Bunnahabhain 10 Years Old 2014 Cask #3845493 (Duncan Taylor)

Companion piece to the earlier 16 year old Bunnahabhain Octave in this batch, same Duncan Taylor range, same cask format, but a younger spirit and a different finishing style. Cask 3845493, distilled in 2014, bottled in 2025 at a controlled 46% rather than full cask strength. The lower bottling ABV indicates this wasn't released as a single-cask natural-strength expression; it's been brought down to 46% for a softer presentation, sitting in Duncan Taylor's broader range rather than the single-cask cask-strength tier. The Octave format remains the defining cask choice, small ex-sherry vessels recoopered from full-size butts, used for accelerated finishing. On a 10 year old Bunnahabhain that's still relatively youthful, an Octave finish brings the sherry character forward quickly, layering dried-fruit and oak spice on top of the spirit's underlying coastal profile. Oloroso seasoning in the cask wood transfers walnut, fig and leather into the spirit with the high concentration the small cask format produces. At 46% with the Octave wood doing most of the lifting, the bottle should drink as a more approachable take on the heavily-octaved style, the lower ABV softens the cask intensity that natural-strength Octave releases can carry. Bunnahabhain's oily, lightly maritime distillate reads through cleanly underneath, and the sherry layer sits on top without overwhelming. A more session-friendly entry into Duncan Taylor's Octave programme. Natural colour, non-chill-filtered.