Bunnahabhain (Staoisha) 2013 10 Year Old, Finn Thomson Cask #968

This is a cask that Finn Thomson has been looking forward to bottling for a very long time. Staoisha is the heavily peated spirit produced at Bunnahabhain - a distillery that, despite being on Islay, is better known for its unpeated style. Bunnahabhain has long been one of Finn Thomson's favourite distilleries. His first ever trip to Islay saw him visit the distillery to pick up a leaking cask that was in imminent need of bottling. It was eye opening to see the fragility of the oak holding this valuable liquid; a reminder of the beautiful contradiction between simplicity and complexity that underpins the art of whisky making.

Just three ingredients are the foundation of every malt whisk: water, barley and yeast. Yet this 10 Year Old Staoisha single cask showcases the endless possibilities of flavour that they can produce. The heavily peated malt used for producing Staoisha imparts a salty smokiness that is so typical of the Islay region, perfectly complementing the inherent spiciness of the spirit. But what strikes Finn Thomson the most about this whisky is an underlying fruitiness that is somewhat unexpected. Over the course of a decade, salty smoke has harmonised with orchard fruits to create a single cask of distinction. It is a delightfully complex example of a simple fact. Bunnahabhain Distillery deserves its place a the top table of Scotch whisky.

Distilled: 28/10/2013
Bottled: 11/03/2024
Cask no: 968
Cask: Bourbon Barrel
One of only 242 bottles produced
Natural colour and non chill filtered