Bunnahabhain Staoisha 6yo
Spiritfilled Mythical Beasts | 61% ABV
Whisky and Resets
With several weeks spent away from my hometown in Glasgow recently, and some personal upheaval, it’s been a little while since my last appearance on the pages of Dramface. I now find myself in the, perhaps natural, stock-take stage that often follows any major life change – a chance to catch my breath and reflect, but also to see things anew, with fresh eyes and hopefully some fresh perspective too.
Some things have changed – my declutter switch is definitely in the on position, with the added bonus that my flat feels a few feet bigger and I’m now on first name terms with the lovely staff in the local charity shops. The declutter mode applies emotionally too, it’s been a time for some reassessment and a clear out in that area too. If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t sure I felt like writing or submitting a review right now.
On the other hand, the time has certainly felt right to keep enjoying the uisge beatha, and after a little over a month spent in the south west of England-shire, I’ve thrown myself back into the whisky scene since my return to Scotland – diving into tastings, distillery tours and whisky catch ups in general - preferring keeping busy over standing still for too long.
And I think that has its benefits. Getting out and enjoying life and whisky, in that order, rather than assessing it all too much; following my gut when making new purchase choices, rather than scrolling multiple whisky reviews and newsletters about the latest releases. And yeah, I do feel the irony of writing that last sentence as I submit a whisky review, but hopefully you catch my drift. I thoroughly enjoy reading a whisky review as much as the next whisky fan(atic), but sometimes a break from it all, sitting back and just appreciating the amber nectar, without too much cogitation, is where it’s at.
While it’s been a lot of fun reacquainting myself with my home whisky collection – is it just me who genuinely misses their collection when they go away? - the social aspect of whisky has taken precedence, as I’ve appreciated spending time with dram pals. Naturally, some bottlings I’ve tried on my recent excursions have stood out from the throng – quietly, or not so quietly, grabbing my attention, and insisting on further consideration, when the time was right.
This bottle falls into that category – to my mind on its own merits, but also perhaps because it’s a first; my first time trying and buying a bottle of Staoisha, the peated expression from Islay’s celebrated Bunnahabhain distillery, sold to independent bottlers, as compared to their own in-house Mòine release of the same peated spirit. Having nothing to compare it with, I can take added pleasure in enjoying this one entirely on its own merit.
Exploring Edinburgh’s whisky scene has been on the agenda for me for a wee while now, and a combination of happy circumstances recently conspired to transport me to the capital for whisky tastings twice in one week: to the Ensign Ewart’s sister bar The Belfry, overlooking Bruntsfield Links, for one of their celebrated Breakeven Tastings, and next to The Mother Superior bar at the foot of Leith Walk.
Mother Superior owner Jane Ross forms one part of the phenomenal duo that is Whisky and Witches, alongside singer, composer and whisky ambassador Christine Kammerer. Their penultimate show at the Edinburgh Festival, it was an immersive whisky experience held in a suitably atmospheric and fairy-lit cellar, combining Nordic and Celtic folk music, storytelling and folklore, whilst providing fascinating insight into women’s role in the history of whisky making.
Drams for the event were provided courtesy of independent bottlers Spiritfilled, and their impressive – and nearly new to me – Mythical Beasts single cask range. The drams on offer that night included their Port Dundas 24-year-old, a Highland Peated 20-year-old and a Caol Ila 13-year-old, to name a few - but for me the one that stood out as the one I most wanted to take home with me, and get to know better, was the youngest: the Staoisha 6 year old.
Having had a plentiful array of whisky events since that night, I’d held off opening my bottle until starting this review, and couldn’t help wondering if the ambience of the evening might have inadvertently influenced my decision to buy.
Review
Bunnahabhain Staoisha 6yo, Mythical Beasts, Ex-bourbon barrel, natural colour, non-chill filtered, 135 bottles, 61% ABV
£69 paid
Staoisha is a trade name for Bunnahabhain, specifically their peated malt. Through cask-sales and inter company cask-trading, we often see single casks made available through independent bottlers, but it generally cannot be sold as ‘Bunnahabhain’ and is often stated as ‘distilled at Bunnahabhain Distillery’, which is the case here. Bunnahabhain’s own in-house peated lines are often sold as Mòine.
It should be added here that I feel suitably lucky to have laid hands on what I gather was one of the last available bottles of this one. However I’m pretty sure there are plenty of other interesting Staoisha bottlings out there to be had, so I don’t feel too bad about it!
Nose
Pleasantly complex on the nose, this opens for me with milk chocolate powder, fresh pencil shavings and lead, and something sawdusty in the workshop.
Sweetness comes through via rich notes of dark Manuka honey on the one hand, and sticky homemade strawberry jam on the other. Then it’s all buttery shortbread biscuits, with a dash of orange zest, and perhaps just a hint of ginger.
Palate
Up front I get lashings of warming spices, overlayed by plenty more of that dark honeyed sweetness, and also some dark treacle toffee. Black pepper holds its own among the general spiciness, leading to a satisfying ashy, bonfire smokiness.
The finish is medium long and spicy, rounding off to a (for me) surprisingly creamy vanilla sweetness to close; presumably that’s the bourbon barrel influence coming through.
Adding a drop or two of water didn’t make an appreciable difference to the flavour profile for me.
The Dregs
I’ve revisited this one a few times now since opening my bottle, and each time find something new to appreciate – for me it is a winner of a dram, delivering complexity of flavour, as well as something of a consolation and comfort via its warm sweet peat “hug”, as Autumn weather shows signs of making its appearance.
While I do love Autumn, that transition from the warmer, lighter months can be tough, there’s no denying. And sweet bonfire style peat appears to be firmly in my proverbial taste ballpark, and now I’m really looking forward to exploring more Staoisha bottlings.
I always find scoring a whisky a little tricky, but this one delivers a pretty clear 7 out of 10, bringing that certain something extra which will keep me reaching for this bottle amongst my collection.
Not having purchased Staoisha before the price does perhaps seem a little high for a 6-year-old, and a £60 to £65 price mark would sit more comfortably. But, saying that, as a limited release single cask bottling, I still feel very happy with my purchase.
What are your thoughts on Staoisha? Let me know about any bottlings you’ve tried in the comments.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. PMc