Bunnahabhain 1973 40 YO The Fishes of Samoa (Whiskytaste Sweden)

Bunnahabhain 1973 40 YO The Fishes of Samoa (Whiskytaste Sweden), 50,6 %

Whiskybase.com is a fantastic online whisky database. You can find thousands and thousands of whiskies there, with facts, images and reviews. They also have an online shop, and a series of single cask whiskies. The whiskies are bottled under the label Archives. The Swedish whisky company Whiskytaste Sweden AB import a lot of interesting brands and labels, and one of these is Archives. The Fishes of Samoa is a series of whiskies from Archives, with colorful and cute labels.

I recently reviewed the official Bunnahabhain 40 YO (see review), and now I got to try the Bunnahabhain 1973 40 YO The Fishes of Samoa. It was distilled in March 1973 and bottled in April 2013. I has matured in a butt (cask #3463), and the out-turn was 156 bottles.

This whisky can be purchased at Systembolaget in Sweden at SEK 3301 (item number 84113).

Nose (24/25): Soft, creamy, quite fresh for the age. Citrus, vanilla, warm sand on a salt water beach. Make that soft leather sandals, worn on the same beach, then left to dry in the sun. A stunning nose, actually!

Taste (22/25): Fruity and creamy, almost oily in character. Caramel, citrus, vanilla and a hint of salt. There seems to be a whisp of smoke swirling in the background as well - not sure if I can pin it down.

Finish (22/25): The unexpected freshness from the nose is here as well. It's cool, velvety, fruity, slightly salty (maritime notes), and lingering.

Balance (23/25): This whisky is a real treat. The official Bunnahabhain 40 YO is even better (though not by much), but this expression from Archives costs about 1/6 of the official bottling! That's a bargain, if you can call a GBP 330 whisky a bargain.

Score (91/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas