2014 Signatory Vintage Whisky of Mystery Bunnahabhain Staoisha 7 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Some may buy this simply for the colourful cartoon label. Others will note that it's a 'Staoisha', meaning a particularly peaty but relatively rare run of Bunnah' (otherwise distilled with little to no peat influence). The name is derived from Loch Staoisha, lying about three miles southwest of the distillery, and sometimes utilised as an alternative water source. As to when the Gaelic name was introduced as a moniker for Bunnahabhain’s external filling contracts isn't known. The term is now being adopted more frequently by young indie expressions. From the reserves of Signatory Vintage, this version was bottled in 2021 for French retailer, La Maison du Whisky. The bouquet is typically diverse for a young Islay: oily, rich, sweet and malty with an earthy, farmyard kind of peat-reek that conjures old haystacks, lucerne mulch and lanolin and gets more Mezcal-like after air contact. It tastes like 50%+, delivering an impressive wave of sweet malt and saline peat that resembles salted caramel chocolate; white pepper, lemon zest and Fisherman's Friend cough lozenge lift the final stages, and it powers on through a long, ashy finish. Massively tasty for a 46 percenter, and quite the bomb if big peat is your thing. Though not stated, assume this is non chill filtered. 46% Alc./Vol. European exclusive. Very limited stocks.