Islay Festival - An independent Bunnahabhain and the Springbank 18

Bunnahabhain 27 years 1987/2014 (bottled for the Auld Alliance, 99 bottles only, 49.1% abv)

Nose: Honey, caramel, heather, light smoke, and a little salty. The mix of honey, caramel and saltiness gives this a bit of a toffee smell

Palate: The toffee continues, and is made more complex by the addition of some light leather (is this the faint trace of an old refill sherry cask?) Some flowers, don't ask me which ones. A little fruity, apples and berries. Pretty good! The honey and caramel are less pronounced, making this a whisky that doesn't quite come across as being sweet. For something that's been around for 27 years, there isn't a strong cask influence - or at least, I'm not detecting too much oak, vanilla, or too strong a sherry cask imprint on the whisky.

Finish: Minerals, and smoke right at the back, like a good Bunnahabhain. Not very long, but this is fairly classy. A bit citrusy too, but as with the flowers, I'm not sure what fruit that is.

Overall: Oh, an Islay that is neither peaty nor medicinal! Hurray! This is pretty good! Not very big, but classy. I like that the wood isn't overt and rude. This one worked out to about $40 a glass at the Auld Alliance. Hmm. Not quite value for money, even though it is pretty good. Thanks JE for your tasting notes as reference! Next up...

Springbank 18 (46% abv)

Nose: Leather and a lot of big, malty notes - a really thick porridge. Salty and slightly peaty too. The coastal characteristics are there, but they're balanced off with some berry fruits and a bit of a citrusy, sour touch that reminds me of yoghurt. After a while, Springbank's minerals pokes through - a bit of...wet rock? Calcium? I'll visit a limestone cave one day and try to nail down this scent.

Palate: Fruit punch on entry - think berry and orange mix. This then turns to salt, and a return of the leather. And big malts again. An oatmeal porridge with salt sprinkled in, like my mum used to have for breakfast. I liked the taste but hated the texture - so having that taste in a whisky is frankly a good compromise. The malt and fruits take a break as some minerals break through - like a siesta, the big flavours take a break to reveal some good, clean mineral water that has flowed over rocks and soil before ending up in this whisky. Some peat, and then pepper.

Finish: black tea and orange peel. This is quite a tannin-ed finish, if there's such a word. But it's not excessively drying, which is good. The oranges, smoke and pepper kept me salivating.

Overall: I've had the Springbank 10, 12 and 15 before this. I think this is more restrained than the other 3. The 10 is clearer and simpler in its delivery, giving a good and straightforward Springbank experience. The 15 was a bit odd, like they could not find the balance between the sherry and boubon casks. The sour notes in the 15 become rather pleasant berry and orange notes in this 18, so that's great. But I wish the 18 had bigger minerality, salinity, waxier and, just more complex. Maybe more years in the casks would impart even more depth. The 18 feels like its on the cusp of greatness - the rawness of the spirit has been tamed, but the cask has not had enough time to enrich it enough. The 12 was great because it was a powerful young Springbank. The 18 does not feel like its old enough yet. Still good, but on the border of greatness looking in.

Perhaps it's a bit sacrilegious to rate a Springbank higher than an Islay during the Islay festival week...but that's what it is. Oops. Sorry.