Three Fresh Expressions Unveiled by Bunnahabhain Distillery for Fèis Ìle 2023
Bunnahabhain Distillery is celebrating Fèis Ìle with three new limited release expressions: Canasta Cask Matured, 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish and 17 Year Old Triple Cask Moine
To mark Fèis Ìle 2023, Islay’s renowned whisky and music festival, Bunnahabhain Distillery has unveiled three new expressions: Canasta Cask Matured, 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish and 17-year-old Triple Cask Moine.
Fèis Ìle is one of the biggest events in the Single Malt Whisky lovers’ calendar, with thousands of people travelling to Islay to visit the nine distilleries that each get their own dedicated ‘day’ – Bunnahabhain’s being on Friday 2nd June.
For the first time ever, Islay’s most remote distillery is also launching a fully immersive virtual reality experience for those who can’t make it in person. This virtual reality experience allows users to fully immerse themselves in the world of Bunnahabhain, explore the distillery in 360 degrees, and enjoy tastings with the distillery team, including Master Distiller Brendan McCarron, from the comfort of their own homes.
Two of the new expressions, the Canasta Cask Matured and the 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish, will be available globally with a special experimental peated expression, the 17-year-old Triple Cask Moine exclusively sold at the distillery and at bunnahabhain.com.
The Canasta Cask Matured is a distinctive expression, inspired by the success of the Bunnahabhain 1980 Canasta Cask Finish limited release. Canasta casks are rarely used in whisky making and were once home to a skilful blend of Palamino and Pedro Ximenez grapes before being used for whisky making. This spicy and sweet combination compliments the Bunnahabhainunpeated spirit exceptionally well, adding layers of complexity and richness. No added colour and non-chilled filtered, the expression has been created to enjoy as nature intended, with an ABV of 51.2%.
The 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish is a celebration of the influences experienced at Bunnahabhain’s unique coastal home at the Northern most part of Islay. Manzanilla is famed for its coastal, nutty and salty characteristics, which pair beautifully with Bunnahabhain’s unpeated sherried spirit resulting in a warming and welcoming dram, bottled at cask strength with an ABV of 52.3%.
The 17-year-old Triple Cask Moine expression is exclusively available at the distillery. This experimental expression was inspired by Julieann Fernandez, Bunnahabhain’s Master Blender, and her love for rum and raisin ice-cream. A contrast to Bunnahabhain’shouse style, the 17-year-old has an ABV of 52.6% and is a marriage of three skilfully blended peated single malts that offers notes of the finest artisan rum and raisin ice-cream, with a wonderfully smoky finish.
Brendan McCarron, Master Distiller at Bunnahabhain, said: “We’re so excited to welcome whisky fans from across the globe to celebrate the world of Bunnahabhain at Fèis Ìle once again. We look forward to the festival every year as it is a great way to spend time with whisky lovers, bring them into our world and share some fantastic drams in such a beautiful setting.
“Our Canasta and Manzanilla expressions showcase the very best of our distillery home and our signature unpeated, sherried house style. Fèis Ìle also gives us a fantastic opportunity to experiment with the limited peated spirit we have, and our 17-year-old triple cask is a uniquely wonderful and smoky expression to add to the celebration. We’re very much looking forward to raising a dram with fellow whisky lovers later this year.”
To join the virtual Bunnahabhain experience, tasting kits and access to the virtual guide are available from www.bunnahabhain.com.
Tasting notes
Bunnahabhain Canasta
Colour: Polished Mahogany
Nose: Classic sherried nose, sweet and caramelised fruits, honey roasted nuts, waves of cinnamon and clove with a hint of rancio.
Palate: Maple syrup leads with creamy vanilla, dried figs, poached pears and a sprinkle of cocoa. A gentle twist of orange appears in the background.
Finish: Long and sweet with notes of brown sugar, red apples and vanilla custard.
Bunnahabhain 1998 Manzanilla Cask Finish
Colour: Chestnut
Nose: Notes of freshly baked pastry with sweet almonds, rose petals, grapefruit and dried spices are balanced with a touch of mahogany and incense.
Palate: Coastal influence of seaweed and fresh sea air are met with raisins and dates and intertwined with creamy fudge, waxed red apple and a warm sweet spice reminiscent of star anise
Finish: Spicy and aromatic, with caramelised walnuts; the star anise fades to reveal lemon peel and pears with a lingering note of sea salt.
Bunnahabhain 17 Year Old Triple Cask Moine
Colour: Golden
Nose: Perfumed smoke with violet flowers, barbequed pineapple, salted raisins and fresh vanilla pod
Palate: Rippling notes of smoke with double cream, raisins, crispy burnt sugar, ripe bananas and a twist of tropical fruits.
Finish: Rich finish with notes of smoky panna cotta.
All images belong to Bunnahabhain Whisky
