Big Peat Christmas (2017 Release)

eh,. smoke, not much else

I picked up a bottle of this as I was looking for a “filler” bottle for an online order back before the Christmas holiday. Seeing that it was the Christmas Edition, I figured what the heck? This blend has been around for quite some time and they always release a special, cask strength edition each holiday season. This batch came in at a whopping 54.1% and contained malts from Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila and (surprise, surprise) Port Ellen. Yup, “ghosted” Port Ellen. I know this is going to be good. The moment I poured this into the Glencairn the room was filled with delicious BBQ’d meat and burnt hickory. There’s no need to wait out anything when it comes to this one. The nose is just a blazing campfire of peat, smoke and brisket. That has to be a huge percentage of Ardbeg providing this blast furnace of smoky goodness. The palate is incredibly luscious, while still providing some charred oak and hints of vanilla sweetness. This is all about the peat and seaside air, though. Make no mistake about it. The high ABV doesn’t hinder or harm the mouthfeel at all- it just works so well and you don’t need to cool the spirit a bit. The finish is long, meaty and just astonishing. Smoke lingers on until you take another sip and reignite the fires. This is an amazing blend. I think I prefer it over CBW’s Peat Monster. It lacks a lot of depth, but when you want that BBQ goodness- this is its wheelhouse. 4.5 stars, easily. The $62 price tag makes it a fantastic deal. I’m definitely going to add another bottle to any order that I need a spot filled. Buy with confidence. Cheers.

Smoldering campfire in a glass, but it's allright