BUNNAHABHAIN 1989 - A.D. RATTRAY

Bought this bottle in Scotland this summer and had it open for about 2½ months now and think its about time to review it. Very fairly priced too at just under £60...

Talking about under... Below is a picture from a boat trip I was on in May 2011.
As we were coming up on Bunnahabhain en route to the Corryvreckan whirlpool, we passed the wreckage of the Wyre Majestic, a trawler that ran aground on Oct. 18th 1974 and still sits on the rocks around the point from the distillery.

The Wyre Majestic wreckage and Bunnahabhain Distillery just to the right - May 2011 © The Malt Desk

Bunnahabhain 1989 22yo 22.10.1989/28.05.2012 44,4%, ex-bourbon cask#5835, 279 bottles, A.D. Rattray

Straw coloured

Nose:
Creamy butterscotch, candied fruits and a salty tang... even some peat, which is a bit unusual for a Bunnahabhain from this era. Barley sugar sweetness and some veggie notes too.

Taste:
Malt extract, spices and certainly peat again. Also a lemony tang to this and hints of bran biscuits. Green fruits appear mid palate and then gives away to pencil shavings and a little heat and peat again on the finish.

A different Bunnahabhain this on - a bit more raw than their usual style and of course also from an ex-bourbon cask... Good stuff! 86/100!