Big Peat Christmas 2014 Edition (55.7%, Douglas Laing, 2014)

• Blended malt scotch whisky
• 55.7% ABV, £45.83 for 70cl
• Score: 90/100

What they say:

Big Peat – small batch Islay blended malt scotch whisky A shovelful of Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskies including malts distilled at: Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore & Port Ellen distilleries Big Peat at Christmas – enjoy Big Peat at Cask Strength!

What I say:

The most famous of the blended malts in the Douglas Laing & Co Ltd. stable is the Islay-based Big Peat, which famously includes whisky from the closed Port Ellen distillery. Currently joined by Scallywag – Speyside blended malt and Timorous Beastie – Highland blended malt, and perhaps soon another themed blended single malt? – see Douglas Laing launch Rock Oyster Island Blended Malt

Colour:

Pale gold

Nose:

Ashy, smoky, meaty and malty, oaty cereals, charcoal, peat, medicinal iodine, milk and cream, vanilla hints

Taste:

Surprisingly with all that smoke and meat and peat on the nose this hits the tongue like fine vanilla ice cream and melts over the palate, foam banana and milk bottle sweeties, honey sweetness, hints of beach bonfire smoke, a little briny salt, some cereal wafers to add to the ice-cream

Finish:

Long earthy and gently smoky peat and vanilla ice cream

Overall:

Loved it. This is the first time I had tried Big Peat and was quite excited to do so. The Port Ellen distillery is still on my to do list for whisky samples and despite my questioning Jan was very coy about how much Port Ellen Douglas Laing & Co Ltd. have left to continue producing their Big Peat varieties (enough, was the wry answer I eventually received!). At the end of an afternoon of some spectacular samples, this stood out as amongst the best of any of them. So much so that we awarded this expression our 2014 Silver Award for blended whiskies.