The colour is paler than you would guess, and the nose recalls soot on the inside of a wood burner's glass. The eleventh time Douglas Laing sent Big Peat on his Christmas holiday — and still no sign of him settling down.
The expert's description
Big Peat Christmas Edition 2021 is an Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky bottled at 52.8 % cask strength.
It is the eleventh edition in Douglas Laing's Christmas series, assembled from single malts from Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and Port Ellen. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.
The Christmas release is bottled every year at cask strength and with its own composition, and the 2021 vintage is among the paler in colour — a sign that bourbon leaning casks dominate the vatting.
Tasting notes
Nose
Soot and stove glass, dried seaweed and a sharp medicinal edge. Under the smoke sit lemon, vanilla and a light sweetness.
Palate
High-octane peat smoke with sea salt, pepper and toasted barley. The 52.8 % gives a firm grip, and a dry, almost chalky minerality runs through the middle.
Finish
Long and dry with ash, salt and a hint of vanilla at the end.
Specifications
Name: Big Peat Christmas Edition 2021 Douglas Laing Blended Malt Whisky 52.8%
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 52.8 %
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Bottled: 2021
Edition: Christmas Edition 2021
Flavour profile
Peated · Ashy · Salt · Mineral · Cask strength
Investment potential
Medium: A vintage release that will not be repeated, in the series with the most collectors among Big Peat's bottlings. Older Christmas editions are steadily harder to find unopened.
Did you know?
The Christmas series began in 2011, which makes the 2021 edition the eleventh in the row. Douglas Laing have continued the tradition every single year without skipping one.
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