Wemyss Malts produces a trio of blended whiskies: Spice King, The Hive and Peat Chimney. All of them have one key malt whisky as their standout component. For Peat Chimney this malt comes from Islay, but that shouldn’t really be a surprise. It is most likely Caol Ila.
Peat Chimney 8yo (40%, Wemyss Malts)
Nose: This has a Bowmore-ish quality. Feint peat, smoked bacon, salty seaweed. But very gentle and fruity also, with some added gingerbread and honey. With time is does get more medicinal, iodine.
Taste: The peat is a lot more noticable on the palate. Pretty aggressive arrival also. There’s wood smoke, iodine and smoked eel. Maybe some milk chocolate, but mostly the characteristic peat flavors.
Finish: This could’ve been a bit longer. Peaty and fruity with some eucalyptus.
Rating: 82
A well-crafted blend that will satisfy almost anyone who has a weakness for whiskies from Islay.
This was tasted as part of a Wemyss Malt Tweet Tasting hosted by The Whisky Wire, for which I was selected.
My exact thoughts. I found a lot of Bowmoresque characteristics in it too when I reviewed it last year. Found it even hard to believe that the core malt is Caol Ila, though it’s not a surprise with the volumes they produce. A solid quality daily dram.