Canasta Cream Sherry Williams & Humbert 75cl

Product Information

With core releases going through to more limited and older whiskies, as well as plenty of top-tier drams to toast a celebration or a hole-in-one, such as Macallan M Decanter, Glenfarclas 30yo and Highland Park 40yo. We also wanted to use this opportunity to showcase some of the incredible new distilleries in Scotland, such as Nc’Nean, Lindores Abbey and Kingsbarns.

The Spirit is the second whisky in the series, and has been created to capture the first stage of distillery production: taking the malted barley from the field through to mashing, fermentation, and distillation. Despite being located on an island known for its abundant supply of peat, Bunnahabhain stands out from the crowd by predominately specialising in unpeated whisky. What’s more, the installation of a Biomass Energy Centre in 2022 put Bunnahabhain on course to have the first net-zero distillation process on Islay. The Centre, which is fuelled with a mix of spent process malt called draff and locally sourced forest wood, saves 5,500 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, representing a reduction of 95 per cent over oil. Nevertheless, while embracing the latest in green technology, the other elements of Bunnahabhain’s production process have remained resolutely traditional, with two large onion-shaped stills producing a bold and fruity spirit with plenty of character. Irish whiskies tend to have a less peaty taste compared with scotch whiskies, and have that same light, fruity taste. Traditionally, Irish whisky is distilled in a copper pot, whereas in Scotland a double distillation process takes place. Manzanilla sherry is famed for being coastal, salty and nutty – characteristics that are similar to Bunnahabhain's spirit character. Meanwhile, Palo Cortado is a somewhat rare variant of sherry. Initially produced as an Amontillado, its flor dies early, which results in a flavour profile closer to oloroso sherry.The Dragon Series also gives us great confidence and excitement upon which to build and bring to life more concepts with Bladnoch in the future”. Once fermented, the wine will contain a high level of residual sugars, which imparts a distinctively sweet character. It is then aged like an Oloroso, resulting in notes of dried fruit such as raisins, prunes, and figs.

For the first time this year, Bunnahabhain is also launching an immersive virtual reality experience for those who can't make it to the festival in person. The experience allows viewers a 360º exploration of the distillery and the chance to watch virtual tastings with the distillery team, including master distiller McCarron.

Inspired by the success of Bunnahabhain's 1980 Canasta Cask Finish limited release, the Canasta Cask Matured makes use of a type of sherry cask rarely used in whisky maturation. Produced from a combination of Palomino and Pedro Ximénez grapes, Canasta sherry has a sweet and spicy character which Bunnahabhain says complements its unpeated spirit "exceptionally well". The Canasta Cask Matured is bottled non-chill filtered at 51.2% ABV. To the palate, this dram gifted smoked prune juice and cherry fondant served on driftwood. We also found crushed figs, apricot and brambles singed by a travelling firestarter intent on promoting the skills of cold smoking with peat. Introducing water elevated a smoked apple pie encased in a soft leather satchel, along with potted crab and rye bread. The palate offered a buffet of liquorice, smoked ginger and biltong, served on a bed of ash-dusted pebbles."