Scotch Whisky Review #205: A.D. Rattray Bunnahabhain 20 Year (1991)

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Distillery: Bunnahabhain

Bottler: A.D. Rattray

Region: Islay

ABV: 53% Cask Strength

Age: 20 Year. Distilled December 2nd, 1991. Bottled March 3rd, 2012.

Cask Number: #5450

Cask Type: Ex-Sherry Cask

Color: 1.6, Mahogany/Henna Notes.

Nose: The main note is of some mulled spices, as if from a mulled wine. There’s a deep, very old oak. Some fruit pops in as well in the form of raspberries and a bit of fig. There’s a bit of something funky to this as well.

Palate: There’s a lot of sherry. Rich, dark, sweet sherry oozes in and just coats your mouth. A note of very sweet figs is the only fruit I can taste at full strength. It is a bit hot and does require a little bit of watering. With some water, a lot of dried, fleshy fruits come through. Raisins, both golden and regular, pop in along with dried figs, persimmons, apricots, and dates.

Finish: Long. There’s a lot of oak with a lot of sherry. Hint of some kind of hard mineral pops in as well as a bit more of the funk.

Conclusion: Finding information of this bottle was surprisingly hard. A.D. Rattray’s own website doesn’t include it in their archives and were it not for a few reviews on Scotchit, I’m not sure I could’ve been certain that this whisky actually existed. It’s everything you’d want and expect from an older, sherried Bunnahabhain. The sherry expresses itself very well through a number of fruit notes and the dried fruit medley that comes out with some water is fantastic. The funky notes that pop up in the nose and finish though are a tad strange and not particularly in tune with the rest of this whisky. Still, great whisky overall!

Final Score: 83.

Scotch Whisky Review #205, Islay Review #22, Whisky Network Review #286

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.