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new bunny old bunny (opened whisky)

I've had the same bottle of Bunnhabhain 12 in 175ml airline-wine-bottles, and one was open since Spring, and the other I opened tonight.

To address the question about whether whiskies change when open: yes, they are different.

To qualify that--neither of these two are in the league of the Bunnahabhain

12 I bought about two years ago, when it was reputed that they were using 18-year-old stock for the 12 year old.

These 2 bunnies from the same bottle are worthwhile, but not the deep, rich, meister-klasse of that earlier Bun, which was all sorts of mellowness and depth.

The one of the two from the same bottle open since Spring is better. Time sucking up air has helped this dram. It is gentler, warmer, and has a maply edge to the pleasant caramel, whereas the newly opened 175ml bottle is spirity and almost raspy. Neither are anywhere near as good as my Bunny bottle from two years bac, but the newer bottle has a touch of pleasant caramel but the older one has a dimension that the fresh opening does not have: "dresser drawer".

I realize that "dresser drawer" is not common parlance in tasting-note circles, but it is meant to suggest a touch of old cedar wood that goes beyond the basic burst of burn that the new one has. I assume you are all understanding perfectly well what I am saying. Or are at least ewhat I am pretending to saying.

Because that is the language of tasting notes. Tasting notes talk about "cedar box engraved with Daniel Boone signature embossment with fig, apricot, and Toy-Story figurine lickings". NO they don't. They leave OUT the 'Daniel Boone' and the 'Toy Story figurine licking' bits, because, let's be frank, they only mention things that you can pick up at the Saturday market at Aix-en-Provence. That's because the things you can pick up at the Saturday market at Aix-en-Provence sound classy, and the other things the nose can actually perceive clearly DON'T.

But let's be honest. Sometimes you can pick up essences of carburetor, essences of swamp gas, essences of formaldehyde--but nobody mentions them. Why?

You know why.

In any case, the Bunny open to air since spring is better than the Bunny from the same bottle I just unleashed.

Reply to
Douglas W. Hoyt
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...or salt. 8;)

-- Larry

Reply to
Larry

Tried a similar experiment, but with two opened bunni'es. No.1: Bought 2002, opened 5 month ago, june 2003. No 2: Bought 1999 and opened same year.

1: had a little more sherry notes in the nose, and also in the taste. And a more mellow taste, too. 2: had less nose and less sherry-taste, but a bit more sharp in the after taste.

  1. is a normal 70cl bottle at 40% abv. 2. is a 1l bottle at 43% abv.

It seems that the 4 years has flattened the bunny, but not as bad so you couldn't still enjoy it. At least compared to a bad experience I had with a Bowmore 12, I had forgotten at the back of the cabinet, the remaining small portion was practically un-drinkable.

So maybe I would have to check some of the other bottles opened more than a year.

Reply to
Karl Ejnar Christensen

the taste. And a more mellow taste, too.

in the after taste.

Just to complicate things, there was a report on this newsgroup a little while back that recent bottlings of the Bunnhabhain (which would probably be about 2002) were using old stock whisky--so that in fact the 12-year-old was actually mostly 18-year-old! Unfortunately (for the comparison of old bottle versus new bottle), this may be a factor in explaining why the newer one is mellower and has more nose--but then again, who nose for sure?!?

Reply to
Douglas W. Hoyt

[snip]

Great article! I recently noticed the Sig. Glenrothes UCF was better after a quarter hour in the glass - but I haven't kept open bottles around for months, or split opened bottles into smaller ones (as I'm begining to do now and then), often enough to do the kind of comparison you describe here. But I tended to think a few whiskies did seem to get better after being opened for a while - and others seemed to decline and lose some of their clarity and punch.

From working with paints I often notice smells that resemble linseed oil, and other "paint" aromas; while they aren't romantic descriptors to most people, they can smell pretty good to me. And even aromas that are actually "bad" can be pretty *good* when they're part of a harmonious whole.

Bart

Reply to
Bart

Good point. To compare two bottles that different might not make much sense. It's however amazing, that the difference isn't that big. But of course comparing your way makes a bit more sense. By the way, do you allow the whisky to rest in the glass for some time before tasting? Jim McEwan of Bruichladdich recommends at least one minute pr. year of age

By the way, do you know when they changed from 43% to 40%?. Or is it maybe because the 1l bottle (43%) was bought in the taxfree shop at the airport?

Reply to
Karl Ejnar Christensen

before tasting?

ANOTHER fascinating comparison opportunity. Right out of the bottle vs. one minute per year of age!

maybe because the 1l bottle (43%) was bought in the taxfree shop at the airport?

I don't know about that one specifically, but in general the domestic markets in continental Europe have a nasty tendency to sell at 40%--and not only that but in 700ml bottles vs. 750ml. This, I believe, is mostly a price and taxation phenomenon. It is certainly not a quality phenomenon.

Reply to
Douglas W. Hoyt

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