Bunnahabhain Canasta Cask Maturation (Fèis Ìle 2023)

Feis ile is always a great time where Islay's distilleries release new beauties. This 2023, Bunnahabhain made two releases; one a Manzanilla Cask super expensive and fancy one; and this Bunnahabhain Canasta Cask matured. Canasta is the spanish word for "basket", which has nothing to do here, since Canasta apparently is also a type of Oloroso Sherry. Well, this one has been bottled at a beautiful 51.2%abv, with a lovely tawny color. On the nose tjis is quite impressive. Orange peel, a tangerine caramel; Sawdust and white chocolate. Apple peel, crushed almonds. It is freaking aromatic! After a first sip, it became creamy beautiful on the nose. It smells like a "brigadeiro" sweet.  The citrus here is out of this world. Perfect score on the nose. On the palate, it is great, with an starting white chocolate like "Ritter"; impalpable sugar and orange acidity. On the second sip i got this marvelous sugary note with milk. Aftertaste was good, but not aa impressive as the palate and nose. Sawdust; hay. Maybe a little overly oaky. Overall, this is a very enjoyable single malt for a very affordable price. I truly believe Bunnhabhain did a great job in this one and if i ever cross paths with this one again, i will not hesitate to buy it once more. A proper dram, my score for it is 91 over 100.

I picked this up with a gift card and it's my first foray into Bunnahabhain. It's 51.2% and although it doesn't taste like this, I've brought it down to about 47%. Nose: This is quite rich. The predominant aroma I get is cinnamon toast. I also get vanilla, creme brulee, and some dark cherries. Palate: There is a dark richness immediately here. Brown sugar, cherry pie, molasses, etc. But there is some leather and spiciness with some cinnamon and black pepper percolating through. Finish: The sides of the tongue develop a delicious burn from the sherry that combines with a tanniny dryness on the roof of the mouth to create a delightful sensation. The spice hangs sround for some time and there is a delicious bitterness that complements the spice and deep sweetness. Overall, although I would probably prefer to turn down the sherry a notch, this is great and I would definitely recommend it. I'm looking forward to trying other Bunnahabhain iterations.

Some fruit flavors in this offering. Mild smokiness. Smooth after just a few minutes of ice ball, but maintains lots of flavor while drinking. Fairly complex scotch, but very drinkable at the same time. Very good overall.

It is notably unpeated and has a bold Sherry taste. On the sweet end, but does not taste its abv, verybpleasant to sip.

Nice whisky but some kind of funk on the palate

Nit a fan