Bunnahabhain Mòine 10 Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel - 55.4%
From the bottler
The Whisky Cellar is an Edinburgh-based independent Scotch Whisky bottler, selecting casks from its private stock at the peak of their character.
Bottled a parcel of several single casks at a time, each individual series under our ‘Private Cellars Selection’ label is studiously chosen to deliver a wide spectrum of natural colour, aroma and flavour.
“Unconstrained by age or statement of vintage, regionality or cask type… if our tasting panel love the whisky enough, we will bottle it.” – Keith Bonnington, Founder.
More renowned for it’s lightly maritime style with a distinctive Sherry cask influence, this is proof that Bunnahabhain can do classical Islay-style in its Moine guise. Seashore breezes with a peppery kick, smoked kippers enveloped by the warmth of peat bonfires and a background sweetness of brown sugar.
Cask #794, only 294 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Appearance: Sauvignon Blanc in colour, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as thick, oily legs.
Nose: Salty, smoked fish on an open fire. Baked apples covered in caramelised light brown sugar.
Palate: Light, delicate but smoky. Caramel toffee sauce, roasted pineapple, sweet apple sauce, lemon zest and a little coastal salt, all wrapped up in a soft, smoky hug.
Finish: Smoky, slightly salty with a soft brown sugar sweetness.
Summary: It would be safe to say I have really enjoyed many of the Mòine expressions, and this is yet another example of how good a peated Bunnahabhain can be.
This one is a little different to many of the Mòine bottlings I’ve tried in the past, the typical Bunnahabhain sherry cask influence has been put to one side in favour of a refill ex-Bourbon cask maturation. The result is a sweet, smoky delight far removed from that medicinal peat punch you expect from other distilleries on Islay.
If you’ve ever had hot-smoked haddock such as Arbroath Smokies, you will immediately recognise the aroma in the nose of this whisky. It’s soft smoke, tinged with seaweed and a little saltiness to give a reminder of it’s coastal heritage. Add to that a sweet, but not too sweet, note of stewed apples with caramel sauce and you have a nose which is simply wonderful.
On the palate, the smoke initially takes a back seat allowing all that fruit and caramel sweetness from the spirit and the ex-Bourbon cask to take the starring role. Then you get the smoke returning, enveloping the sweetness like a comforting blanket. Following on with a lovely finish, made longer by the return of the smoke with every exhalation.
A beautiful whisky presented with natural colour, non-chill filtration and a very healthy abv of 55.4%. Only 294 bottles produced and with a price around £85 I can’t see this staying on the shelf too long.
Transparency: this sample pack was received free of charge for independent review. The author has no affiliation with the bottler, all opinions are my own and remain completely impartial.
If you would like to know more about The Whisky Cellar and their range of whiskies, please follow the link to the company website.
The Whisky Cellar whiskies are available at Master of Malt among other retailers, click the image below to be taken to their website.
