Bunnahabhain Eirigh Na Greine

Nose: Sweet red berries, sultanas, raisins. The alcohol is well contained and the nose has a warm and inviting character. With subsequent nosing I got petrichor and distant sea-spray but it’s a more mineralic nose than maritime. Some nutmeg and cloves and a hint of good (but not old) oak. The nose continued to improve as I let this sit with sandalwood emerging. Adding water makes the nose relax and soften but it loses the coastal quality. Palate: Sweet arrival with toffee and honey. Berries, sweet spices and herbs in the development. Again there is that mineralic quality on the palate with pebble beaches brought to mind but once more it’s not quite maritime. There is an almost-bitter quality like marmalade, some chocolate and young, soft tannins. The texture is slightly syrupy. Finish: Medium/Long. Savory/sweet (hmm, is that just the definition of umami?) berries and spices. This was a very agreeable, youngish NAS Bunnahabhain that delivered more than I initially expected. The nose in particular developed very well with some pleasantly mature and sweet wood notes balanced by firm mineralic/maritime aromas. The palate was pleasant from the first taste but over time it acquired some proper depth and complexity. There is a faint smoky quality but it’s not noticed on the nose, only on the palate and in the finish, and then only after several tastes. Water works very well with this whisky, the nose becoming like an old favourite sweater, comforting and restful. The palate becomes very soft and the berry notes increase along with some vanilla and caramel, and the palate eventually segues seamlessly into the aftertaste. There is a hint of sourness in the final flavours but it does not unhinge the profile. I think they used good casks for this young NAS and as a result it punches above its weight. I guess it is debatable whether equally good ex-sherry hogsheads would have produced a better result than the red wine casks, and it all comes down to whether you enjoy red-wine cask finishing at all. Come to think of it, this distillate in ex-sherry casks would be Stiùireadair, I betcha. Tasted from a 30ml sample. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

From the "unpronounceable" Bunnahabhain series, comes this Eirigh Na Greine which means "Morning Sky" in Gaelic. Actually this whisky, non chill-filthered and without any added color, has a deep copper, reddish tone, just like the sky in the morning. Matured in different red wine casks (from Italy and France) this is one fine dram, that promised a lot on the nose, and just couldn't deliver on the palate. Bottled at 46.3% On the nose is just marvelous. Prepare to read some crazy notes here. As soon as you uncork it, you get a Coca Cola aroma. After a couple seconds, without pouring it yet, it delivers the exact aroma of another rare, argentinian spirit, called Fernet. It transported me to an argentinian discotheque were fernet is the preferred drink. Then, after pouring it, dry brown cake, prunes, old thick orange syrup, everything wrapped in a very nice earthy peatiness aroma. Ashes also appear. After 5 minutes breathing, you will get some strange overload of sweetness and i got to say it got me some time to actually detect the exact note.... it was.. Trix cereal. Trix for kids. Im not kidding. I loved it. After the first sip, a lor of red fruitiness appear on the nose. There is a cough syrup of kids called "Coricidin" which is super sweet. It is exactly that. Perfect score on the nose. On the palate, it is still a good dram, but nowhere near as the nose. Very nice, starts sweet like red fruits, to turn spicy and then again this trix cereal sensation. Second sip is very earthy - Dry. Almondy. Aftertaste gives you a puff of smoke right away. A chocolate powder mouth drying note. It is a warm dram, that just drains the saliva. Smoky like cigarretes. Earthy. Short to medium finish. It is woody. Sawdust. Overall i loved this dram, but the palate and the aftertaste are not as appealing as the incredible aroma of it. I wish i could give it a higher score but the fair rate for it is 88 over 100. For $60 it's worth trying.

