Bunnahabhain 9 Years Old 2014 (Signatory)

La Maison du Whisky is the Paris-based importer and independent bottler founded in 1956, one of the longest-established names in European whisky distribution. The Artist Collective is the bottler's recurring series with labels designed by contemporary artists, running across numbered seven-and-counting collections. Each release in the line draws from carefully selected casks across Scotland; this 9 year old Bunnahabhain Staoisha comes from spirit distilled in 2014, matured in refill sherry casks, and bottled in 2024 at 48% to a 1687-bottle outturn.

Staoisha is the name carried on the independent market for Bunnahabhain's heavily peated production, the same spirit the distillery bottles itself as Mòine. The 35-38 ppm phenols on the malt produce a campfire-smoke profile that runs earthier than the medicinal south-coast Islay reference points; the same tall pot stills that produce the unpeated house style soften the heavily peated distillate's character through their long-reflux design.

Refill sherry maturation on young Staoisha gives the smoke room to lead. Active first-fill sherry casks at this age would push fruit-and-walnut weight against the peat that tends to produce a busier profile; refill wood quietly supports the spirit instead. Reviewer notes describe oily and peaty character with salty marine breeze, smoked meats, earthy roots and dark chocolate developing on the palate. The 48% bottling sits below natural strength but preserves enough body to read the layered structure clearly. Natural colour, non-chill-filtered.