Bunnahabhain 2008/2024 - 15 yo - # 3842174 - Octave (Duncan Taylor) - Germany

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 54.2% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This single-cask release combines 15 years of maturation with a four-month finish in a small ex-sherry Octave holding around 50 litres. The Bunnahabhain was distilled in 2008 and bottled by Duncan Taylor in 2024 for the German selection of The Octave series. Cask 3842174 yielded 90 bottles, each containing 0.7 litres. The whisky is bottled at its cask strength of 54.2%, with natural colour and without chill filtration.

Salted caramel, dark chocolate and cherries sit alongside almond notes. Blackberries and dates add to the fruit, while tobacco and the bitter edge of walnuts contrast with the sweetness. Cherry syrup, caramelised almonds, raisins and nut cake broaden the profile, with cinnamon and maritime saltiness adding spicy and savoury accents.

This bottling was one of seven single-cask releases issued by Duncan Taylor for Germany in 2024. Six appeared in The Octave range and received finishes lasting several months in small ex-sherry Octaves. The whisky comes in a presentation tube.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, salted caramel and bittersweet dark chocolate mingle with almonds and ripe cherries. Cherry syrup, caramelised almonds and raisins add further notes.
• Palate: The whisky is full-bodied on the palate, with juicy blackberries, dates, cherries and nut cake. Bold tobacco notes meet bitter, salted walnuts and cinnamon.
• Finish: Nutty notes, dark fruit and dried fruit linger through the long finish. Gentle maritime saltiness accompanies the aftertaste.

Distillery/Bottler:

Bunnahabhain Distillery stands in the north-east of Islay. William Robertson founded it in 1881 with brothers William and James Greenlees, and production began in 1883. A settlement grew alongside the distillery, with roads and homes for employees and their families. Water for production comes from the Margadale spring north of the distillery. The name Bunnahabhain means “mouth of the river”.

Duncan Taylor is the independent bottler behind this release. The Octave concept centres on an additional maturation stage in small casks. Larger Butt casks are dismantled, their staves reduced in size and reassembled into Octaves. The finishing period is monitored in the warehouses in Huntly before the whisky is bottled at cask strength without added colouring.

Facts: