Bunnahabhain Mòine
From its location on the shores of the Sound of Islay, with views over to the Isle of Jura, the Bunnahabhain Distillery sits proudly. And so it should, because the distillery has grown from strength to strength over the last couple of decades.
Whilst their signature unpeated spirit sets them apart from the heavily-peated powerhouse whiskies from the south of the island, they have proved to be more than adept in the production of heavily peated expressions.
Mòine (pronounced moi-gna) is Gaelic for peat, and these expressions hark back to the early, strongly peated roots of Bunnahabhain. This particular expression carries no age statement, natural colour and un-chillfiltered, bottled at a healthy 46.3%
Tasting Notes:
Appearance: Pale gold, forms a broad line which gradually falls as slow, thick legs.
Nose: Peat smoke, caramelised sugar, bananas grilled on the barbecue, a little vanilla and hints of oak.
Palate: Dry, ashy peat, vanilla, green apples, oak, black liquorice and a little spice. Addition of a few drops of water brings out an aniseed note.
Finish: Ashy smoke dominates and lingers on the palate. As it subsides you are left with a hint of aniseed, again accentuated by the addition of a couple of drops of water.
Summary: This is a whisky which is big and robust, and should be more than enough to satisfy many a peathead, with an overall feel of being more on the ashy smoke side rather than the medicinal peat from further down the island. It’s no one-trick pony though, there is a lovely, creamy vanilla fudge sweetness to this whisky. It takes water well, a few drops open the whisky up further to reveal more delicate notes that were previously masked.
This is a whisky which punches way above its price point, currently under £35. As far as I’m aware this is currently only available in the UK through Amazon, although I hear it may not be stocked for much longer. I’m already on my fourth bottle, and have a few more stashed away just in case.
If you would like more information on this whisky, the distillery or any of the other Bunnahabhain whiskies, follow the link to the company website.
