Bunnahabhain Toiteach

Another of the bonus samples from the SDT. Toiteach, pronounced...Gaelicly I’m sure, means smoky in Gaelic. Bottled at 46% ABV, this NAS single malt is non chill filtered and I believe it is a natural color of yellow gold. The nose is thick with lemony citrus. Grilled plums, pineapple, peaches and apricots...all covered in salt, set ablaze and put out with a fist full of dirt. Plenty of peat smoke, earthy and brine. Rubbery notes like tennis balls. A little pepper and some floral notes with a subtle roasted nut aroma. It’s young and not very complex but it’s good The palate is heavy with smoke, burnt peat and charred fruits. Ashes, rubber, medicinal/bandages. Earthy with a little dry grass. Again, not complex at all but done very well. A medium light bodied mouthfeel that is super oily and mouthwatering. For an Islay it has a somewhat short finish. Smoke, ashes, light fruits and florals and a touch of bitter tannins. The smoke does linger quite a while. Really there is little going on here, but it’s still quite good. The mouthfeel is great, not the best I’ve ever had but still worth noting. The nose is robust. It’s straight forward with no fancy finish, but this Bunnahabhain stands on its own merits. At around $70 it’s not the best value for a NAS but the quality is there. I’m giving a 3.75 but it could be a 4. Thanks for the sample @Telex Cheers

This smoky, NAS Bunnahabhain was sent to me as an extra pour from Jason, the newest member of our distillery tasting team. It’s part of the Bunnahabhain Unable For Americans To Pronounce series. Toiteach (pronounced toch-tach) translates to “smoky” in Gaelic. It’s a robust 46% ABV. It’s light gold, oily and produces very few legs in the tasting glass. Heavy droplets form slowly around the lip as it settles back after a spin. The nose is heavy smoke, earthy peat and salty sea air all the way. I don’t get any sweetness or barrel notes. They definitely nailed down the namesake. Flavor wise, the palate follows the nose: BBQ’d, fatty meats covered in cracked salt and black pepper. The mouthfeel is somewhat thick and thankfully that allows some bitter chocolate sweetness to settle in and add another layer of flavor to come through. It’s this drams saving grace IMO- because the finish returns to salty and smoked meats. The finish is long so this chocolate mid sip note is very welcome. It saves this from being a one dimensional smoke bomb. As it is, it’s very satisfying for any Islay loving, peated whisky drinker. I think Bunnahabhain could have the NAS haters on the run. I’ve had several from them now and they are all quite well done. I’ve got a few more NAS bottles from them and I’m inclined to open them all and see if I can back that statement up with an even stronger argument. This one is a solid 4 star. Thanks again to @Telex for supplying this one to the group. Good stuff. Cheers.

Imagine yourself inches away from getting splashed in the face by a cold Atlantic wave. Just before being hit, you smell this briny, fishy, salty aroma. Then imagine having chocolate cake, topped with layers of sea salt, and vanilla. And this long lingering taste of lemon curd and salt. Bunna’s hit all the right notes with this one, just well executed and enjoyable. Thanks to @Telex for the sample as part of our little SDT team.