PBMichiganWolverine
Big Peat 33 Year Cognac & Sherry Cask Finish
Blended Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
July 18, 2020 (edited March 29, 2022)
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 “
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@PBMichiganWolverine @anthology I travelled off peak season, autumn 16 years ago on a 4 month road trip round Europe. Was great as not many queues at all. I could just walk straight up to the Mona Lisa..a lot more people started traveling after that once China, India etc became more wealthy so started to get a lot more crowded I hear. And yes driving around Burgundy, Bordeaux etc was definitely more my style. I picked up the car in Paris and it was the first time driving on the right side of the road..I nearly straight away ended up in that crazy massive round about the Arc de Triomphe...eventually shot out a main street driving on the wrong side of the road..fun times!
@Anthology the line at Eiffel Tower was even worse. As much as I loved Paris, I actually really loved the countryside more. Especially as you go East towards the Jura region. Idyllic villages nestled between mountains.
@PBMichiganWolverine Nice analogy!
@PBMichiganWolverine Looking forward to your review of the Big Peat 26yr. Also forgot to mention that your Louvre call-out took me back to my trips to Paris last year. The crowds (++ waiting in line) at Louvre was insane! Kinda took the fun out of the experience in some ways."
@Anthology i have that one somewhere in my stash,..I’ve not tried it, but I’m hoping it’s better than this one
@PBMichiganWolverine Insightful & entertaining review as always! Based on a favorable @LeeEvolved comment or review on a Big Peat offering I read somewhere here, (I forget which one), I’ve been eyeing the second release of their LE vintage trilogy series, Big Peat Platinum Edition 26yr old. Any chance your “...core 12-22 yr range” comment extends to the 26yr? At sub $300, the 26Yr old seems like a good deal for an Islay that likely contains Bunna & Caol Ila distillates.
@Soba45 likewise...if I want something light and mellow, there’s Balvenie, and a bunch of Lowlander. But Islay and Cambeltown, I’m looking for more
@PBMichiganWolverine Yes I agree fully. Some like mellow light Islay I'm like if I'm drinking Islay I want smack me in the face Islay!
@ContemplativeFox in my humble opinion...so not worth the price. Besides a few notable exceptions, I think Islay is strongest in late teens.
@LeeEvolved I had the same thoughts based on the name (though I have yet to try any other Big Peat releases). Huge error here in leaving the peat out of a whisky literally called "Big Peat". Thanks for the great review @PBMichiganWolverine !
@Rick_M yeah, agreed. Personally, I like sherry+peat in the core 12-22 yr range, where you can still get the peat power, but balanced by the wood too
@LeeEvolved i had high hopes for this too...but the cognac and sherry took over the peat at this older age. I think the elegance would’ve been to have it w/o the finishing and let the distillate speak for itself
Damn, this one had me very excited- I guess all those “buzz worthy” words in the name were the cause: BIG PEAT, 33 YEARS and COGNAC make it sound dreamy. Hell, almost every Big Peat release I’ve tried has been close to stellar in flavor and price. Such a shame this one comes up short. Great review, PB.
@PBMichiganWolverine - Winey finishes will step all over peat as well.