The Pipe House Bunnahabhain 2001

I discovered The Pipe House in Koblenz on a family holiday four years ago. The Pipe House specializes in - not hard to guess - pipes and tobacco. They also have a decent range of spirits and bottle(d) some whiskies and rums under their own label The Pipe House. Bunnahabhain and wine casks can be a match made in heaven. So when I picked this independent bottling - a vatting of a Bordeaux cask and an Oloroso sherry butt - I was rather excited.

Identity Card The Pipe House Bunnahabhain 2001

• The Pipe House Bunnahabhain 2001 Oloroso/Bordeaux cask
• Bunnahabhain Distillery, Port Askaig (Islay)
• Bottled by The Pipehouse, Koblenz (Germany)
  
• 12-year-old single malt Scotch whisky - 2001 Vintage
• Alcohol: 49% ABV
• Oloroso sherry butt & Bordeaux cask
• 35 cl bottle

Tasting notes

Colour: Copper with a red-orange hue. Slow legs appear on the glass.

Nose: Lots of wood notes and oranges. Some Pisang Ambon and banana flavours. Caramelised almonds, cherries and chocolate praliné. Grapes. Candy apple. Mango and Indian spices.
With water: Lightly smoked malt, lavender and blue grapes. Sweet nuts, raisins, dates and figs. Some German cherry and prune liquor. Dark and bitter chocolate.

Taste: Less sweet than I expected. A creamy nuttiness and light sour touch of tannins. Rose petals and lychee. Milk chocolate. Tropical fruit. Oak. Cherries. Red wine tannins and unripe beech nuts. Grape seeds.
With water: A slightly bitter taste of nuts. Again some raisins, dates and figs. Roasted almonds and cherry liquor.

Finish: A warm and dry winey and nutty finish.

A pretty decent Bunna. The Oloroso and wine cask left their mark in a good way. I might pick up another bottle for the future on our next trip to Germany. Although I was eyeing a Bunnahabhain Moine from the same label... Price: €34 (for a 35cl bottle)