Bunnahabhain 2008 Manzanilla Cask Whisky Review!

A drier, nutty, salty whisky that has been fully matured in a dry, nutty, salty sherry cask? Yes please!

Bunnahabhain, or Bunna' for short, doesn't get the fanfare of the other Islay distilleries, and certainly isn't one of the "sexy" brands. But it still has a loyal following - and for good reason. As one of the two Islay distilleries that are mostly producing unpeated whisky, they're already something of an outlier, and even more of an underdog in comparison with the other mostly-unpeated Islay distillery, Bruichladdich. Bunnahabhain tend to be quieter and more reserved than most in their marketing, something that is also shared with Tobermory and Deanston, the other two Scotch whisky distilleries in parent company Distell's portfolio - which is soon to be purchased by Heineken. But while their presence may be more reserved, the whiskies they produce are often anything but quiet. Leaving aside the peated Moine spirit that the distillery also produces, the unpeated Bunnahabhains tend to be drier, spicier, more nutty and more austere than most, and the official bottlings tend to lean towards sherry cask maturation which can help to boost those characteristics. But they also produce a wide range of exotic cask finishings and maturations, both as Feis Ile / Islay Festival bottlings, and distillery exclusive single casks, and as limited releases that are more generally available. The likes of Brandy, Port and Marsala casks, and also PX, Amontillado and Palo Cortado sherry casks have all been released relatively recently, including this little number that we're looking at today, which is an 11-year old unpeated Bunnahabhain that has been fully matured, not finished, in Manzanilla sherry casks. Sadly most of these limited releases have not been officially imported into Australia, but a recent change of distributorship saw The Whisky List bring in a decent amount of the stuff, including the 18- and 25-year olds that also haven't been seen down under for quite some time. 

After Palo Cortado, Manzanilla sherry casks would have to be the second-rarest in the Scotch whisky industry. While real sherry can only be produced in the Jerez region of southern Spain, Manzanilla is even more specific since it must be produced in the area of the seaside city of Sanlucar de Barrameda, which forms the northern tip of the "sherry triangle", the area in Andalucía that is officially permitted to use the term "sherry". Sanlucar de Barrameda has a milder climate with higher humidity than elsewhere in the sherry triangle, which affects the natural yeast layer, known as the flor, under which the pale & dry varieties of sherry are aged. That process is known as biological ageing, while the darker and in some cases sweeter wines are produced through oxidative ageing, where that yeast layer is killed off at an early stage. The result is a very dry (often less than 1g of sugar per litre of wine), nutty, floral and saline fortified wine. The pale sherry varieties are far less common in whisky production than Oloroso or PX sherries - or more often Oloroso or PX style wines - and are more often actual ex-bodega sherry casks that have been used to mature sherry, rather than the far more common 'sherry seasoned' casks that are used for almost all distilleries. As far as out beloved Islay goes, or even in Scotch whisky for that matter, apart from Ardbeg's epic 2013 Ardbog Feis Ile / Ardbeg Day bottling, I'm not aware of any that have used Manzanilla sherry casks to any noticeable extent, with one exception: the mostly-unpeated Islay underdog that is Bunnahabhain!  

I effectively bought this bottle untested, although I had read a few European and American reviews in the past and looked longingly at the photos from the other side of the planet. The price here in Australia of around $220 AUD is not insubstantial, but for a high strength limited release Bunnahabhain that is fully matured in exotic casks, that's certainly not unreasonable. But I did have one thing to go on, since this is not the first example of a Manzanilla cask-matured Bunnahabhain that I've come across. The first example was a 200ml 'Warehouse No.9' distillery exclusive single cask bottling that a mate picked up from the distillery itself, and that whisky was magical. So when this limited release surprisingly popped up, 18 months after it was bottled, I had to grab a bottle. And it didn't take long for curiosity to get the better of me, and the cork was popped! Like many of the more austere and/or challenging styles of malt whisky, particularly when bottled at high strength, this bottle has changed substantially in the month or so since it was first opened, with first impressions containing a definite whiff of sulphur, and seeming a little flat and jumbled in smell & taste. But within a week or so it was developing very nicely. Never fully judge, or even review, a whisky on fresh opening or on the "neck pour", folks, particularly if you're having it neat! There's no mention of whether this Bunnahabhain was bottled at cask strength or if it was reduced slightly, and at 52.3% ABV it could go either way, but it's certainly plenty of strength regardless. What is mentioned though is that it is non-chill filtered and natural colour, distilled in July 2008, matured in warehouse no.9 and bottled in May 2020. Let's do it!

Bunnahabhain 2008 Manzanilla Cask Matured, 11-year old, 52.3%. Islay, Scotland.

Distilled 7/2008, fully matured in Manzanilla sherry casks, bottled 5/2020. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Bronze. 

Nose: Big, dirty & funky. Loads of well-salted roasted nuts (hazelnut & walnut especially, plus a couple of almonds), dried sultanas and currants, and crushed aspirin pills/tablets. Rich dark salted caramel that is verging on burnt, with flashes of fresh dates, dark treacle toffee and a couple of honey roasted peanuts. Dirty engine oils and burnt/charred black pepper, touches of rubber and old bacon grease. 

Texture: Heavy weight, rich & flavoursome & dirty. Slight astringency & good bitterness, and no heat. 

Taste: Rich with more salted roasted nuts, thick date syrup, dried sultanas and currants again. Touch of that overcooked salted caramel (verging on burnt), bitter & earthy coffee grounds. Slight white wine-y acidity from the Manzanilla adding freshness. 

Finish: Long length. Raisin toast (spiced) with a touch of brown butter, a fresh & astringent saltiness with noticeable touches of that Manzanilla acidity. Bitter burnt black pepper & charred wood, more roasted nuts and that almost-burnt salted caramel. 

Score: 4 out of 5. On the lower side, though. 

Notes: It's a big, dirty, funky whisky, and some of the sulphur-sensitive will probably disagree with my score. But, now that it's had enough breathing time after opening the bottle, the richness and depth on offer here make for a delicious whisky. And it would (and it will) make for a delicious Christmas whisky. Big nutty, salty, caramel & dried fruit flavours that are working very well with Bunnahabhain's nutty, spicy, salty spirit, and there's a great balance between sweet & savoury. Now I'm personally not particularly sensitive to sulphur, although I have had a couple of whiskies in the past that I found extremely unpleasant or even actually undrinkable (which I won't name), but I don't mind or even enjoy a touch of that dirty sulphur character in general (Longrow 14-year old sherry cask, or some Benromach, Kilkerran and Springbank sherry casks for example). And on first opening this Bunnahabhain was headed in the wrong direction there. But it's settled down and opened up very well, that flatness has gone, and while there's still a touch of sulphur on the nose it's well integrated now and the other notes & flavours will make you forget about that quite quickly. 

Bunnahabhain is not a shy spirit, and it could easily have overpowered the more delicate Manzanilla casks - as many whiskies that are matured in these paler sherry casks do. But that delicate, acidic, floral, nutty & salty sherry has worked very well in this case. Not on the level of brilliance that the hand-filled 200ml cask sample had, of course, but for $220 AUD or so and for something different from this distillery, this Bunna' is a big yes from me. 

Cheers!