Douglas Laing's Big Peat Christmas Edition 2019 Cask Strength blend, Second Take

 

I don't know why, but I am still finding Douglas Laing's Big Peat Christmas Edition from 2019 (you can tell because it's bottled at 53.7% ABV) on the shelves of local Washington D.C. liquor stores. At *very* competitive prices. We're talking ~$50 for a cast strength Islay blend that includes Ardbeg and Port Ellen (however small the proportions might be) and Bowmore and Caol Ila. 

I guess this is still something of a secret in the Scotch community, perhaps only known to Islay maniacs and smokeheads. But boy did I love my last two bottles, and now I'm going to review this third version, even though it's been two years since it came out. 

Douglas Laing releases a decent number of really high quality blends: Remarkable Regional Malts with a Twist, Timorous Beastie, Big Peat (and associated special editions), Scallywag, Rock Island (the former Rock Oyster, and a favorite of mine), The Epicurean, et al. I have liked every single one I've tasted. So when I found this at a local store, two years after its release, I jumped all over it.

As mentioned in the introduction, the Big Peat Christmas Edition is a mix of Ardbeg, Port Ellen, Caol Ila, and Bowmore. It's bottled at a very pleasing 53.7%, also as noted above. It's like a better version, in my opinion, of Compass Box's Peat Monster. Big Peat Christmas Edition has a very pronounced "bright" profile that comes across like olive brine, like mossy peppermint, like salty flowers. It has a lot of personality, and is definitely worth your attention if you've gotten bored of the usual Ardbeg/Laphroaig/Lagavulin triumvirate, or the endless independent bottles of Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila. Let's dig in (again):

Nose: Fragrant as Bowmore, but spicy as hell. Green bell peppers, jalapenos, green olives, brine. A soft floral note. A sour note. Something acid. And an earthy, mossy texture. And a distinct meat-oriented sulfur note that is somewhat like fried duck (!). 

Mouthfeel: Quite thin. 

Palate: Peppermint, moss, and olive brine. What a combination! Totally wacky, yet compelling. Peat, of course - lots of it. Minimal smoke, though. There is a strange sweetness here, like antiseptic almost, but it's masked by all the vegetal and savory flavors. Some alcohol burn. Jalapenos, green pepper. And that fried duck from the nose comes through as a flavor as well - a real head trip, that one. 

Finish: Vegetal moss, oak, and pepper. Soft smoke. Something like wet leather. Medium to short in length.

Verdict: I enjoy Big Peat, and the cask strength version is definitely the way to go. I think overall this is an excellent value at around ~$50. But it's not for everyone - it's vegetal in the extreme with a lot of "off" flavors like savory mint and meaty sulfur. It's also a little surprising that something so phenolic and peat-centric has so little smoke attached. There's almost none at all! Still... interesting stuff. Worth a peek if you are interesting in peated whisky.