54,8°
Distillery : Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila, Port Ellen and 3 others - Islay
Bourbon Casks and Sherry Finish
Independent Bottling
By Douglas Laing & Co.
Limited Edition
Blended Malt
Bottled in 2023
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Peated around 40 ppm
So, this 13th Batch of the Big Peat Christmas Edition is special. They wanted to make an experiment, and they did. Why do people always want to change things, especially when everything is fine? To be honest, they changed just one thing, the maturation. All the rest is exactly the same. 7 distilleries, among them we only know four. The three others must be Lagavulin, Bunnahabhain and Laphroaig, but it's a secret. Everything is cask strength, uncoloured and unchillfiltered, but above all heavily peated. The perfect way to celebrate Christmas.
Let's Taste It :
The nose is exactly what we expected. Red fruits, iodine, applesauce, cinnamon, leather, apricots, quinces, gooseberries and raspberries. The peat is intense, with an enticing smoke, ashes and soot, charcoal. The background is mineral, with sea breeze and a trail of salt. The palate is nice, but nothing special either, thick peat where blueberry pie and a nice genoise rest. Fruit pastes. Expressive spices: paprika, cumin, nutmeg, white pepper. Finally, a very well-crafted finish, soft caramel, chocolate shavings, damp earth, humus, hazelnuts. The fruit is still there, but it has macerated.
In Short,
To be quite honest, I don't find it as successful as usual. I really like the combination of Sherry and peat, but here it doesn't quite work. It's too sweet, too fruity I think. I clearly prefer the usual Christmas Edition. That said, if someone is tempted, why not, it's not bad. The price is very reasonable.
Score : 87
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Insomnium - Heart Like a Grave
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