There’s something very special about having your name on a bottle, and it’s even more special when it’s a cask you’ve been lucky enough to have bottled for you and your friends. This is now the second WFFA bottle, the previous being an Orkney 17 year old, and this is a great opportunity to give a shoutout of thanks to Iain Croucher of North Star, who found this cask and made this happen. The difference is that this one is one of the rarest old Bunnahabhain expressions around, with only 33 bottles yielded out of this cask.
But having your name on the label and this bottle in your cupboard is nothing compared to tasting it with great friends (two of whom have their name right there on the label with me). And so, on board Patrik’s beautiful boat, the Weranda, sitting on the water in Ekenäs, Finland, just before setting out for a weekend on the island of Halsholmen with other WFFA members from Finland, Henrik pulled out this stunning bottle, and we toasted the beautiful friendships whisky creates.
One other beautiful thing about this bottling is that it all 33 bottles will be opened and enjoyed, and they’ll all be enjoyed with friends. I think this is really what makes this bottle so special.
WFFA ‘The Lucky Few Bottle’, Bunnahabhain 1980, 37 Years Old, Single Bourbon Cask #3078, Yield 33 Bottles (41.5% ABV, NCF, NC)
Appearance: Gold, the legs are thin and leave a lot of residue on the glass.
Nose: Freshly cut pineapple, honey, heather, white pepper, red apple peel and vanilla. Notes of freshly cut leaves and honeysuckle flowers. With time in the glass it gets even more floral. This is one to enjoy slowly.
Palate: Lightly sweet before a wash of spice and a fruity lightness, with a somewhat fizzy bitterness. The spice and the bitterness are a stunning combination.
Linger: White pepper and honey, with the spice sitting solidly around the gullet, with the pepper more of a black pepper down there. The oak comes out in the linger, showing the almost four decades in wood.
Conclusion
This bottle is a dangerous one to have open. It’s highly drinkable, and will probably lose its fill level far faster than is prudent given its rarity (only 33 bottles).
Happy birthday, Henrik!