Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Here is the great contradiction of Islay in a single bottle: a whisky made on the island of Laphroaig and Ardbeg that carries almost no smoke at all. Bunnahabhain draws its water from the Margadale spring, piped underground so it never picks up the peat that stains most of the island's burns. The result is a Scotch that tastes of Islay's coast rather than its bonfires.
The distillery sits in a quiet bay on the north-east shore, the most remote working distillery on the island for years. Since the range was reworked in 2010, the 12 Year Old has been bottled at 46.3%, without chill-filtration and with no added colour, which is why it arrives with real weight in the glass. It is matured in a marriage of bourbon and sherry casks.
The nose is fresh and lightly floral, with sea air, rich malt and dried fruit sitting behind chocolate orange and apples poached in cinnamon. The palate is soft and nutty, sherried without being heavy, carrying sultanas, marmalade and a bright saline lift that never lets you forget where it was made. It closes on Christmas-cake spice, dried herbs and a clean salty tang. A few drops of water round off the edges, though it holds up well neat.
This is the one I reach for when someone tells me they don't like Islay whisky. It rarely survives the encounter.
How to Serve
Neat in a Glencairn or tulip glass. It takes a small splash of water gracefully, softening the malt and coaxing out the fruit.
Where to Drink It
Dukes Bar in St James's, for a quiet dram away from the noise. Boisdale, where the Scottish kitchen suits its coastal side. Black Rock in Shoreditch, if you want to compare it against its smokier island neighbours.
Food Pairings
Try it with a plate of smoked almonds and aged Manchego, or a few oysters to meet that saline lift head-on. The coastal side of this whisky loves smoked fish.
