Bunnahabhain Toiteach

Friday’s can’t come soon enough. Start of the weekend which means some sipping. Bunnahabhain is one of those under the radar scotches that is often overlooked. This sample came my way courtesy of @Telex as a bonus sample in our SDT. I had sampled this some four years ago and it was quite good then. Will I experience the same today? Did it change? Did I change (for the better, of course). The color is lightly golden which would indicate natural color. The nose starts with a salty and briny with a light earthy peatiness. In my younger days, I would ride 12 speeds and maintain and tweak them. A whiff of this brings me back in time and the smell of fresh inner tube with a coating of baby powder comes back to me, (when I replaced or repaired the inner tube). There is some mild sweetness that comes through as well. Vanilla, apricots, grilled pineapples. Some walnuts and oak are buried deep within. A mild nose yields to strong peat and char. A nice Islay earthiness in an oily and medium weight body. Quickly intense. The intensity yields to black pepper spice and a bit of sugary sweetness. A bit of vanilla and some lemon zest strengthen towards the finish. The finish is peppery and spicy at first. As that subsides, the long, tarry, ashy flavors fill the palate and is ultimately left with some bitterness and drying, oak tannins. This is a good, peaty dram that is not complex and lacks a deepthness comparatively to the Islay standards. A easy peaty sipper. At $70 and upwards, I can get more flavor and complexity with a Laphroaig or Ardbeg at 2/3 the cost. All in all, quite enjoyable. [86/100][Tasted: 2/1/19]

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.

Based on my experience with Bunnahabhain 12, this distillery may be one of Islay’s underrated gems. Their flagship 12 year is unpeated, while this Toiteach serves as a peated alternative. I’m hoping this delivers and that Bunna isn’t just a flash in the pan. Nose: Moderate peat smoke, brine, seaweed, and sea salt. Red pepper, black bean chili. Ash, bandaid, and a touch of iodine. Some soft notes of honey and toffee behind the more intense ones that jump out of the glass. Caramel and a big-time butterscotch note. Heavy notes on dark chocolate and vanilla as it starts to open up. Palate: More of the coastal and peat notes. Brine and sea salt. There are now some additional earthy peat notes, more ash and some rubber. Some smoked meat/brisket notes. Black bean, red pepper chili adds some nice heat. Heavy butterscotch and peanut butter. Sugar cookie. Vanilla and caramel. Cinnamon and white pepper. Finish: Mix of briny and earthy peat and smoke. Red pepper, black bean chili. Caramel, vanilla, sugar cookie, malt, and toffee. Cinnamon and black pepper. Moderate length. Solid. Across the board. Good nose, good palate, good finish. Respectable ABV. I appreciate the non-chill filter. Great balance between coastal and earthy peat. At $70, this is exactly where this should be priced—not a dollar more or less. It’s a strange one. It fails to exceeds expectations in any one place, but simultaneously checks every box. Bunnahabhain, as a distillery, seems to be game. Definitely going to dig deeper. 4/5 even.

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

Im a massive fan of Bunna 12 as well as smoky scotches so this peated malt was a no brainer. Specs on sale for$59.99!! NAS but still no coloring and un-chillfiltered. Poured neat, nose has BBQ smoke and peat with malt, honey and animal cracker sweetness. Its soft but its extremely deep, smooth and rich. Inhale to your hearts content without ethanol interfering. I drive by the Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood Tx everyday and this reminds me of the smell from the pits that wafts out to the road. Oily mouthfeel brings waves of dense flavor. Strong smoky brisket, sweet heavy malt, mild pepper, birch wood, raw honey, vanilla pudding skin and a dusty note in the back. Carries some heat but the level of flavor here is worth it (I may hear angels singing when I drink this). Finish is long fade of the sweet very smoky malt, vanilla, honey and drying charred wood. This does not have the dark fruit notes of the Bunna12. Profile is similar to combo of Bruichladdich Classic, one of my top scotches and Ardbeg 10 with loads of luscious smoke. If you enjoy the smokies you need try this. The BBQ smoke/honey sweetness on this is intoxicating. .............91/100.......Its pricey but Ill have to buy it again(will try and make this one last)

A pleasant surprise! I enjoyed the finish on this more than the Ceobanach, even though it's 20 bucks cheaper. The nose will remind you of the Caol Ila 12 from the start. Peat! Peatier than the Ceobanach as well. Maritime notes with sea spray, along with lemon curd, dark chocolate and vanilla. Not much fruit other than lemon on the palate, but brings more smoke, vanilla, slight TCP, cream, barley, icing, cake batter, and malt flavors. Medium finish and a heavy mouth coat. A breakfast dram similar to a Lagavulin 8. A solid 3.5. The theme needs to be a smoky one too. Something like "The Doomed" by A Perfect Circle.