Big Peat The Säubrenner Edition

Big Peat The Säubrenner Edition is Big Peat, the Douglas Laing Islay blended malt that carries Port Ellen. Big Peat folds the island's peated malts into one assertive dram. Each release is a fresh vatting of Islay's smoky malts.

It brings together single malts from across Islay rather than one distillery alone. Built without an age statement, Port Ellen lends the vatting a graceful, maritime smoke. Refill ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, the wood Port Ellen is most often found in. Maturation in old refill casks keeps the distillery character front and centre. A modern Islay dram with a thread of the past inside. The Islay malts give it a smoke quite unlike a mainland blend. Vattings like this let the smoky malts of Islay shine together. The peat is the point here, drawn from Islay's smoky distilleries. Bottlings carrying closed distillery malt grow rarer each year.

At a natural 53.6% it is powerful and oily. Lemon zest and coastal salt ride on a soft maritime smoke, with a touch of vanilla and cream from the wood. It is structured and a touch austere, the refill oak keeping it lean. A waxy, gently medicinal finish lingers long. An assertive, coastal blended malt touched by Port Ellen smoke.