Bunnahabhain 1998

7 year old Islay 59.3 % vol

1 of 260 bottles from cask no. 2921

We defy anyone to guess correctly the age of this malt, or, indeed, its origin! The standard bottling at 10 years from Islay’s most northern distillery is pale and smooth and mild. This is deep crimson in colour – unusually, it comes from a fresh, European oak, ex-sherry hogshead. The nose is incredibly mild for its age, but big and rounded. The first impression is all burnt milk and soft fudge, deep and creamy, with hints of banana chews, treacle toffee, and after a while a curious minty/medicinal note. The flavour at full strength is magnificent: toffee and dark chocolate. Water raises a only a trace of brimstone (the peril of sherry-wood), then continues the toffee theme (McCowan’s Highland Toffee, treacle toffee). The medicinal note has become tea-tree oil (Eucalyptus). The texture is smooth, big and rich, the flavour an excellent balance of primary tastes, with some tannic mouth-drying, as one would expect, and a long finish with lingering milk-chocolate.

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