🥃 Smugglers’ Bacon – Tasting Notes
Tasting Card Version
Distillery / Region: Bunnahabhain (Islay) — SMWS code 10
Age: 10 years
Cask Type: Refill & second-fill bourbon hogsheads, finished in PX sherry hogsheads
ABV: 58.4% (cask strength)
Outturn: 1,839 bottles (Festival Release 2024)
Smugglers’ Bacon is a heavily peated Islay malt released for the 2024 Islay Whisky Festival. It marries bonfire smoke, bacon crisps, and a PX sherry glaze, resulting in a dram that’s smoky, savory, and surprisingly sweet — like a seaside barbecue gone rogue.
Nose: Smoky peanut brittle, honey-glazed ham, bacon crisps, cracked pepper, sea spray
Palate: Campfire smoke, charred oak, beef jerky, maple syrup, herbal fennel-caraway lift
Finish: Long and ashy with smoked salami, sea salt, and dark chocolate-dipped apricot
Food Pairing:
- BBQ ribs, bacon-wrapped scallops, or pulled pork sliders
- Smoked cheddar, aged gouda, or caramelized nuts
- Bonus: Dark chocolate bark with sea salt or chili
Detailed Write‑Up
Distillery & Release Story
“Smugglers’ Bacon” is SMWS bottling 10.258, drawn from the peated stills of Bunnahabhain Distillery on the northern shore of Islay. While Bunnahabhain is typically known for unpeated expressions, this release is part of their heavily peated runs — and it doesn’t hold back.
This whisky was released for the 2024 Islay Whisky Festival (Fèis Ìle) as a special bottling, aged 10 years in refill and second-fill bourbon hogsheads, then finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, lending it a unique combo of coastal smoke and dessert sweetness. Only 1,839 bottles were produced, making this both memorable and rare.
The name Smugglers’ Bacon is a cheeky nod to Islay’s smuggling heritage — where illicit distillation met sea salt, fire, and the occasional strip of sizzling bacon on a driftwood grill.
Tasting Experience
From the moment you lift the glass, you're greeted with the aroma of campfire smoke, crisped bacon fat, and glazed ham. There’s also smoked peanut brittle, hints of hot pimento pepper, and a saline sea breeze beneath it all.
On the palate, this dram hits hard with charred oak, peppered jerky, and bonfire embers, layered with sweet maple glaze and a slightly herbal undercurrent — think fennel, caraway, and even a touch of grilled apricot.
The finish is satisfyingly long, rolling out with waves of ash, smoked salami, sea salt, and the PX influence’s final whisper: dark chocolate-dipped stone fruit.
Serving Tips
Pour neat into a Glencairn and let it sit for 2–3 minutes. At 58.4%, it welcomes a few drops of water — this coaxes out more herbal and nutty sweetness while softening the heavier smoke.
This is your “Wow” dram — perfect near the end of the line-up, especially for guests who love bold Islay expressions.
Food Pairings & Talking Points
Ideal Pairings:
- Savory: Charred ribs, bacon-wrapped scallops, smoked duck breast
- Cheese: Smoked cheddar, manchego, aged gouda
- Sweet: Dark chocolate with sea salt or cayenne, maple pecan tarts
Conversation Hooks:
- Ask guests: Is this the smokiest bacon you’ve ever sipped?
- Talk about Islay’s smuggling past and how peat smoke was once a disguise for illicit stills
- Highlight how rare it is to get a heavily peated Bunnahabhain, especially with a PX finish
🕵️♂️ The Smugglers of Islay
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, illicit whisky production on Islay was rampant. With high government taxes and remote terrain, the island became a haven for illegal distilling. Hidden glens, coastal caves, and rugged hillsides provided cover — but one of the most effective tools of deception was peat smoke.
Thick clouds of peated smoke weren’t just part of the process — they were camouflage. Their pungent, earthy scent masked the sweeter aromas of distillation, helping conceal stills from government excisemen, known as gaugers. Locals would roll barrels into the sea, stash casks in peat bogs, or load them onto fishing boats under cover of darkness.
So when you sip Smugglers’ Bacon, you’re tasting more than a smoky dram — you’re connecting to a chapter of whisky history where smoke meant secrecy, and flavour was forged in defiance.
To sum up...
🥃 Smugglers’ Bacon – SMWS 10.258
Heavily Peated Islay Malt • Festival Release 2024 • 10 Years • 58.4% ABV • 1,839 Bottles
Appearance:
Golden amber with rich legs and oily texture, indicating a bold cask-strength dram finished in PX sherry hogsheads.
Aroma:
Campfire decadence: smoky peanut brittle, bacon crisps, glazed ham, cracked black pepper, and hints of salty sea air waft up from the glass.
Palate:
Explosive entry of bonfire smoke, charred oak, and peppered jerky. Sweet layers follow with maple syrup and grilled apricot, complemented by herbal notes like fennel and caraway. With water, it softens into a sweeter, nuttier profile.
Finish:
Long, ashy, and satisfying. The finale delivers smoked salami, sea salt, and a luxurious whisper of dark chocolate–dipped apricot from the PX influence.
📝 Suggested Tasting Note for Event:
Smugglers’ Bacon – A bold and peaty Islay expression from Bunnahabhain, finished in PX sherry casks. Bonfire smoke and bacon meet maple sweetness and grilled apricot. A seaside BBQ in a glass. Perfect for lovers of bold, smoky drams. Limited to 1,839 bottles.