creosote and the smoke trailing on for a good long while. Other than the Ardbeg 23 that I had not too long ago, this is the first proper Islay I’ve had in a while. Oh did I miss this! Really liked the nose, but the palate was a little less complex that I would have liked. I guess that’s a NAS, TRE for you though. At $100 I think it’s a little over priced (even for a 1L bottle), but I might be tempted to purchase it if I came across a bottle. Thanks to @Telex for the sample. A solid 4 Cheers

Bunnahabhain, that one Islay distillery with the hardest name, the unpronunceable expressions, and the most different tasting notes of them all. Having said that, i mostly like their whiskies, they give me interesting experiences, and it even have one expression (Moine) that made into my top 10 affordable whiskies of 2020. But this Cruach Mhòna, is not one of those great whiskies. "Cruach Mhóna" is not a martial art if you were wondering it, it is the gaelic term for a "drying pile of peat bricks", which of course mean this one is a peated expression of "Bunna" which is mostly famous for their unpeated range. Bottled at 50%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is acceptable. Starts pretty grapy, to then develop a earthy peatiness, with hints of vanilla/chocolate. Nice perfumed peat, lavender; there is some citric aroma growing here. Hay, heather. After a first sip, it revealed more vanilla and sand. Palate is very unbalanced. Starts peaty right away, which i believe was nice, but then a salt bomb appeared. A little meaty, SUPER SALTY. A couple more sips revealed a dim vanilla note, but mostly a overload of salt. Aftertaste was a little better, but still very dissapointing and a little off-putting. Peat, hay, slight vanilla. A sparkling peppery note that felt like crazy dips popping. Then... SALT. It is like eating a spoon full of salt, like you are having an overly salted piece of meat. Not good. Overall, i wish i could have avoided this, and the nose saves it a little. I even wanted to stop drinking it before i finished the glass. Felt extremely salty, i don't know if someone likes this, but maybe there is. Im not a fan, my score for it is a very generous 63 over 100. Thumbs down.

Once upon an early evening dreary, while I pondered weak and weary over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten scotch... from the days of the SDT group. This chilly Halloween evening calls for something warm and smoky. A soft, earthy, lightly phenolic nose which a good deal of sweetness. Rubber tire, damp soil, vanilla custard, lemon zest, brown sugar, raspberry jam. It really needs time to settle in. Over time, some slight spice comes through of cracked black pepper, ginger powder and cinnamon. The first draw on the palate is prickly in a medium body. As the palate gets accustomed and acclimated, the flavors become detectable. Creme brûlée, sherry, almonds, vanilla which quickly turns to wood spice and ginger. Water mutes the rubber notes on the nose and dulls the sharp edges on the palate. The finish is long, ashy and sooty with tingling pins and needles, which quickly dissipates. As it slowly fades, black licorice, wood char and drying tannins ride the long finish. This one was a bit disjointed and tough to identify aromas and flavors. It is somewhat funky and odd. However the sweet phenolic attributes are satisfying. Water takes away from funky oddness and removes it’s identity. Perhaps more time aging and maturing would bring this scotch the cohesiveness it lacks. Thanks @Telex for the sample, long overdue. [84/100][Tasted: 10/31/20]

This one was a special experience for me. I usually have a problem when it comes to heavily peated whisky that have those bacon / fireplace / ash aromas. But even though this one here has these features I surprisingly really liked and enjoyed it. The nose is cold ash but also more dominantly like a wooden fire. But equally present are some citrus aromas and green spices. The taste while quiet burny comes with roasted bread that is almost burned in a toaster. There also is some nutty flavors where especially pistachios are sticking out for me. It remains citrusy and stays quite long with that sourness and a long enduring peaty smoke. Having tasted this I hope that I will get more in line with heavily peated whiskies in the future. After some drams of this one I think I can reckon where peat-lovers are coming from. I definitely see what it is about now. Thanks Bunnahabhain for this eye opener. Edit: the more often I drink it, the more I enjoy it. It really is interesting, smooth, delicious, briny and isn’t at all musty or stinky. It is like a fresh roasted pan of fruits (orchard & exotic too) from a wood smoker.