There is remote and then there is Bunnahabhain remote. Located on the island of Islay off the coast of Scotland, the distillery was only accessible by boat until the 1960s, when a single-track road was finally installed. The distillery is also known for having the tallest stills on Islay and producing one of the few non-peated whiskies there, a place renowned for its use of peated malts. However, distillers love experimentation and Bunnahabhain eventually tried using smoked barley with the debut of the Toiteach in 2008. The Toiteach a Dhà, Gaelic for “The Smokey Two”, is part of the distillery’s core range and serves as a sequel of sorts to the first. It is made up of around 75% ex-Oloroso sherry and 25% ex-bourbon casks, which is a higher proportion of sherry influence that found in other core offerings.
Distillery: Bunnahabhain
Region: Islay
Age: NAS
Strength: 46.3%
Price: $76.99
Maturation: ex-bourbon and ex-Spanish oak casks
Location: Bunnahabhain
Nose: Peat, brine, smoke, grass, honey, lemongrass, vanilla, milk chocolate
Palate: Smoke, char, honey, vanilla
Finish: Ash, honey, vanilla
Comments: For those wondering, it is approximately pronounced toe-chack or toch-ach ah ghaa, though opinions vary slightly.
Adam – While I certainly enjoyed the Toiteach, the Toiteach a Dhà features classic Islay peat-smoked elements on the nose like peat, brine and smoke along with a slightly sweetened counterpoint that does not dominate but compliments the existing with honey and chocolate, all curled around a very grassy core. For as extroverted as the nose is, the palate is dense and intense and delightful. Smoke and vanilla battle it out with a surprisingly creamy feel in the mouth. I was not expecting that. No rough edges here, folks. The disparate elements actually keep either of them from becoming too much and allow you to appreciate each. This is balance and purpose. Priced rather nicely and delivering a different but fascinating Islay journey than you might be used to.
Kate – The peat is present initially on the nose but it dissipates the longer it sits in the glass. Then it becomes sweet like alfalfa and vegetal like fresh mown hay. Behind that, you can smell a slight citrus oil. The brine is subtle and fresh. The palate is bitter, briny, peppery, and oaky all at the same time. I would love to sip this in springtime. There’s the hint of rain, grass, and sweet dew. This is an approachable Islay, quiet when you first meet it and you are happy to stay and chat all day. The peat is strongest, for me, on the finish. The sweet notes vanish and you have the lingering smoke left on your tongue.
Henry – A particularly balanced nose, with brine, iodine, honey, spring blossoms, and green peat. Wow. All of those delicious elements focus into a charry heat on the palate with a kick of sweetness and spice at the end. More depth and complexity returns on the finish. Overall, it exhibits a surprising amount of restraint, and here, that’s not a bad thing. It’s an easy sipper, not a champion prizefighter.
Ben – The Toiteach a Dhà is very much a scotch to have in front of the fire when there’s too much snow to go outside. The creaminess off the vanilla was the rudder that was steering the ship this whole thing was on. It felt like it was always there while the other things were here and there.
As extroverted as the nose is, the palate is dense and intense and delightful.
Bill – Bitter and ashy immediately on the palate but then giving way quickly to honey and vanilla. It’s fall and things are just starting to smell of decay, and I want this. Lingering ash mixed with subtle floral hints that equate to a long and slow finish, happiness in a glass at the end of a long day.
Mike – The bitterness lingers on the palate and that gives it a peppery feel. It’s quite lovely. The bitterness, the brine, the smoke at the beginning have become more pronounced the longer it’s in the glass. Definitely going to be looking for it.
Evelyn – The Toiteach a Dhà is really lovely. Well balanced. I love the smoke and the chipotle, a little different twist. It’s distinct, like smoked peppers. And it gets sweeter the longer we drink it. Smoked chipotles in adobo sauce.
Sam – The smoke quality is heavily oaked. Clark Kent, not Superman: mild mannered, everyone likes him, and he’s not trying to take over world.
Kim – It hits you hard in the face with the smoke, but after a few sips it mellows out nicely to a delightful slightly sweet, slightly peppery treat.
