Just like in the last few years, we get to see again in 2018 some special releases from Distill distilleries. But this time it’s all coordinated and they were show cased in a dedicated event called ‘The Malt Gallery’ which is to become an annual event.
This year there are six special releases from Bunnahabhain, Deanston and Tobermory and the first one to be reviewed is the Bunnahabhain Mòine Bordeaux.
It was distilled on 18.12.2008 and bottled 26.02.2018 (so 9 year old age statement) spending all this time in Bordeaux red wine casks. 4,536 bottles were made, bottled at 58.1% and pretty much all of them were gone from the web shops following the huge success of previous years special releases (Moine Oloroso and Moine Brandy).
Bunnahabhain 9 Year Old 2008 Mòine Bordeaux Cask Matured (58.1%, £99.90)
Nose: Right out of the fresh bottle it was very closed and needed some time to open up. Then we get dry smoke accompanied by red berries, cherries and red wine. After breathing for a while there’s smoked meat and sweet glazed BBQ meat with nuttiness to top it all. Continue reading
Nose: Soft nose, for a fleeting second I could believe its a Glenmorangie whisky. It’s sweet with lots of stone fruit, citrus, soft white pepper, butterscotch, cake-y. After breathing for a few minutes there’s sweet dessert wine, nuttiness, dried pineapple and banana, then more
Nose: Sour sweet dried fruit, barley and cereals, honey and white pepper. After a few minutes it open up and we get some lovely sherry notes like milk chocolate, sour red berries juice mixed with demerara sugar so we get enhanced sour and sweet experience. 
Nose: Somewhat muted at first so lets give it a few minutes to open up. Then we have pears, apricot and honey sweetness. Slowly rocks dust note comes up, baked pears, cake dough and vanilla, After a while it gets fruiter and sweeter. 
Nose: Fruity, again the limestone note, hints of tropical and guava, caramel, butterscotch. A very fresh nose for a 25 Year Old Whisky. Pears and apricot, honey, gentle cinnamon and oak spice. Wt menthol freshness and slight note of semi dried plums and red berries 
Nose: Very closed and restrained at first. After a few minutes we get the limestone again, citrus, mellower, gentle white pepper, pears and a touch of apricot, honey and a bit of vanilla, less fruity than the younger siblings. 
Nose: Really not far away from the 12 year old. Fruity with pears and apricot, stronger bubble gum, limestone but not as a separate hard barrier but incorporated and ingrained, honey. After a few more minutes more fruits and orchard in springtime. 
Nose: Mellow maltiness, oranges, tangerine rind, honey, hardness below (rocks, stones and limestone), honey glazed pears. After a few minutes, fruit orchard, pears and apricot and some bubble gum. Then the sweet candies come along: pear drops and hard candies. 
Nose: Light and airy fruitiness, pears, honey, peaches. slowly getting green unripe fruitiness variants with melon and kiwi. With some time croissant dough and sweet barley with gentle white pepper in the backseat. 
Nose: Starts very floral, gentle peat, lactic, wisps of smoke. With time more peat lactic and balanced, vanilla, with even more time less lactic, more sour vanilla and tropical fruitiness laced with the floral peat. With water, tropical fruitiness, less intense floral, more orchard. 
Whisky Gospel 