Don’t look a gift scotch in the mouth

Michael Fraser Milne at Whisky Galore was kind enough to recently send me a sample of some 1974 Berry Bros Bunnahabhain single malt. For the uninitiated, Bunnahabhain is another Islay scotch distillery. It’s actually pronounced “Boo-na-ha-ven”, I’ve discovered, but apparently Auckland barmen don’t know that. I’ve been calling it ‘Bun-ah-bane’ for years and not a single one has sniggered. It means “mouth of the river” and is apparently referred to as “the Islay whisky without the Islay character” because it’s less peaty than other malts from the island.

The Berry Bros Bunnahabhain has all the characteristics of something special. But I recently committed a terrible faux pas when I told Michael that I thought it was “most interesting”. To make matters worse, I added that to my untrained palate it had the strongest bourbon notes I’ve ever tasted in a malt, in spite of being from a sherry cask. “Dare I say it, it almost has a sour mash taste,” I gushed, “a hint of Jack Daniel’s”.

Michael emailed me back and patiently and graciously corrected my errors. His response, particularly since it was clear by this time that I wasn’t intending to buy a bottle, was so detailed and interesting that I’ve decided to quote it here in full — and only partly because I feel I’ve slandered this extraordinary scotch by mentioning Jack Daniel’s in the same breath:

I would not describe it in that manner. I think if you had some JD to compare you would find there are huge differences. Sherry cask is not really the correct terminology. The cask, although procured from the sherry industry, is best described as European plain oak. This particular cask is most likely a second or even third fill. That is to say, it has had scotch whisky in it for at least 10 years prior to being used for this maturation. You can tell this from the colour. In fact, it may even have had whisky in it for up to 25 years. When this goes back for a refill, it’s chosen carefully and would be monitored to see its progress.

When a cask has had new spirit/whisky in it from Scotland for a number of years then it becomes plain wood as opposed to fresh wood.

In actual fact, there is very little fresh wood used. An American oak barrel (190 litres), for example, is generally broken down into staves in America before shipping. On arrival in Scotland it’s reworked into a hogshead (250 litres), using more staves of the same type and also fitting new oak butt ends.

Before the ends go on, the American charring is scrubbed off the inside using wire brushes and then lightly toasted to open the wood up. So really any bourbon effect is lost, or at least in most cases.

Then, 90% of these hogsheads go to the grain distilleries as opposed to the malt producers, where they are filled with grain new spirit for at least three years after which it can be called scotch, then they are used for malt fillings.

European sherry casks are different. They are very expensive and are called “butts” (500 litres). They arrive fresh and are not dealt to in any way. They go to the malt distillers and are filled directly.

However, these casks are a very small proportion of total fillings — depending on whose figures you look at, as low as 10% or as high as 18%.

This is where it gets complicated: Only about 2% to 5% are actually fresh casks being filled each year. The majority of hogsheads are second or third fillings. These casks are often reworked. That is to say, the butt ends taken off, the wood scrubbed and toasted to open it up and perhaps new butt ends put on. Also, new or replacement staves, if needed.

So although the trade talks about “sherry” casks and “American bourbon” casks, they are really referring to their origin rather than the effect of the previous contents. There is no doubt that sherry does have an impact on the wood but do remember that Oloroso grapes are white and the sherry comes out dark so it is the wood that gives the sherry its colour, not the other way around.

Most old whiskies age best in either a American oak hogshead or a re-filled European oak butt. Fresh or new European Oak can age well, but it's not quite so easy to determine if this will be the case. Often the vanillas take over the whisky.

Confused? It’s a big subject. There are many opinions and many so-called facts that re often rubbish. The “cask is king” when it comes to what the whisky ends up like, and the scotch whisky trade really understands this and is going to great lengths to both secure the wood for the future and also to fully understand all the effects that we might expect.

Anyway, enough of that about the whisky. I would just say from my notes:

Nose: Gingerbread, spice (nutmeg), citrus peel. some summer hay.
Taste: Creamy almost a fine Fino sherry, with a whiff of peat.
Finish: Medium, continuing cream with some peat coming back on the after-palate.

Also, do remember that for appreciation a cut with water is really essential, especially at that strength — or, indeed, in most cases.

Michael concludes by saying that the only thing that really matters is whether we’ve enjoyed it: “Most times yes, sometimes really YES!” I second that emotion, but still prefer Michael’s “standard dram”: a Glenfarclas 12-year-old, to the 1974 Berry Bros Bunnahabhain. He points out that, as an export only expression, New Zealand is one of the few countries where you can buy Glenfarclas of this age. I find it more subtle, less ‘in your face’ and, although it may not be as old, to my mouth it has more of what I’ve come to expect from a single malt: an indefinable, elusive quality, a taste you can’t quite get your tongue around. And long live the mystery.