Big Peat Santa NAS Batch (57.8%, DL & Co, 2011)

BIG PEAT ISLAY BLENDED/VATTED MALT – (Really) heavily peated including amongst others: ARDBEG, BOWMORE, CAOL ILA and PORT ELLEN.

Unsurprisingly lashings of peat reek on the nose along with some nice malt and over ripe fruit, goose berries and some brown sugar (a little). All in all a grand collection of aromas along with peanut butter, dark unsweetened chocolate and maybe a hint or two of espresso? The taste is also very big and exceedingly dry with initial sweetness but then the cask strength turbo charged peat reek arrives on the scene like Godzilla trashing everything in sight. Hints of prawn crackers. Black pepper, chilies and that stuff they use to start up nuclear power stations. The finish is well worth wading through the Godzilla attack and it does not disappoint with wave and wave of peat reek crashing onto the shore. A late arrival of the peanut butter and more of the peat. Well, enough of that, there’s a lot of it.

Well done to Douglas Laing…a big peat experience indeed.

$70

Score 90 points

Part one of five featuring whiskies that are peated; ‘Peat Week’!