Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair

Absolutely delicious. Very drinkable, smoky but not too much, and just complex enough to be interesting. One of my favorites.

A brief sniff-and-sip is enough to dispel any thought that this Helmsman, Bunny’s new entry level core range whisky, is meant to replace the 12 YO. The two are very different to each other and, I feel confident, easy to tell apart in a blind tasting. The 12 YO is sherry-sweet forward, the Stiuireadair - let’s see now, if I type the name enough times will I manage to spell it blind one day - is salt-forward; The saltiness is less of a briny character and more of the cooking salts variety - the kind that if used in sufficiently large quantities would definitely go well with the whole of 2020, but that’s a different matter all together. Indeed, the very first few sniffs bring to mind the salty and savoury, wheat sweetness of steamy pasta pot water. It gets more peculiar, as right behind the pasta pot water comes the fragrance of slow burning oakwood, with a sherried wine note bringing up the rear; are we cooking Italian or are we drinking Scotch? Fascinating! First sip and the arrival’s salt-forward oak note is progressively replaced by sweet sherry at mid palate. Mild spices mixed with salt and sweet raisins at the back end lead to a long, nuanced finish that should not have belonged to a 6-8 YO NAS dram. The mouthfeel is typical Bunny. Soft, full and satisfying. Creamy, as in the texture, not the flavour. At 46.3% ABV, the whisky practically invites you to try it with a splash of water. But does it make an improvement? The answer’s equivocal. If you’ve been enamoured by the unique, steamy, savoury pasta-and-wine aroma this will dissipate with water; in its place that of a more traditional sherry-driven scotch of good malt, brine and dry fruits and a tiny hint of smoke and ash, with the palate following suit. Still good, but different. I’ve really enjoyed Stiuireadair, with or without water. Much like Bruichladdich’s The Classic Laddie, this kiddo punches well above its undisclosed young age and at its current price offers exceptional VfM. I can easily see it sitting on a shelf next to its 12 YO sibling. A Happy and Generally Less Salty 2021 to the Distiller siblinghood.

Water makes it a cheaper tasting 12 year but gets rid of harsh overtone which mars the smoothness of the 12/18 year

A bit more sherry forward than I was expecting, and less of the smokiness I was expecting, but this has some wonderful sea salt notes that I enjoyed with the Old Pulteney 12