Bunnahabhain 2004 DeDr

Decadent Drinks: If you stand outside Bunnahabhain distillery long enough, the sea eventually becomes part of the whisky. The warehouses sit right on the shore, looking out across the Sound of Islay. Salt wind, cold air and slow maturation all doing their quiet work over the years. This 2004 Bunnahabhain spent its life shaped by that environment. Fully matured in sherry casks, first in Oloroso and PX butts, before settling into a first fill PX hogshead for its final stretch. The wood brings depth and richness, but the distillery character remains unmistakably Bunna. The nose opens leafy and clean, with mineral salinity and dry sherry notes that lean toward nuts, spices and darker fruits rather than sweetness. There’s a freshness to it that feels coastal rather than heavy. On the palate it shows its age and structure. Cedar wood, salted nuts, waxes, soft dark fruits and a firm, robust body that carries everything with confidence. No peat, but unmistakably Islay. The finish lingers long and elegantly drying, balancing salt, spice and earthy sherry in a way that feels satisfyingly old-school. We bottled it with a gentle reduction to 55%, just enough to let the character open up fully without losing the structure that makes the whisky so enjoyable.

Tasting from a sample... ... compared to a refill whisky; approximately the same age and ~53% ABV. The nose is good, but could offer "more". The alcohol is not bothersome in the nose, but (too?) present. For me, the basic information and age are too much. When I think about alcohol, my first thought is of leather and a good old cognac (without excessive fruit). Nevertheless, it seems unbalanced to me. Even water doesn't help much, unfortunately. The alcohol almost becomes more noticeable. The whisky takes on a slightly sour note. Unfortunately, the alcohol is also (too?) noticeable in the taste. (The aforementioned comparison whisky is also rather spicy and also rather on the borderline - I shouldn't notice it too much here; but I do) Even with water, I find the alcohol too prominent. The whisky then becomes rather acidic. Too bad... Expectations are, and always have been, high. The price is ambitious. The bottler is more "high end". But this Bunna won't convince me. What I'm missing most is a nice (darker) fruitiness. With two first-fill casks, you'd at least expect that. From one perspective, neither barrel could have been the best or most active. Adding a lot of water helps initially, but ultimately makes it too watery in taste. I wish I still had some of the OA 21 sample from 2025. From memory, it was (significantly) darker, leatherier, and more PX-heavy. But also more balanced. (And rather cheaper.) On the second tasting of the sample, I poured myself some of a newer Bunna 18 OA. I actually found it better today.

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2026/08/11/campbeltown-malts-fest-2026-watt/ Last up, a repeat from The Whisky Event [WLP86]. N: Another all-sherried number, but coming in as today’s dessert dram in timely fashion. T: A greasy mouthfeel reminiscent of the fruity/oily-slick dumpy official 12yo from the 1980s, but of the ‘now’ and with eleven more years on the clock. F: Flashes of Bunna’s brilliance steer it away from sherry-bomb predictability. C: One of the better sherried drams of the week, which is good going given my growing indifference to them this week [and some].

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2026/06/27/the-whisky-event-2026-part-2-2/ We’ve tried a few O.O’s. Now comes O.I., or “Oi” as I coined it [and no doubt after countless others]. C: Spending most of its life in a refill PX cask, the results are as expected. Having had more than two decades to settle into itself, this one appears truly comfortable in its own skin. Provisionally +/-86, I will try this again a few weeks later in Campbeltown.

Tried from a 2cl sample

81-85 – Wow, really good one

Tasted at The Whisky Event 2026.

Very Bunna Chocolate Salty Tobacco Dark fruits Very good

Oddly enough: on the one hand, beautifully mature, on the other hand, not particularly expressive. Overall, though, very tasty; the palate is the highlight.

My first impression was never that it was a First Fill; it looks more like a Refill. The alcohol strength of 55% is just right and is perfectly integrated. But I thought €300 was too expensive for a 21-year-old. Despite everything, a very tasty malt.

Typical Bunnahabhain sherry, beautifully balanced and velvety, juicy red fruits, varnished wood, pastry cream. Thick, rubbed Muscat grape peel, blueberry tart, citrus pulp. Chocolate, shea butter, vanilla in its pod, café au lait. On the palate, it leans more towards white, even exotic, fruits: Comice pears, a drop of papaya juice, Golden Delicious apples, elegant oak, rather light but present spices. Clove and nutmeg. The finish is not too aggressive, but very long, with pralines full of caramel, green tea, light touches of charcoal, black earth, and fresh blackberries. Peach pits, tinder notes, very slight bitterness. To be perfectly honest, I have to say I'm a little disappointed. A friend told me it was exceptional, and indeed it's very good, very representative of the distillery, and it has a very nice balance. However, it's not very expressive and offers few surprises. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2026/08/bunnahabhain-2004-old-islay-21-yo.html