The idyllic setting of the Bunnahabhain distillery – the most remote on Islay
Two months ago, I learnt something new: you can’t enjoy every whisky. It seems obvious enough, but in deepest midwinter I ventured to my usual haunt and purchased a bottle of the Bunnahabhain 12 year old. I’d heard great things about it and was rather eager to try it for myself. So upon arriving home, a glass was immediately cleaned and a measure of the new purchase poured in. Yet no sooner had my nose been eagerly thrust into the glass than wham! it was instantly recoiled in horror (please forgive the hyperbole).
Grief, I thought, something is most definitely wrong with the whisky. A bizarre smell, one that I couldn’t place, permeated through it: a weird mixture of nut oil, palm oil, smoldering plastic, rubber and other assorted generic ‘chemicals’. Aware now that my £25 of parted cash was on the line, I braved the smell and tried hopelessly to associate it with some pleasant aromas. Yet alas, it was too plastic for vanilla, too nutty for fruits, and smelt worryingly like a local cardboard factory. Funnily enough, it actually tasted OK, but it would have been a gargantuan challenge to drink this whisky and actually enjoy it; the taste in this instance couldn’t buoy up its unfortunate olfactory brother.
So was there anything wrong with the whisky? No, not at all. I would be the first to acknowledge that Bunnahabhain is a very good whisky. The problem was solely me, and my own subjectivity. Sometimes a decent whisky is just not palatable to an individual, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If anything, it further goes to highlight the subjective nature of our own Cask Tales reviews. What did I do with the whisky? Aware that I couldn’t possibly give this a fair review (although I may do one in the summer), I swapped it with Josh in return for some Drambuie. Yes, he’s reviewed it and, yes, he tends to agree with me about that ‘smell’ running through the whisky, but nowhere near enough to feel actively repulsed by it. But then everyone has at least one whisky that they don’t particularly like. Hardeep, of Winestop fame, has the same uneasy feeling about Laphroaig’s whisky, which I love. And what about his view on Bunnahabhain? He sings its praises. Go figure.
And there you have it! The personal nature of a review, whether it be a whisky, beer, music, film, book, or whatever else interests you. Although I have never purchased a bottle of the Bunnahabin, I remember enjoying it. But it’s been awhile, so I could be wrong. As I like to say, you may not like something, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Either way, your honesty is always respected and appreciated.
Cheers!
G-LO
Thank you! And you’re quite right: I don’t like the Bunnahabhain 12, but that doesn’t stop it being a good whisky. It’ll be interesting to try some of their other expressions, or the twelve year old again (in a few years’ time!).
I just had a similar experience with Willett. I was super excited, got it home, poured it into my customary Glencairn, took a whiff, and looked for the brandy bottle I had mistakenly poured from. Not being a fan of brandy I was not a huge fan of the very brandy-like flavor and smell of Willett, but quite a few people love it, so who am I to judge. It does happen apparently.
Slainte,
Chuck
http://www.whiskeyworldtour.com
Agreed – it can be a perfectly good whisky but just not palatable to an individual. I guess you won’t know till you try it!
I also found that letting a bottle grow on you is a great idea. The first time I had Woodford Reserve, it drove me crazy (not in a good way), and I thereby stated I would never finish the bottle. I did, and am happy that I did it, because I ended up really liking it towards the end. So giving a whiskey, especially one that is particularly different from others, time to adjust to your palate, or your palate to it as the case may be, is always a good idea if you’re willing to put up with the process.
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