It’s time for a newer NAS release from Islay distillery, Bunnahabhain. Eirigh Na Greine (pronounced aa ree na gray nyuh) is a non-US, limited release that contains undisclosed age Bunnahabhain spirit that was finished in ex-French red wine casks. The name translates to “Morning Sky” and it was inspired by the head distiller’s arrival to work each morning as he stopped to watch the sun rise over Islay. It’s bottled at 46.3% ABV, is bronze/red in color and creates oily and skinny legs in the taster. It’s natural color/NCF’d and cost about $90 to have imported from the U.K. The nose was incredibly weak, even after 20-25 minutes and me having to put my nose so far down into the glass that I practically inhaled the actual spirit itself. Faint notes of dried red fruits and berries, toasted almonds and butterscotch are there it’s just hard to get them to reveal themselves. This isn’t a great start. The palate starts with a bang, though. A nice initial sherry explosion followed by a parade of orchard fruits: ripe cherries, green grapes and oranges. It’s nice and creamy until mid sip when the younger malt presence appears and turns a bit salty and dry. It was fun while it lasted, at least. This is the biggest weakness of NAS whisky- you just don’t get a rounded and calmed spirit without the aging. The finish is all fruity and nutty spice cake. It’s pretty warm as well. Long and drying. It’s not bad, I just wish it left more of an oily mouthfeel instead of a dry one. Overall, it’s a decent NAS from Bunnahabhain. I recently bought 4 different NAS bottles from them and this one is a solid start. If they all deliver like this one I’ll be happy with my purchases. On a side note, this bottle had a very loose fitting cork and I think I’m going to end up decanting it, otherwise it may oxidize a bit too quick. Then again, that may help the harshness, who knows? 3.75 stars. Cheers.

This is the first pour. Never judge a whisky by first pour. Nose: First pour brings fruity notes from the red wine casks—raisins, berries, and a hint of sea spray. It is a very shy whisky. After a 20-minute rest, the nose was still subtle, so I added water. It opened up to berry-flavored gummies. Gave it another 20 mins. Now it's giving off berry soda vibes. Palate: I like the palate more than the nose. Rich and mouth-coating. Lots of berries—raspberries, cherries—with a bit of chocolate, like a dessert. There's some spiciness that might be from its youth, and it feels like dark chocolate-covered fruits and gummies. Adding water makes it even better (dashes, 4ml in total). Finish: The finish isn’t as long as they claim on the box. I’d say it’s medium. It’s got a nice subtle bitterness, dryness maybe from tannins, with dried berries and dark chocolate, and a sweet licorice finish. You can feel the dryness here. Overall Impression: First pour shows promise with a complex nose and rich palate. The berries and chocolate make for a unique experience. The finish isn’t super long, but this whisky feels like it’ll reveal more with each pour. Definitely worth exploring further. Surprisingly i got no peat or smoke at all not even a hint of it. I will revisit this soon.

sweet meat creamy juicy, mid pep grapes 2.25 acidic, low peat, oaky, one dimensional, 2 oaky deep and mid sustain 2 2 sweetness, pleasant, mild and elegant, floral, 3 woody, peppery, bitterness at the back, oaky, obviously an american oak barrel in this - you get a hit a lot of tannins1 mid oaky, sustained1.75 1.75 dense, caramel, sweetness, salt, mid pepper, fruity 2.75 light, delicate, iodine, materialy, earthy, iodine, spicy, sharp, oaky 1 oaky, raw sustained 1.5 1.75 BUNNAHABHAIN EIRIGH NA GREINE 46.3% Bunnahabhain's Eirigh Na Greine was originally released for the Travel Retail market, with its name meaning 'Morning Sky' in Gaelic. A portion of this single malt was matured in red wine casks, resulting in juicy berry notes throughout, blending well with the wafts of sea salt and orchard fruit. a very shy and not in your face kind of intensity, Dense berry, dryness, not the typical vanilla sweet notes no no you dont get this in the sniff, berry, raspberry, grapes, low to mid pepper 2 taste of the wine cask, you get hit of berry, sweetness, nutty aroma, small hit of pepper, smooth beauty, bitterness and dark chocolate sets in 2.75 oaky, mid sustained 2.5 2.25

Nose - Dark honey, sea salt, dark amber pear cider, strawberry jam. Taste - Initially thin & drying mouthfeel, oaky aged riesling sweet, lightly fruity tannic, red berries, hint of saline, light oaky drying bitterness, hint of dark chocolate, black pepper spice. Finish - Lingering oaky riesling sweet, red wine tannic dryness, white pepper tingle, amber honey sweet. Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - I really like this one. Nice nose with a balance of fruity and chocolate. A tiny bit thin on the mouthfeel initially but that's not a huge problem as the flavors are very present. Nice balance of what leads me to believe that there was also some sweeter white wine influence here as I get something either riesling/moscato/gewurztraminer sweet mixed with some red wine fruity tannic. Nice amber honey sweet and a tiny bit of white pepper spice. All the flavors right in my alley.