Blind Summit Cameronbridge 22yo & Blind Summit Bunnahabhain 11yo

Blind Summit Cameronbridge 22yo

Region: Lowland

ABV: 56.4%

Price: £75.00 (50cl)

Distilled on 7th June 2002, this release was bottled in 2024 at 22 years old after a finishing period in an Australian Rare Tawny cask from Petritti Winery. A total of 131 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose is intriguing.. it doesn’t present as a grain straight away, there’s lots of wine cask influence coming through. We’re finding cranberry jam, baked apple, torched figs, strawberry chewits, clove spice and a handful of dried apricots too. We’re also finding warm cinnamon spice, grape must, cherrywood and a little red brick. The wine cask feels really well integrated, we get a touch of grain spirit on its own but it’s mostly melded into the warm berry and spice aromas. The alcohol is also in good balance, it’s a pleasure to nose.

Palate

The palate opens with warm cinnamon and clove spice, moving quickly into maraschino cherries, strawberry squash, juicy red grapes and a bit of brandy and ginger spice as the palate develops. It’s a bit hotter on the palate than the nose would have led us to believe, however this shows as those baking spices and pink peppercorns. The grain spirit is fairly well hidden here, the wine influence covers a lot of that spirit character. The mouthfeel has a good texture, and the finish does stick around, albeit more on the sides of your mouth with strawberry sherbet and cherry cola cubes.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose feels a little tighter initially, but as we venture deeper we’re getting a lot of red currants, eucalyptus, copper, ginger juice and fig jam. There’s a little more grain character coming through but it’s still very wine forward.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate hasn’t changed too much, we’re still getting those baking spices up front, cherry wood, cola cubes, ginger spice and a bit of pepper on the finish. There’s more fruitiness on the latter palate now, dried cranberries and apricots.

Conclusion

A grain in sheep’s clothing, you could fool a lot of die hard malt drinkers with this one. Very wine cask forward, but it maintains the character of a whisky rather than being a high ABV wine substitute. We’re fans.

Score: 8/10

Value

The price is around £100 for a 70cl bottle, which isn't too bad in today's market.

Blind Summit Bunnahabhain 11yo

Region: Islay

ABV: 54.8%

Price: £60.00 (50cl)

Distilled on 7th March 2013, this release was bottled in 2024 at 11 years old after a finishing period in a rum cask from Foursquare Distillery. A total of 128 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with walnut stuffed dark chocolate truffles, toasted coconut flakes, fresh pressed apple juice, core and all, alongside a coastal funkiness, grilled pineapple rings and hay bales. It’s a nose that’s needs some time and air to open up, but we’re now getting almond butter, salted toffee, overripe banana skins and freshly turned soil. A nice balance of alcohol, not overpowering in the slightest, but still present.

Palate

The palate opens with sweet pineapple, a hint of guava, honey roast ham, black peppercorns, brown seeded bread, and a handful of coffee ground on the latter part of the palate. The mouthfeel is nice, reasonably syrupy, and we’re getting richer dark chocolate and dark rum flavours as the dram opens up. It’s a mixture of sweet, earthy and savoury, it seems to change on each sip we take. The alcohol appears more prominently on the palate, leaving a tingly pepperiness on the medium length finish.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings more earth, salt and smoke to the dram, really showing off the distillery character. More fresh green leaves, salt-baked fish, runny honey and a bit of orange peel too. The alcohol is still in good balance and water has brought a bit more out of the nose for us.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate maintains the syrupy mouthfeel and mellows some of the upfront peppery spice. More salty smoked ham, sweet pineapple and a little bit of fudge now appears for us. There’s a herbaceous quality that’s kicking around, rosemary sprigs perhaps.

Conclusion

It’s a unique, interesting whisky, lots of contrasting flavours and aromas, it feels like we get something different every time we take a sip. It has a coastal Islay backbone, with the rum adding tropical hints without overtaking the spirit. We’ve heard that it has been reduced slightly from a post-60% ABV, which we think was the right move given it’s still fairly punchy.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

It’s a good price for an Islay whisky.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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