It's been a long while since I talked about the Yamazaki 18, and today's whisky is older, and a little more adventurous - we'll be venturing into small batches by an independent bottler that isn't a major player in the world whisky market, but has a good, solid spirits business going on.
Vom Fass bottles a fair amount of whisky independently, and they source their whiskies from pretty good distilleries - close collaborations with distillers and distilleries gives them access to some pretty good stuff, such as two whiskies hand-selected by the Teeling brothers that are now part of Vom Fass's range of whiskies that they vat and bottle themselves. Much of it is pretty young, but a couple, like this one tonight, are fairly old.
Bunnahabhain 24, bottled by Vom Fass (abv 41%)
The occasion for opening a new, old bottle? Well, the Norlan Whisky glasses have arrived. They received a lot of attention from whisky aficiandos when the project was announced on kickstarter, and it has taken off pretty well. I'm glad to have gotten my hand on a set of two (thanks EP!), and I'm gonna test these new glasses by pouring myself a dram of this Bunnahabhain 24.
First, can I comment on how nicely the whisky sits in the glass? The glass is handcrafted, so it is slightly asymmetrical. But that's alright - we don't want uniform soulless glasses, right?
Norlan marketed this glass by emphasizing on the double layered glass that gives it an ergonomic grip, yet delivers a good nosing experience. A cross between the old fashioned and the Glencairn glass, basically. The grip is good, and the double layer glass is visually pleasing. I think the glass is hollow between the two layers.
What makes it special are the 4 ridges at the bottom of the glass that are supposed to help with scent delivery when the whisky is swirled, as they disrupt the swirling motion. I think this works - scent delivery was pretty good, though it may not be as good for those whisky tasters who like to look out for the "necklace" or waterline that the whisky leaves on the glass when swirled - the disruption to the swirling leaves a more uneven line.
For more about the glass, go check out http://www.norlanglass.com/
On to the tasting...
Colour - The label says copper, but I think this is closer to gold.
Nose - As advertised, a fruit salad. With vanilla/yogurt/mayonnaise dressing. The fruits...I'm getting kiwis (a little citrusy), mangoes, honey dew, and maybe some grapes. Some hints of charred oak as well. Mm. Yes, the fruit salad dressing is very prominent on this, in a pleasant way.
Palate - Very fruity on entry - mangoes and oranges, and more of that fruit salad dressing. Oak then takes over, with some gentle but present smoke. Light wood-spice. With time, the wood becomes more prominent, and this starts to taste a little like the air in a carpentry, in a nice way. Freshly sawn wood, I think. The texture is very smooth, which is to be expected given its age. Some butterscotch and vanilla, though this is more of an un-intrusive backdrop behind the wood. After sitting in the glass, some salt and oranges too. Good development!
Finish - Lasts on oak, wood spice, something that feels like varnished wood. A little fruit - a slightly tangy mango, perhaps, though you've got to search for it. Slightly salty twang as well.
Overall - Fairly pleased with this old Bunnahabhain. An unpeated Islay that shows what smoke and fruit can do when combined properly together. This is quite big on fruits, but it combines well with wood and spice. My only gripe is that the oak starts to become quite assertive if you hold the whisky on the tongue, but it doesn't over-dominate the rest of the palate. I would have liked more complex explosion of fruits. Nonetheless, good whisky, this. I think it holds a candle to the Bunnahabhain 18 very well, displaying what Bunnahabhain is about. Maybe a slightly higher strength will give it more complexity. A bit wood forward, maybe because of the cask and age, though the spirit's fruity characteristics are still fresh.
About that glass - I think the glass helps with scent delivery, but to be sure, I have to check the Norlan glass using a whisky I'm more familiar with, and perhaps do a direct comparison between the Norlan and the Glencairn using the same whisky in one sitting. That'll be fun. Which whisky will that be...That's an experiment for next time, and hopefully, that'll be soon!
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