Bunnahabhain PX Noe, 2004 Vintage.

I've reached Bunnahabhain, a legendary Islay distillery. I had pre-booked a tasting of 4 distinct single malts there. Upon arrival, the distillery was absolutely stunning, with a visitor center situated by the sea in a beach-style house. A remarkable setting, I must say, but the staff weren't particularly enthusiastic about educating us on the whiskies or conducting the tasting. They actually just placed the whiskies in a box for us (samples) along with the empty glasses. You're free to take all the time you need and enjoy the view, but as an experience, you get about 4 minutes of information and then you're on your own. The first whisky I chose from my box was this Pedro Ximenez "NOE" 2004 vintage, bottled at 54.1% ABV. NOE is a type of rare PX sherry from Gonzalez Byass, aged in a 30-year solera. The aroma is quite muted and disappointing. Pineapple, chocolate, hazelnut, and sawdust. Tropical notes, reminiscent of Arcor's "chocolatin." The palate was truly excellent. Milk chocolate, very appealing. Pineapple and tropical fruits. Salt. Chocolate toffee. EXTREMELY SWEET CAP'N CRUNCH Cereal or Frosted Flakes! The aftertaste was also great. Sawdust, vinegar, ginger. Genuinely strong vinegar notes. Similar to The Dalmore custodian, the vinegar here is striking. There's a sweet aftertaste, beautiful. Very long. Overall, this should receive a higher score, but the nose didn't match the impressive palate and aftertaste. The rare sherry used provided some very interesting notes. A good whisky; my score for it was 85 out of 100.