Scotch

The Whisky Exchange Zodiac: Aries, Bunnahabhain Staoisha 2013 12 Year Old Review

Can a peated whisky deliver smoke with clarity and purpose without overwhelming the spirit? This Staoisha Aries from the Zodiac series proves it can.

OVERALL RATING

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Tasting Notes

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The Whisky Exchange Zodiac series leans on character and this Staoisha fits the Aries profile with intent, direct energetic and built around peat, yet with enough age to bring control and depth, showing how Bunnahabhain’s peated distillate evolves when given time in the right cask.
Appearance:
Rich gold moving towards light amber, with good clarity and a steady oiliness that forms slow consistent legs.
Nose:
Smoke arrives first, clean and ashy rather than medicinal, followed by green apple toasted barley and a touch of roasted nuts with a subtle sweetness sitting underneath that softens the edges without diluting the structure.
Palate:
The texture is firm and structured, with peat wrapping around malt sweetness and cracked pepper, while orchard fruit pushes through the centre adding lift and balance. The oak influence is measured giving shape without dominating the spirit.
Finish:
Long and steady, with smoke and dry spice holding their line while a faint fruit note lingers in the background.
Comments:
This is a confident peated whisky that avoids excess, delivering smoke with clarity and purpose while allowing the underlying spirit to remain visible, it will appeal to drinkers who want peat with structure and definition rather than intensity alone.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Greg Dillon

Greg Dillon is the founder of GreatDrams,.com an award-winning independent bottler recognised for its cask-led releases and multiple international gold medals. A respected whisky writer and commentator, Greg has spent years covering Scotch, Irish, and global whisky with a sharp focus on production, people, and place. He is the author of The GreatDrams of Scotland and a regular contributor to leading whisky publications. Known for blending commercial insight with deep liquid knowledge, his work centres on authenticity, long-term thinking, and whisky as something to be shared, not merely collected.

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