A Bunnahabhain Like No Other – Douglas Laing Old Particular Bunnahabhain 16

The warehouses at Douglas Laing hold single cask wonders, and Fred chooses his casks well.
One of the Douglas Laing offerings at the London Whisky Show was this beautiful bourbon cask matured 16 year old Bunnahabhain I tasted at the show but wasn’t able to take notes for. There was also a Deanston 20 and a Glen Moray 14 that I didn’t get to take notes on, and Cara was kind enough to send me samples of those three so I could get my notes in on them. Thank you Cara!

Photo Credit: islayinfo.com

So getting down to business, this is a bourbon cask matured whisky from a single hogshead. It’s extremely interesting in the intensity of the spice on the palate, and has a very Sepeysidey nose.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Bunnahabhain 16, Cask DL10433 (48.8% ABV, NCF, NC)

Appearance: Straw colored with thin and quick legs.

Nose: Honey, spices, lemon, fresh cinnamon bun and lemon meringue pie. This would fool you for a Speyside whisky any day.

Palate: Citrus and spice with touches of honey. The pepper is very intense, almost like holding a chili pepper in your mouth, almost like Tabasco sauce without the sour notes it has.

Linger: Both bitter and sweet on the tongue, spice up in the throat.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that the nose and palate are so different, this is a very clean and gorgeous dram. The intensity of the spice on the palate makes this whisky stand out, with a sweet nose that you’d place smack in Speyside.

At £70, it’s priced right at the official 18 year old’s price point.

Official sample received from the Douglas Laing Co.