After trying and liking a bottle of the core 12 Year expression by Islay distiller Bunnahabhain, I was eager and curious to try their peated bottle, the no-age-statement Toiteach (and apparently pronounced "toe chack" and meaning Smoky - a good sign). I bought a bottle as a birthday present for a new friend, who very kindly shared a glass with me, and I immediately wrote down my impressions to register here.
Toiteach has no age statement, like many Islay whiskies these days, since the smoke tends to mask any undesirable brash qualities in the younger spirit in the bottle, allowing them to save some of the other barrels in the warehouse. I wasn't sure how it would come across - the 12 Year was like sour cider with a million other flavors mixed in. What would the peated variant come across as?
Nose: Peat! PEAT! This is very very smoky. This reminded me immediately of Ardbeg or Laphroaig in the intense level of peat that emanates from the glass on first pour. Room filling. I also smelled the distinctly sour notes from the 12 Year - like vegetal apple cider. Very thick scent. The smoke added to this sourness results in a very seaside maritime aroma reminiscent of a turbocharged Talisker - a soft gallon of seaweed, perhaps. Interestingly I got almost no iodine, often a byproduct of such high phenol levels.
Mouthfeel: Full, thick, warm, somewhat mineral. Very rich.
Palate: The smoke parts to show hints of sweet dried fruit - like red delicious apples in an oven, dried flaky figs, raisins. It would certainly seem there is a little sherry finish happening here. The smoke closes back in - ash, burning leaves in the yard in Autumn, thick peat, a lot of pepper but in a slow burn way. The smoke never relents - there is a certain sweetness underlying it, probably from the cereal grains (think: busy bakery with a smoky oven). The flavors are all pleasant under the smoke, although I'm not sure how integrated they all are. The smoke is in charge here, plenty of muscle.
Finish: Long and alcoholic and warm and rather salty. Very nice.
Verdict: Recommended, another interesting and delicious Islay find - this one is a tad expensive, but worth it for someone who liked the surprisingly complex flavors of Bunnahabhain but with a very pungent smoke shroud. The flavors are well developed, although a little stratified from each other - my only complaint. I'll have to try more to see if it was just my mouth that day, or if it is just a little rough around the edges.
Website for Toiteach: http://bunnahabhain.com/our-whisky/toiteach
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