Big Peat 33 Year Cognac & Sherry Cask Finish

Nose: pears, ashes(Caol Ila style), citrus, orange marmelade, "sirop simple". Cognac influence makes me think more of a rivesaltes/muscat type. Mouth: nice texture, mineral, spices are coming right away, mouth watering, orange peel, ginger, very soft peat, some pineapples, roasted nuts. Final: Spices are going down, lots of orange, alcohol is absent its very nice, flavors are going away a bit too quickly though. Very pleasant whisky, bottle as just been open. I will revisit this one in a couple weeks when it has opened up. Normally doesnt like bigpeats but the aged one are a drastic change.

The new and oldest Big Peat at 33 year old, one of 1500 bottles, aged in XO and Sherry casks, and priced under 300 USD. Checking some boxes! Nose - one of the most interesting experiences of the year. Cognac is dominate here. Earthy and classic "scotchy butter scotch" with slight orchard fruit, and billowing smoke. Deep whiffs into the copita bring out some alcohol bite. Marmalade and custards are showing up. I get an ever so light hint of wood, but more of an exotic oak, not your traditional oaks. There's an ever so light funky oak, almost a wet oak. Hint of confectionery sugar. Even a hint of grape (cognac?). Overall the net nose is leaning savory with salty elements and buttery notes balancing the sweet. 30+ minutes in the glass and spices are coming up, slightly baking spices and slightly oak spice. Complex as heck for sure, but I'm not sure I'm there in terms of greatness. Here's to hoping it tastes epic! Taste - well, i'm kinda less impressed. Second, pour as the first left me a bit underwhelmed. The opening is rich sweetness with light oak notes, rich sugars and a nice mix of that cognac and yes now sherry casks are clearly coming out. Then it transitions to mint and menthol and then loads of bitter oak. Super cooling on the finish after being warm and inviting up front. I'm digging it. So I'm at a 3.5 but I'll come back to see if it opens up. A good value but not great.

Have you ever been to the Louvre in Paris? It’s the famous museum that houses Mona Lisa. Good luck in seeing that painting up close though—-it’s usually crowded with a sea of tourists. But the museum also houses one of my favorite sculptures: The Winged Nike of Samothrace, which is an ancient sculpture from 2nd century BC, unfortunately with her head missing. So, years ago we went there, with my then 5yr old daughter in tow. Her reaction was “so...what’s special about it? The most important part, the head, is missing “ That about sums up this pour. It’s 33yr old blended Islay finished in double cognac and then sherry cask. At 33 years, there’s not many Islay that can boast that fabled age and be affordable (relatively ...as in not taking out a 2nd mortgage ). Maybe the likes of Bunna, some Caol Ila...any others that can sustain that age will be well over $1000 ( Ardbeg , Bowmore, Lagavulin, Laphroaig). It’s got a nice aroma sweet perfumed flowers and dried fruits; taste a hint of peat and salt, oranges and almonds. But...it’s missing the peat. Yes, at this age, I’d expect more elegant peat, not missing all together. So...without that peat, I feel as if the heart of Islay is gone. In the words of a 5 yr old looking at the Winged Nike of Samothrace: “ it’s missing the most important part “