Bunnahabhain Warehouse 9: 2014 Canasta Matured

Nose: Grippy wood, licorice fudge, dry nutty sherry. After a little time in the glass I noticed attractive sandalwood and cedarwood aromas start to appear, but not much more. Water did not do anything to improve the profile. Palate: Very spicy arrival (hot cinnamon, tannin, clove, pepper). Muscular dark malt and treacle, salty and bitter orange peel. The texture is full but not heavy or oily. Finish: Medium. Hot spicy malt. There is a green apple note in the aftertaste. Bunnahabhain always has a few different hand-drawn cask strength expressions available as distillery only specials. I’ve had several but although this was an interesting dram I would not say it is the best thing I’ve tasted from the distillery. The nose definitely benefited from time to rest in the glass but the palate did not improve as much. Reduction also did not contribute positively to its character, merely diluting and diminishing the profile, but it did moderate the harder spicy aspects. This 10 year old is one for the hard-core Bunnahabhain enthusiasts but for me it did not display either the luscious profile of their old oloroso-matured whiskies, nor the rich fruity intensity of the 12 year old cask-strength expression, nor the friendly chocolate-and-nut personality of the core range 12 year old. Canasta is a cream sherry but I don't think ex-canasta casks are a spectacular partner for Bunnahabhain spirit, and I suspect this particular cask (number 2786) was not one of the very best either. Tasted from a 200ml bottle bought at Bunnahabhain distillery, April 16th, 2025. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)