big peat peatrichor feis ile 2021

Big Peat “Peatrichor” Cask Strength (Douglas Laing)

Big Peat is one of Douglas Laing’s ultimate success stories. This big fella has now been around since 2009 and dozens (hundreds?) of bottlings later he’s still going strong. With the virtual Feis Ile Festival around the corner, Douglas Laing has announced their latest edition, which is called Big Peat “Peatrichor”. Derived from petrichor, which is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil.

To be totally honest, I’m somewhat surprised by the sustainability of Big Peat. Or maybe not the sustainability, but the fact that there seems to be a market for all these limited releases. I’ve tasted my share and find most of them pretty similar. Then again, Big Peat is obviously prime bait for collectors. The artwork is slightly different with each release, which should be irresistible for those with the collecting gene.

Since I’m neither a collector nor someone with a huge affinity for heavily peated Islay whisky, Big Peat is clearly not aimed at me. Although, the standard release makes for a great whisky sour!

Big Peat “Peatrichor” Cask Strength (53.8%, Douglas Laing, 5190 bts.)

Nose: Decent salinity, chimney smoke and smoked barley husks, with a touch of dried seaweed and lemons. Notes of grilled pineapple too, as well as some bananas and a pinch of white pepper. Well-balanced.
Taste: Very ashy and a hint of tar with some vegetal peat notes and licorice root. There’s some pickled lemon too, followed by crème caramel. Not the most complex.
Finish: Lingering salinity and some smoked peanut skins.

Score: 85

A nice Big Peat once again but I’m not sure it stands out much from all the others that have been released in the last 10+ years. However, I’m sure this will sell like hot cakes.

Sample provided by Douglas Laing

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