Bunnahabhain Staoisha 3 Year Old 2019 Classics of Eyewear

Mr Artist is none other than my friend Maarten voor de Poorte, who after 13 years of designing glasses took a completely different approach and took over the liquor shop Slijterij Post in Kampen (The Netherlands). And he loves both peat and red wine, so the choice for his first own bottling was quickly made. After all, this Staoisha – a well-peated Bunna – matured for (barely) three years on a Red Wine Octave (distilled on 14/03/2019 and bottled on 31/08/2022). When he recently gave me a fantastic VESL tasting glass 'The Professional' as a gift, there was a sample of this whisky in the box as well. I tasted it – of course – in the special glass.

Earthy on mud and red fruit. That's pretty much the nose of this Bunna in a nutshell. Digging a little deeper reveals green garden herbs and a hint of putty. It even has an umami side. Meat gravy? It already smells older than it actually is.

Deliciously oily and immediately very tasty and spicy. Again red fruit, but the umami side drowns this out smoothly. Chewing tobacco and beef jerky. And all wrapped in a beautiful smoky jacket. And a soft sweet and sour touch completes the picture. This is an excellent winter dram.

The finish is medium long, goes back from umami to sweet while the smoke lingers nice and long.

What a beautiful Bunna, indeed! You can order a bottle at Slijterij Post and it will cost you 85 EUR.

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