Bunnahabhain - 11 Year, 'Staoisha - Bourbon Cask 171182'

• Single malt Scotch whisky selected and bottled by Single Cask Nation
• Cask #171182
• Distilled at Bunnahabhain [buh•nah•hav•enn] Distillery in Port Askaig, Scotland (Islay)
• 100% peated barley twice distilled in copper pot stills (final spirit ppm of 35–45)
• Produced with limestone-filtered water from the Margadale River
• Aged 11 years in a refill bourbon hogshead; distilled October 2013 and bottled summer 2025
• 205 bottles produced
• White gold in color, this whisky announces its Islay origins from the outset via a broad whiff of coal smoke, oily maritime salt over warm straw, and a hint of iodine on the margins. The palate is oily and viscous, with sea salt and charred embers vying for your attention alongside vanilla sponge cake, cashews, and white pepper. The finish is smoky and salty with more charred wood accented with a hint of marzipan.
• No added coloring
• Non-chill filtered; bottled at a cask strength of 57.1% ABV

Bunnahabhain has traditionally been considered an outlier on Islay, both for its remote location and, crucially, for its use of unpeated malt. The distillery’s aging warehouses face the Sound of Islay, and salinity, rather than smoke, has been the hallmark of the house style. Thirty years ago, though, they started experimenting with heavily peated barley, offering casks to independent bottlers under the Staoisha [STOY•sha] label (the Moine label is used for the house’s peated spirit). This whisky is the salty Islay smoke bomb that dreams are made of, with enough gentle flattery from a refill bourbon cask to make it ideal company for late-night page-turning, candlelight not included.