Big Peat Blended Malt

(Pinkernells Islay Tasting Event) I had a pour of this before about a year ago and remember not really liking it - which is why I avoided it since. But I’m happy they poured us one of this Islay blend in this tasting event because it was a different experience. The nose is mild but nice peat with a minor sweet fruitiness. There is pineapple out of a tin can where it taste more like the tin can than the pineapple itself. It is fresh and without any noticeable alcohol on the palate. The first impression of the palate is soft and a bid oily and fills the whole mouth with its mild character. After a few seconds then the peat gets noticeable and a lot sweeter. After you let that sink in it surprisingly becomes a bid watery. The taste itself is ok but other than the peat and the sweetness there isn’t much left to enjoy for me at this point. The finish has some Islay-like smoke and only after you swallowed it you notice a bid of alcohol. The peatiness of the finish remains really long with a slight young acidicy. All in all it was ok and the peat character itself is - well - Islay. But in the end my impression is that it comes across a bid uninspired.

Impressions @ 1/3 remaining: All things considered, this is a charming blended malt. The silly artwork that adorns the sleeve is perhaps a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously. The nose is a bit restrained, presenting aromas of preserved lemon, coastal air, and wood polish. For a peat monster, the palate begins bright and citrusy, adopting a slight mineral-like quality on the finish. At times, the bright citrus notes evoke the flavors of a Sprite soda, and it finishes on the slightest of tannic tea notes. The mouthfeel is pleasantly dry and greatly compliments the taste. For some reason, this didn't always agree with me, and there were times when this didn't feel at all balanced or palatable. Also, at $60, it's not great VFM, and it compared unfavorably to other entry-levels from Islay. However, this seemed to open up nicely, and, more often than not, I really enjoyed this. I would happily re-purchase if I could find a fair price on it (perhaps around $50 or less).

Septembre 2024 - Nancy - Le médiéval Robe très claire Nez très fumé et tourbé 1ère bouche magnifique une belle saveur tourbée et fumée inonde les papilles. Les goûts sont forts et francs ! On ne tergiverse pas. 2 ème bouche pimentée et alcoolisée, avec du coffre ! Il dépose en fin de bouche une pellicule légèrement industrielle sur la langue, elle s'avère légèrement écoeurante après le 3ème verre. Un whisky d'homme qui tape et réchauffe. Il offre une belle explosion de tourbe et de fumé en bouche et ne se pare pas de fioritures superflues. Il est à l'image des peuples des terres qui l'ont vu naître : simple, rugueux, authentique et fort. Dégusté au médiéval après avoir fait la rencontre de joyeux musiciens irlandais. Les violons répondent aux banjo, bouzouki, mandoline... Les airs celtes s'élèvent dans les airs et appellent les verres ... Que l'on m'abreuve de nectar Irlandais ou Écossais et que la musique dure toute la nuit !

I know this is a blend of Islay Single Malts, but that’s about all I know. Time to finally see what its about! The nose has a bright fruity and pettiness to it that jumps out at first. There is lemon zest, apple juice, sweet vanilla, pickled ginger, some iodine, light savory cooked meat at a campfire, light oak and nutty malt. The palate is sweet, savory and a little bitter with a medium body. There is iodine, burnt rubber and ash, vanilla, nutty malt, roasted jalapeño, and some oak. The finish is long with lingering spicy ginger, roasted jalapeño, smokey campfire, some iodine and chili pepper spice in the back pf the throat Overall pretty good. I can defiantly tell there is some Ardbeg in there, reminiscent of Wee Beastie. There is this lingering bitterness throughout that isn’t bad, just not what I was expecting. But sometimes that happens with blends, certain notes can get compounded.

One could argue that a few drops of Port Ellen in this blended malt can't make much of a difference, but it's a nice gimmick. Typical Islay peat smoke, coal tar and TCP dominate the nose, followed by fennel, baked banana and underlying Caol Ila sweetness. It's very raw, young and spirit-driven. On the palate, a phenolic blast of 'Big Peat' overwhelms the senses, very dry and edgy, subduing notes of honey, pears and subtle oak. Pineapple, menthol and a touch of briny seaweed subside in the long and peaty sweet finish. So where is the Port Ellen? I'm joking. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

A rich, big bodied, vatted malt by Douglas Laing in Islay, Scotland; comprised of malt whisky from Coal Ila, Bowmore, Ardbeg & Port Ellen. It has a phenolic birth with notes of lemon zest, cedar, spice, hints of chocolate, toffee, almond, walnut, cinnamon, coffee, smoke, delicate floral & fruit; while a salty & spicy life adds notes of heavy smoke, cinder, brine, earth, seaweed, oak, roasted salmon oiliness, peanut, sweet carrots & cut grass; that led to a long, peaty & dry death with notes of tarry smoke & ash. February 2018 / August 2022