Bunnahabhain 2009 11 Year Cask Strength Collection (Signatory)

Distillery: Bunnahabhain Bottler: Signatory Vintage (SV) Bottling Series: Cask Strength Collection Vintage: 2009-03-17 Bottled: 2020-06-03 Stated Age: 11 years Cask Type: 1st Fill Sherry Butt Strength: 68.6% Vol. Nose: The high alcohol content, which seems to warm the nose, is harmoniously blended with the richness of red fruit and honey. Due to the high proof, accessing the deeper aromas is challenging due to the inherent prickly sensation. Surprisingly complex, with a sticky texture and floral notes. Palate: Honey water initially enters smoothly, creating a brief calm like the eye of a storm. Then, like an explosion of stars, intense chocolate and sherry bomb flavors rush in. With an alcohol content close to 70%, it cannot be held in the mouth for long, but the sherry bomb's impact is immense, completely transforming the palate. Rather than discerning various flavors, it coalesces into a single word: 'Delicious.' Finish: A powerful chocolate note is accompanied by a wave of sweet flavors including honey, molasses, oak, nuts, and vanilla. The finish is long, leaving a subtle, slightly bitter oak aroma after the initial sweetness subsides. One-liner: * Best of the best among junior-level (?) aged spirits this first half of the year. * It stimulates a desire to quickly finish the tasting and comfortably enjoy the remaining spirit with dessert.

It's acceptable. It's definitely a cask strength Bunnahabhain, but I was hoping for more depth rather than just a higher proof burn. This is my initial tasting of the sample, so I'll revisit it after a few months of oxidation to see if it improves. If not, it's significantly inferior to even lesser Bunnahabhain 18, to the point where I have no desire to purchase it again. Is it that I dislike Signatory? I haven't sampled enough of their bottlings to know. Might the distillery's own cask strength 12-year bottling perform better?

It improves after spending some time oxidizing in the sample bottle. Less sherry character than the Bunnahabhain 12 cask strength, and generally less fruity. However, there's a pleasant meaty, barbecue note in the background.