Big Peat The Chinese New Year Edition

Big Peat The Chinese New Year Edition is a blended malt Scotch from Douglas Laing, an all Islay vatting with Caol Ila at its core. The Big Peat label gathers Islay malts into one peaty vatting, with the cartoon fisherman on the front.

Caol Ila's elegant smoke gives the blend its coastal, citrus edge. A second fill bourbon cask kept the oak in the background. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. Active wood frames the smoke without smothering the citrus beneath. The clean, oily spirit takes cask flavour well while holding its citrus and smoke. The six tall stills sit behind picture windows looking out to Jura. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols. The spirit's high notes of lemon and grass survive even long maturation. The malt is medium peated, giving a cleaner smoke than the south shore Islays.

At a hearty 48.8% it carries real weight. A coastal peat smoke runs through it, with lemon, brine and a soft oil over a sweet fruit. It is clean and coastal, the peat and lemon to the fore. The smoke fades slow over citrus and a mineral tang. A characterful smoky blended malt Scotch.