Batch 108

Very perfumed and grassy – all Parma Violets and lemon balm. There’s sweetness in the form of milk chocolate, but even that’s peppered with nuggets of floral Turkish Delight.

The rose note carries through onto the palate with a rounded fruitiness in tow, then – suddenly – things take a bitter, salty turn. Spice appears from nowhere, bringing up the rear with cooked plums and cured figs. Hold it long enough in the mouth for worn leather and shiitake mushrooms.

Earthy, savoury, but short.

A real journey in a glass.

Turn right at the herb garden and follow the path to the magical forest.

Gosh, it’s a very dim shade of brown, akin to a tarnished penny. A very dry, dusty nose: empty walnut shells, a book cabinet that’s not been opened for years. There’s nougat and prune juice, dry oloroso Sherry and some black pepper. There’s soul here.

Sweet, with a sour dryness: old leather books, damp earth and wooden furniture. The fruit is rich and dark – dried citrus peel, raisins, prunes – and accompanied by a complementary saltiness, the effect of which is more Christmas pudding than cake.

Dry, fruity and earthy.

Drier than most Sherried malts; there’s balance and complexity. Excellent.

Someone left the windows to the beach library open again.

Thick, like sugar syrup. It’s all molasses and burnt honey, dense wild strawberry jam, salt water taffy and hazelnuts. Very Christmassy. Very Sherried.

Rich and sweet, as you’d expect, with a thick, syrupy texture bordering on liqueur-like. It’s very, very Sherried. In fact it’s so Sherried it’s almost one-dimensional. It doesn’t go anywhere else.

Sweet. Sherried.

There’s little dryness, and bucketloads of rich fruit and sweetness, so it will no doubt appeal to Sherry bomb fans. However, four years finishing in first-fill PX casks has completely destroyed any semblance of Bunnahabhain character. This could be from any distillery.

With a Manchego or vintage Cheddar.

Immediately there’s the brandy finish, in fruity red wine and black pepper, though it works in tandem with the bready maltiness of a young Bunnahabhain. The smoke is obvious, but not overpowering.

Soft and malty at first, with juicy forest and orchard fruits gently tumbling over the tongue. But it becomes punchy – an intense spiciness on the mid-palate rises as a precursor to a wave of smoke.

Smoky and quite long.

The brandy finish adds a rounded fruitiness to Bunnahabhain’s smoky alter ego.

Snacking on strawberries on a blustery coastal walk.

Thick and unctuous, but reluctant to give all its character away on the nose. Waxy red apple skin, thick milk chocolate and a recently-polished table is about all you’re given.

Soft brown sugar and rich fruit, then baking spices gently emerge, building to a crescendo, before sloping off in a whirl of toasted oak, salty grilled pineapples and bouncy balls (in a good way). A beautiful, waxy texture.

Sadly, a little too short.

Rich, fruity and syrupy.

Behind the Big Top. Someone nearby bobs for apples as the crowds cheer the unicyclist in the ring.

Delicate and fresh – a classic Glenrothes, albeit youthful for a 20-year-old. Orchard fruit blooms with Conference pears, Golden Delicious apples and fragrant apple blossom. Wemyss’ Italian bakery emerges as icing sugar and flaked almonds, buttery flaky pastry, and a swift grating of orange zest. 

Much fiercer than the nose lets on – it’s got bite. Rich fruit from the off gives way to a rising charred, spicy heat on the mid-palate. Water calms the storm, revealing a secret apple bon-bon beneath, redolent with sour green apples, a dusting of icing sugar and a rich toffee heart. But it’s nowhere near as characterful as the nose suggests.

Spicy and dry. Surprisingly, the lingering flavour is of dark chocolate nibs.

The nose is no indication of the palate; the palate no indicator of the finish. It’s a dram that keeps you guessing.

Turning this way and that, he admitted the hedge maze had gotten the better of him.