Big Peat 12 Years Old

Big Peat 12 Years Old, from Douglas Laing, vats Islay's smoky malts with Port Ellen at its core. It gathers Islay's smoky malts into a rich, coastal blended malt. Big Peat has appeared in countless editions for markets and festivals.

The category marries malts from different distilleries, here the peated malts of Islay. At 12 year old it shows real maturity, the rare Port Ellen at its heart brings a structured, briny smoke. Refill bourbon wood held the spirit, flattering its citric, oily smoke. Years by the Atlantic give the malt its briny, oily weight. 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 an approachable 46% it is refined. A gently medicinal smoke runs over a waxy, briny lift, with light oak sweetness underneath. The texture is oily and coating, the smoke threaded with sea salt. Embers and sea salt see out a long finish. A smoky, characterful blended malt built on Islay peat and Port Ellen.