|
15th February 2019 |
Douglas Laing
marks 10 years of its peaty Islay
blended malt with a Big Peat 10 Year Old
commemorative bottling.
 Back
in 2009 while attending 'Whisky Live
Glasgow' I stopped by the Douglas Laing
stand where Fred Laing poured me my
first taste of his company's new Islay
blended malt, Big Peat. I recall
chatting with Fred at the time about the
whisky and telling him how impressed I
had been with Douglas Laing's already
existing Clan Denny Islay blended malt
whisky, a whisky which I think slipped
under most whisky drinkers radar but
with Big Peat not only was Douglas Laing
offering a quality peaty Islay blended
malt whisky but with DL's innovative
branding and marketing it was always
destined to get noticed and given its
quality and pricing it was also destined
to be a winner with peaty Islay whisky drinkers.
I have always thought if put together
well a blended malt
whisky has the potential of being just as
good or even better than any malt whisky
from a single distillery and Big Peat
was, and still is, proof of that.
A decade on since Big Peat's inception,
Douglas Laing, the independent Glasgow
based family Scotch Whisky firm are
marking Big Peat's 10th anniversary with
the release of a commemorative Big Peat
10 Year Old Limited Edition bottling.
The listed component malts for the 10
year old limited edition have remained
true to the original component malts
listed for the Big Peat when it was
launched back in 2009 which are
predominantly Caol Ila, Ardbeg, Bowmore
and a of course a small portion of Port
Ellen.
Taking its inspiration from a vintage
scrap book, the Big Peat 10 label
features a collection of emblems, stamps
and hand-drawn illustrations in honour
of Big Peat’s Islay home. A platinum
foiled story book held within a
heavyweight envelope accompanies each
bottle, telling the legend of Big Peat
and his Whisky adventures. Just like all
Big Peat expressions the special 10 year
old bottling is a marriage Single Malts
distilled exclusively on Islay and
proudly offered without colouring or
chill-filtration. At a punchy 46%
strength, the 10 Years Old Whisky is
described as being "packed with sooty,
smoky, leathery charm".
Fred Laing, Chairman at Douglas Laing
and Big Peat’s best pal, commented:
"Back in 2009, I dreamt up a feisty
Ileach fisherman who would later become
Big Peat, a brand that would grow at an
average of 29% year on year, and
subsequently be joined by Scallywag,
Timorous Beastie, Rock Oyster, The
Epicurean and The Gauldrons to deliver
what we so modestly designate our
"Remarkable Regional Malts: The Ultimate
Distillation of Scotland’s Malt Whisky
Regions". I’m delighted to see Big Peat
continue to grow and to see ‘him’
develop such a loyal band of followers
around the world – this special bottling
is a fitting tribute to him!"
Big Peat 10 Year Old is a limited
release of 5100 bottles globally and is
expected to retail at £65, it will soon be
available from specialist online whisky retailers such as The Whisky Exchange
and
Master of Malt
|
Big Peat 10 Year Old Review
|
Review added 17th April 2019.
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes::
Review added 17th April 2019
Nose:
An earthy peat smoke with a touch of
vanilla sweetness balanced with a salty
edge. Some gentle medicinal and peppery
notes lurking in the background and the
slightest hint of lemon citrus.
Taste:
Demerara sugar sweet vanilla infused
with that lovely mixed blend of Big
Peats Islay peatiness all tinged with
the slightest touch of liquorice. Some
late delicate spice.
Finish:
Long, it gets sweeter and peatier, some
late tobacco and slightly drying.
Comment:
Hints of Ardbeg, Caol Ila and I am sure
Port Ellen is in there somewhere, which
all makes for a very enjoyable, smooth,
peaty Islay malt and certainly one fit
to mark the 10th anniversary of this now
iconic Islay blended malt whisky. I
would say think of this as a little more refined Big
Peat.
SMW Score
90/100
|
Where To Buy Whisky Online
|
|
Select a country for a list of
specialist Whisky shops who delivers to
you:
|
Whisky Focus
<<<Back to
Whisky Focus for more Whisky News
|
Top
Of Page |
|
|
Online Whisky Shops |
|
|
|
New Whiskies |
| Check out the latest
new whisky releases. |
 |
| Worldwide delivery
available.
More Info |
|
