Bunnahabhain 2001 Feis Ile 2021

My first feis ile, what a find , I really was impressed with the smell, i could just smell it all evening. There was no alcohol to worry about, i had waited one hour for my first sip. And it was sweet, nutty, intens, rounded, For me it is a top whisky. The aftertaste was so magnificent, all the taste notes were spot on

Nose: varnished wood, turkish apricots, kumquat marmalade, cloves, poached quinces and finger limes Palate: macerated strawberries, liquorice root and sweet tea Finish: honey syrup, oranges in caramel, treacle toffee, almond brittle and beech nuts With water Nose: gum arabic, padded envelopes, rolling tobacco, rosewater locum, rosehip Palate: deglet nour dates, tamarind paste and pomegranate molasses Finish: verjus and warming spices, orange wine

A nice dram with a rather subtle Marsala note.

Nose: raspberries, citrus peel, orange, dates, molasses Taste: somewhat dull, a bit bitter, some red fruit -- feels closed off, creamy, dark chocolate, a bit of chili, dried strawberries Finish: long, a bit prickly, drying tannins Water helps -- this is still an 86 for me with some astringency throughout weighing it down.

Phew, I expected something else. The sulfur impression from the nose and the palate can still be booked as an interesting aroma aspect, but the thin back taste and the lean finish cannot be disputed. Too bad.

Youtube Review: https://youtu.be/klvlwcw0g8c

Rich apricot syrup, blackberry jam, Himalayan sea salt, vanilla, wool sweaters, and leather. It has a thick mouth feel and will likely open up to something even better. Currently (first crack) it comes across more like a 13 to 15 year old whisky (not quite as obviously nuanced as the average 19 year old), but I get the impression it will eventually. Still, it brings the Marsala goodness I like and is very much a good whisky.

An initially cautious, but actually very varied and profound malt, which I like to add to my favorites - for me it was very successful - slàinte mhath!

It has a nice dark, very appetizing color. You can also smell the wine barrel straight away. This slightly sweet grape note, going into fermentation. Violent start! He's moving in ... Sloes, carnations, laurel ... spicy and woody. He looks young and fresh very aromatic. I personally would have liked it a little more fruity, but then the opinions differ ... Nice malt.

A solid dram - for 199£ I would expect a lot more though! It lacks the depth, complexity and intensity of experience that I would expect for that money. Strongly recommended to taste before you buy! The nose is fairly soft with a slight alcohol prickle. Creamy vanilla, blackberries, prunes, hint of soft floral honey, sea air, soft oak with a resinous nuance. Glace cherries, dry cocoa, white pepper, hints of orchard fruit (apricot). Lemon curd. On the palate - fortified wine. I don't get a sense of the Marsala cask being well integrated with the spirit, rather it feels like someone's put wine in my whisky - it's a bit too obvious. Still, it's a tasty enough dram. Nice acidity and sweetness, followed by some spice. Vanilla, prunes, raisins, walnuts, cherries, dark chocolate. Overall a disappointment - however, seeing the prices for some of the other Feis Ile releases this year (160£ for a 13 yo Lagavulin, anyone?) the pricing is on trend. It's very easy for distillers to get lazy when we don't open our bottles.. On a positive note, I've grabbed the comparatively reasonably priced 18 year old Oloroso cask Bowmore, haven't tried it yet but hoping for some redemption.

Orange, honey, very dominant spice and sharp notes of chili. A mixture of strawberry jam and wood on the nose.

Unfortunately quite disappointing I have to say... Very modern style and quite alcohol-driven altogether. Firstly, I have much higher expectations when it comes to Feis Ile bottlings (no matter if it's a Virtual Feis or not) and secondly, the value for money ratio is not really the best, considering that this whisky is 19 years old and costs 199£... The nose felt really sour with notes of vinegar and overly ripe and sour fruits like orange and grapefruit. Additionally I found hints of nuts with a light sweetness and really bad, wet, rotten (almost mouldy) wood. The palate is very dry and alcohol forward. I had to add some drops of water directly after the first sip - that helped! There is a light sweetness with loads of dry wood. I also found some orange-chocolate with some light leather and some dark cherries. Altogether a bit one-dimensional and not too complex - but definitely better than the nose! The finish is again dry and quite spicy. It is medium-long with slight hints of leather and some metallic notes but altogether not very complex, too. Well, I have commented on the the overall impression in the beginning and am left a bit disillusioned because, for me, Feis Ile has always been a term signifying wonderful quality... 84 points from me for this Bunnahabhain Feis Ile 2021, Marsala finish.

It's okay, I haven't found any major missing notes, but it doesn't knock me out either. Since the excellent Sauternes 2019 it has unfortunately been steadily downhill, but not with the price ;-) I definitely would not have bought the bottle (probably not even for a lower price)

Quite sharp nose when initially poured, but it mellows and darkens quickly with a bit of air and a few drops of water. Then you get a rich, nutty nose, with plenty of dark and ripe fruits/berries, oak, old leather, damp warehouse and a hint of salty sea air. Fairly strong cask influence, but the classic Bunnahabhain DNA still manages to make its presence known. Despite the initial impression, given time this is clearly a well-aged malt where the cask has enhanced the experience. The cask and spirit don’t seem to blend so well on the palate, where there feels like an ongoing battle between them. Likewise, the finish is relatively short and sweet, without the lingering presence I normally get from this distillery. A dram of mixed success in my book.

I thought the saltiness on this balanced nicely against the sweetness of the four and a half year marsala butt finish. The spice laden profile was delicious and I agreed with the wife that this reminded me of barbecue sauce flavored potato chips. There were some interesting balsamic vinegar notes that came alive at the end, though I wish those had actually pulled all the way. The nose on this was also very interesting, it reminded me strongly of mixing curry powders at home— not the flavor of cooking curry, but the concentrated spice bouquet.

It was like I was unwrapping a roll of old velvet.

The nose is still a bit shy (slight Bunna spice) but in the mouth there are wonderfully strong (but round) aromas. Longer pleasant finish, astringent, earthy or mocha. 81-85 – Wow, really good one

Can you drink it might just be the right dram in some situations. Overall, however, rather disappointing for the older of the two “regular” Feis Ile Bunna. Full review in a flight of six Feis Ile 2021 bottlings: https://keinehalbendrinks.de/2021/11/24/feis-ile-2021/

A luxurious whisky. There’s a good amount of marsala, but it’s very well-balanced with the nutty and creamy Bunnahabhain spirit. The nose is intoxicatingly layered, the palate is rich and decadent, and the finish is long but keeps things from getting too sweet.

with water: it tolerates water well, becomes softer and fruity, the sweetness also comes into its own. He absolutely needs water! Conclusion: A bit disappointed at the beginning, what you get here for 200 GBP as Feis Ile bottling, but with a little time and a lot of water it becomes really nice, but it still doesn't take me with it - a shame

A large platter of smoked fire-roasted fruits?

Like the younger offshoot of this year's "virtual" Feis Ile a certain disappointment. Neither of them are bad malts per se, but you could hide them in every tasting under 4-5 bottlings from other bottlers and nobody would find them. No finesse, no class, no unique selling point. The latter is (once again) only reflected in the price. It's a shame, Bunnahabhain. You can definitely do better.