Tastes

This 10th edition of the annual festive bottling, depicts Big Peat sporting a Santa Claus hat reflected in a bauble nestled deep within the Christmas tree. As is tradition for the Christmas Edition, “he” is bottled at a winter-warming Cask Strength of 53.1% and happily offered without colouring or chill-filtration. Big Peat is a marriage of 100% Single Malts from Islay distilleries - Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and Port Ellen. It is anyone's guess as to how much Port Ellen and Ardbeg are in there. To me it mostly feels like Caol Ila. Anyhow, let's dive in ... On the nose ... even from a distance you can smell the peat and smoke ... up close you get vibrant, minty notes with wet, rocky seashore air. Couple of more sniffs make you feel like walking in a horse farm with a burning campfire at a distance. There is some underlying sweetness ... muted ... but there along with some citrus fruit or lemon notes. Quite an interesting nose, I must say. The arrival on the palate is rather thin ... sweet but not overly so ... a bit prickly, brine with lemony vibrance ... and a lot of peat and smoke. Feels like quite a young whisky ... the palate development is very little ... mid palate and back palate are overtaken by the ashy smoke and peat. Few drops of water bring out a bit more fruit ... plum and apricots ... and help round the pepperi sharpness. The finish is fairly long ... dominated by the ash and smoke ... slight undertones of sweet fruit and lemon notes ... lips continue to tingle long after the dram is gone ... Initial impression was good, but I was hoping for more ... big meaty flavors for the 10th anniversary Christmas Edition. Perhaps it will get better with some air time.

Kilchoman Am Bùrach 2020 Limited Edition release was created by accident. In 2014, Machir Bay (core expression of Kilchoman matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks) was accidentally mixed with Port matured Kilchoman while vatting casks ... causing Islay Heads, the distillery General Manager, to describe the result as 'Am bùrach' which means 'the mess' in Gaelic. It was then matured in ex-bourbon casks for another 6 years and then finished in Ruby Port casks for 6 months. Bottled at 46% ABV with no color added and un-chill filtered, this expression is a one-off release. When I first opened the bottle and poured a dram, I wasn't impressed ... it came across rough and unbalanced with off-putting notes. I let it sit knowing that some air time can do magic to the whisky. Over these past few weeks the whisky has improved considerably and provides quite an engaging experience. On the nose, there are nice aromas of sweet and earthy peat ... red fruits like apple and plums ... bit of lemon ... raspberries and cereal notes ... quite fruity ... and sweet! No alcohol burn and the peat isn't too strong either. The arrival on the palate is creamy and juicy sweet with peaty earthiness. Slight briny note followed by citrus fruit. Further development on the palate leads to Chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and raspberry notes. A bit of almonds ... perhaps marzipan ... Peat stays on ....and becomes more prominent on the back palate ... with slight pepperiness ... Peat is not very strong .. very well balanced ... yummy! The finish is quite nice ... medium to long ... bit dry ...and the sweet fruity notes continue ...some chocolate as well. This is quite nice at 46% but I'd love to try this at cask strength as well! Wonder if there would be another accident causing such a beautiful mess 😃

For the 2020 Fall release ...65.15% ABV on the nose ... deep dark sweet brown sugar, caramel, vanilla ... no alcohol burn ... that's surprising at this high proof ... but very rich aromas ... adding a few drops of water opens it up with more dark fruity aromas like cherry and plums .... hint of orange ... lovely! Palate ... rich and creamy, sweet and juicy .... astringent. ... lots of pepper and cinnamon, rich and viscous mouthfeel ... like maple syrup. Adding a few drops of water brings more fruit forward and juicier characters and dampens some of the pepper and spice ... I kind of like it neat but with water is pretty good too ... Finish is quite nice. ... sweet, peppery and warming ... lingers for a while .... definitely medium to long .... on the longer end 😃 ...

Bottled at 60.1% (120.2 proof) this one packs a pretty punch and it is certainly not for the faint of heart. On the nose, it is immediately smoky and phenolic ... reminds you of burning rubber, tar and iodine. After you get past the peat and smoke you discover more brine, vanilla and some fruit like pineapple with a sprinkle of pepper spice. On the palate the arrival is quite oily with honeyed sweetness that is immediately followed by lemon, brine, oysters, seaweed, ash, smoke, herbal grass notes and pepper. The development is quite interesting with rich mouthfeel and different flavors coming together in a good balance. Even at 60.1% it doesn't drink that hot ... a few drops of water bring out more fruity sweet characters and mellows down the spice and alcohol burn. The finish is medium to long (lasts a bit longer without the water) with tar, ash and smoke combined with some 'fishy' sea-shore like characters. It is quite mouth-drying as well. Overall a fantastic whisky ... I definitely recommend adding a few drops of water and leave the glass for 15-20 minutes before enjoying it.

On the nose the aromas of sweet vanilla and caramel combined with peat, smoke and brine are immediately apparent. The nose is quite engaging. While the usual Laphroaig characters are present, they seem to be more muted and well rounded. Not as much iodine and hospital phenolic characters. Digging further reveals some red fruits and berries like baked apple and strawberry jam. The arrival on the palate is full bodied, creamy rich, buttered toast slathered with some pineapple and peach jam that is immediately followed by smoke, ash and peat. It develops into slightly more savory characters with grilled fish with oaky sharpness, pepper and lime. The peat lingers and becomes more pronounced at the back of the palate. The lips develop a tingling feeling :) The finish is long with smoky ash, dark chocolate covered raisins and pepper.

The nose is quite intense with an ABV of 63.6% (127.2 proof) ... keep some distance between your nose and the glass lest you burn it 😂 ... once you get past that initial punch you get the usual sweet vanilla, caramel and brown sugar notes with some dark fruits and hints of orange, coffee and oakiness. Adding a few drops of water and letting the glass sit for a few minutes helps opening it up to reveal more fruity cherry like aromas with some baking spices. The palate is fairly consistent with the nose with sweet juicy character developing with more wood lactones with coconut-like flavor and creamy mouthfeel. While it is high proof, it is very well balanced with quite a rich and sweet almost creme brulee like experience followed by the spicy kick of cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg and candied ginger. The finish is quite long and extends the experience of desserty goodness 😃 ... The sweet and spicy characters continue with a nice warming finish that goes on for a while ... Certainly glad to have found this one!