Bunnahabhain 1999 Amontillado 21 Year

While exploring Bunnahabhain's website, I came across this hand-filled distillery exclusive that had been aged for 21 years in a single ex-Amontillado cask before being bottled at 54.0% ABV. Since I'm unlikely to visit Islay soon to fill my own bottle, I opted for the next best thing and purchased a bottle to bring the distillery experience to me. The nose begins with a blend of toasted almond croissant, apricot preserves, and a light rosemary spice, followed by charred hay bales, coastal rocky minerality, dark chocolate-covered raisins, and honeysuckle. It then develops into mango, charred pineapple, and caramelized peaches, transitioning to mild baking spices and polished antique furniture, accompanied by a moderate ethanol burn. The taste presents a medium to full mouthfeel, starting with creamy tropical fruits before a mild spice that quickly fades to toasted almonds, dehydrated apricots, and subtle herbs. This is followed by charred hay bales, coastal rocky minerality, dark chocolate mocha, and honeysuckle, then mango, charred pineapple, and caramelized peaches, which transition to mild baking spices and polished antique furniture, with a moderate ethanol burn. The finish is lengthy, featuring lemon meringue pie, toasted coconut, hay, coastal rocky minerality, dark chocolate-covered raisins, almond paste, light baking spices, and freshly lacquered antique furniture. This is a truly distinctive dram with a captivating nose that starts with rich sweetness underscored by subtly sour citrus and herbal notes, along with a mix of charred hay bales, coastal rocky minerality, and tropical fruits. The well-aged oak carries over to the taste, with creamy tropical fruits leading before giving way to similar notes found on the nose, though the fruits lean slightly more towards the sour side than I prefer. This is followed by a long and lingering finish with a balanced combination of sweet and sour citrus, coastal rocky minerality, and well-aged oak. I'm uncertain if it warrants its premium price tag and my opinion could easily shift, but I finally had the chance to sample a hand-filled distillery exclusive single cask from one of my favorite distilleries. Now, I just need to convince my family to make the trip one year so I can fill my own bottle.

We participated in our scheduled online tasting this past Sunday with a few friends. This was one of the contributions from a friend. Distillery-exclusive bottles are challenging to obtain. However, it appears Bunna had some available and could ship to the US. It has been aged for 21 years in amontillado Sherry, which is somewhat drier, with notes of toasted nuts and caramel. Unlike Oloroso and PX, it doesn't deliver the same level of sweetness. Therefore, knowing this, I anticipated it might be a bit too dry. Surprisingly, it wasn't; with a little water, it truly opened up, revealing flavors of fragrant apricots, toasted nuts, and a hint of smoke. I'm surprised by the hint of smoke, considering it's the unpeated Bunna expression. Regardless, it's an incredible Bunna, offering a valuable experience, though the elevated price point is debatable. My thanks to a friend for the sample!