Bunnahabhain 9yo 2008 (Duncan Taylor Octave)

This is a Duncan Taylor “The Octave” bottling of Bunnahabhain, which was first aged for 9 years, then finished for 9 months in ex-sherry “octave” (50L) casks, then bottled at cask strength (53.5%) for a run of 96 bottles. This cask was selected by Daracha, a Norwegian specialty liquor importer.

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Distiller: Bunnahabhain
Bottler: Duncan Taylor
Distilled: 2008
Bottled: 2017
ABV: 53.5% (cask strength)
Age: 9yo
Cask type: Undisclosed, finished on reconstructed ex-sherry octave barrels.
Source: Pour at Grand Terminus, Bergen, Norway.
Setting: Unblind.

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Nose: Caramel, vanilla, menthol, ferny wet forest, custard.
Palate: Oat porridge, bourbon, heavy cream.
Finish: Grassy, slightly meaty, some trailing herbal notes.
Overall: This was enjoyable, just fine. I found it to be a pretty plain Bunnahabhain, a really enjoyable pour, but nothing particularly special or outstanding about it. If I owned a bottle it would be a daily drinker, not a special occasion sipper. I find myself hesitating between a 4 and 5 here, because I would describe this as “Good, but many things I’d rather have”. In the end, it is a good cask strength Bunnahabhain, and I feel it’s a little unfair to end at a 4.
Rank: 5