2012 Bunnahabhain 13 Year Old "Signatory" K&L Exclusive 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt #19 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

There are few things more pleasurable than the robust, oily, salty malt of Bunnahabhain paired with sultry oloroso-soaked European oak sherry casks for nearly a decade and a half. It's a style we rarely see in modern Scotch, harkening back to an older era that once seemed to define the far-flung distillery on the northeast coast of Islay. The simple fact that these casks once sold for much more does not negate their incredible quality. You'll still find previous releases of similar age from just a few years ago selling for legitimately twice our price. But that's ultimately beside the point, because these newer stocks are now coming of age and we are exploring their quality for the first time. I'm happy to report that the quality, at least of this particular butt, is simply stupendous. On we go. The color is a beautiful, robust burnt umber (1.7). The nose is universally appealing with huge notes of roasted sugar, sweet dried plums, poached pears, and sweetened whipped espresso, recalling the wafting aromas of Sant'Eustachio il Caffè in Rome's Centro Storico. Beneath all that dense sherry lies a sweet saltiness that reminds us the ocean is lapping at the foot of these warehouses. The palate is bold and rich with more herbs and sweet bark than the nose, but plenty of dense, ultra-mature rancio fruit as well. This whisky absolutely loves to swim, broadening and opening beautifully with water, adding both weight and complexity. I wish the distillery would offer more whisky like this; we'd have lots more interest in the brand. But alas, we're relegated to the occasional cask here or there showing this absurdly delicious character. I'll be praying each year that Signatory keeps the prices low on these very special stocks.