This is another heavily peated Bunnahabhain (often called "Staoisha" after Loch Staoisha on the Isle of Islay where the distillery is located), this time with an interesting re-casking. Hailing from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), this was aged for five years in ex-bourbon before being finished for two years in a second-fill Oloroso sherry cask.
Peat and sherry often get along very well, so I have high hopes for this. I've also been quite a fan of the peated Bunnas I've had from SMWS: until today, my favorite was 10.200 "The Storm-Tossed Sea" which was finished in a red wine cask. Something about Bunnahabhain and wine finished really go hand in hand.
This one was bottled at 59.9% ABV and nicknamed "War and Peat" by the SMWS. Here are the official tasting notes - very colorful, as always:
“Ooft!” said the Panel collectively via Zoom. A bonfire of charred nutmeg, rice pudding doused in petrol and hessian cloth singed at the edges. Then mussels pickled in brine, salt and vinegar crisps, pickled onions, lobster bisque with paprika and baking soda spooned into a rubber hot water bottle full of kerosine. Water brought vinegar-doused gravadlax, a dirty martini full of olive gunge served in a fishing welly, aniseed distillate, smoked chipotle chilli and industrial antiseptic. The mouth opens with a sting of wasabi then hyper-potent, raw peat smoke. Gelatinous in texture, like peated bacon lardons liquefying on your tongue. Pure buckets of tar and anchovy paste rubbed into sheep wool and topped with petroleum jelly. Water adds squid ink, rough and ready ointments, burning creel nets, Germolene and ramen broth mixed with seawater.
Let's see how it fares:
Nose: The neck pour was like opening a jar of peanut butter! Rich waves of smoked peanuts comes wafting from the glass. The peat and smoke dominated the nose, but I get hints of the official notes of salt-and-vinegar crisps and also lobster bisque. Maritime elements. Deeper in the bottle, a sweetness emerges: maybe some of that aniseed the official notes mention? I never get the kerosene, nor the brine, intriguingly. I have had olive notes in Bunnahabhain before, but not here, not really.
This really calls for water and also a long time to unwind in the glass - a little surprising, given the young age - but it certainly does unfurl slowly. Given both, the Oloroso sherry finally comes to the forefront: sweet smoked spices, syrupy raisins, rich Medjool dates, all smoky and charred over an open flame. It seems to transform from savory-leaning to sweet-leaning with the addition of water.
Mouthfeel: Thick and juicy.
Palate: Wow, big palate on this one: the development begins with the exact sting of wasabi that the official tasting notes describe, then the alcohol sweeps forward in a young, aggressive way and carries smoked hot peppers with it. Some more peanuts, this time with bacon. Tar and charcoal. This is very peaty, smoky stuff, with a slight maritime leaning.
With water, and time in the glass, the sweet sherry wine shines through - and welcome it is, after the savory blast that came before it! The same as the nose: smoked cinnamon and raisins are most prominent among a general sherried sweetness that interplays well with the deeply savory peat and smoke. A good balance, despite the very very young age.
Finish: Like most heavily peated whiskies, this finish lasts forever - you'll taste it tomorrow when you wake up. I got sherry tendrils, deep smoke, and some nice emergent oak notes at the very end.
Verdict: It's no surprise to Scotch drinkers that sherried, peated whisky is highly popular - I've read before that Ardbeg's best selling expression is Uigeadail, their sherried/peated mixture. Sherried/peated bottles tend to sell out rapidly at the SMWS, and also in my local stores - and it's always nice to find them at cask strength like this.
What starts out as a very savory, smoky journey ends in a realm of sweet raisins mixed with smoked peanuts, which sounds strange, but on the tongue it's very pleasant. Of all the heavily peated Bunnahabhains I've had from the SMWS, this is my favorite. Good balance, aggressive, powerful, yet nuanced as well. I do wish it was a little older, but it shows good influences from the time it did have in the bourbon and sherry casks both. A good dram. Recommended.
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