Whisky : Bunnahabhain Staoisha 6 Year SMWS 10.193 “Simply Peat”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 60.1%

Cask : Recharred Hogshead

Age : 6 Year (Distilled 17 Oct. 2013)

Nose : Oily, phenolic, and meaty.  Dinosaur sized rack of beef ribs in the smoker, fat sizzling on coals, and charcoal.  Beyond the meat was an earthiness somewhere between dried mushrooms and dung.  Toasted biscuits offered a rounded maltiness to the aroma along with sweet swimming pool water.

Palate : Medium to heavy body with a nice viscosity.  Meaty, spicy, and sweet.  Dry rub with herbs, brown sugar, and cloves.  Charred wood and juicy brontosaurus beef ribs.  Intriguing notes of parchment, old newspapers, and a slightly lactic note built in the background and came out more along with charred orange rind when a few drops of water were added.

Finish : Lingering char and earthy notes of ginger.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Dirty “Grill Master” Apron

Notes : Big, bold, and packed with peat, this Bunnahabhain felt more like a Port Charlotte at turns.  While this was a pleaser during a recent local online tasting, my wife picked up little in the way of meatiness and thought it altogether too simple and to sweet.  I do not blame her, this was not nearly as complex as some of the other Staoisha we have tried and this had none of the thick oily nutty notes that I really enjoyed on the bottle The Whisky Barrel put out.  We sampled this side by side with its sister cask “Maritime Marshmallows” and I preferred that one just a little bit more as it had a longer finish.

Overall, if you are looking for a different sort of heavy Islay peat, then Staoisha is a great place to look.  Beyond SMWS, the bottles have generally been competitively priced and, even at a young age, had brilliant bold phenolic profiles.