Big Peat
Little Big Peat
0 181
Review by @markjedi1
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall81
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I tasted this blind and only afterwards found out which whisky I had tried. But it was clearly peaty, so I figured (correctly) that it was from Islay. It had a light body with fat tears.
The nose was peaty, but not overly so. It contained a little bit of smoked ham, flanked by a soft touch of iodine. But all so soft that it leaves you wanting for more. The nose remains – despite patience – closed. After the bottle was revealed, I couldn’t resist some feeling of disappointment. The nose does not reflect the label of ‘Big Peat’.
It does have a nice round mouthfeel, in which the peat and smokiness return more pronounced. Yes, this is the good stuff. A little bit of rubber, asphalt and something salty/sour that I cannot pinpoint. Kippers, maybe? Something medicinal as well.
The finish is rather long, warm and spicy. I like it.
When the bottle was revealed as Big Peat, I read on the label that it’s a Blended (previously 'Vatted') Islay Malt, bottled at 46% ABV and non-chill filtered. It contains spirit of Ardbeg, Coal Ila, Bowmore and even Port Ellen! It’s well worth the approx. 40 EUR that you have to fork over for it. The nose is the weakness of this otherwise powerful dram.
I actually found this one a bit disappointing as well. As you mentioned the name 'Big Peat' is a bit too ambitious. It has been a while since I last tried it - I've got a bottle lying around somewhere - but I recall finding it a bit unbalanced. The different flavors didn't quite blend that well, but seemed to collide. Off course it's smoky and peaty, and you either love that or hate it, but this dram simply didn't live up to my expectations. Pity actually for the Port Ellen they used (wasted?) in it.