after receiving this pair of personalised rocks glasses as an extremely thoughtful christmas gift from a close friend (full story here), i decided that something as special as this needed an amazing first pour to christen it properly.
and what better amazing first pour than the Bunnahabhain Toiteach A Dhà (46.3% abv) - apart from being a phenomenal nosing and tasting experience, this also holds special significance as a meaningful dram that both of us had greatly enjoyed sharing on that quiet evening in december (before proceeding to buy a couple of bottles to enjoy at our leisure).
Toiteach A Dhà (Gaelic for "Smoky Two") indeed lives up to its name - from the start, the nosing is marked by a strong untamable smokiness and concentrated bursts of sweet raisins interwoven with a golden salted caramel. it's a pour that i could spend an entire evening just nosing to appreciate its sweet and smoky complexity, that only improves with time.
on the palate, the peat completely fills the mouth without being overwhelming, while the raisins and salted caramel temper the harsh edges of the smoke. with some time in the glass, this matures and blossoms into a full-bodied complex harmony with the addition of dark chocolate, woodiness and a gentle dusting of cinnamon over the top. the finish is moderately long, showcasing the smoke beautifully with the oak and dark chocolate. this is a truly wonderful balance of strong and sweet and smoky.
all things considered, the Toiteach A Dhà is extremely smooth and easy to drink; a stunning quality whisky that's great value for money. i'm blown away by the complexity of its nuances and the appreciable depth of its nosing and tasting experience. it's not often that i go for a full-size bottle after trying a pour, and even more rare for me to get a backup, but i can unhesitatingly say that the Toiteach A Dhà is now the one to beat as my firm go-to favourite.
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this review is of a product that i had purchased at regular price with my own money. i wasn’t asked to review this as a condition of purchase and didn’t receive any incentives for writing this. i’m not affiliated with Bunnahabhain, and as always, all opinions remain my own.
all information correct at time of publishing.
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