Review by: TOModera
What was the occasion: I had a bunch of blends. By this point I have less blends. If a train leaves Wyoming and another leaves Ohio at the same time, which will fall off the tracks before I can post even one more blend review?
It’s a trick question, the trains don’t have enough profit to move so they never left.
What whisky did we review? Big Peat Xmas Edition 2015 is the seasonal offering from Big Peat, which differs from Big Peat as it’s limited, at natural cask strength, and has Christmas pictures on it.
So you have different vintages of Big Peat that come out and you can have different holiday wraps on your bottle. I like Xmas, after being a Scrooge for years, so that’s fine by me.
I mean, it’s this or you actually pay a lot of money for a pretty bottle that’s watered down, to the extent where you’re buying the bottle as much as the whisky inside. We’ll get to that later in my bias section.
What’s the distillery? Look, I’m running out of things to talk about Douglas Laing’s company, alright? I’ve done two other of these blended malts in a row and thought I’d have more fun facts by now. The main thing I’ve noticed is they have been more willing to release new versions of their Remarkable Regional Malts. Which I think shows there’s a demand, however I have to wonder if it’ll add more supply issues. Granted between a few new affordable blends and whatever taters are doing, it’s probably a good thing.
What’s my bias? So far positive. I actually had a Big Peat Xmas Edition a few years ago and enjoyed it. I recently tried the Big Peat standard and I’m happy with it. Scallywag and Rock Island/Oyster didn’t anger me. So if you didn’t like those whiskies, then you may find my scores higher.
As for the bottle, I’m torn on really pretty special edition bottles. A pretty, cool looking label on a bottle has, historically, been used once or twice to sell whisky that otherwise shouldn’t have been out of the wood yet. However, to make it very clear, I did like the 2014 edition, so my fear due to a colour scheme is abated, if somewhat.
So let’s see how this is, shall we?
Distillery: Douglas Laing.
Bottler: “Distillery Bottling”.
Region: Blended Malt.
ABV: 53.8%. Cask strength.
Age: Bottled in 2015.
Cask type: Unknown.
Price: €120 EUR.
Color: 7.5Y 9/6
Nose: Grass, pear, farm, lime, smoke
If the standard at this time is a Caol Ila with more brine, the Xmas edition for 2015 is an Ardbeg with Caol Ila influence, given Ardbeg from the 00s onward has that grassy note. It’s slightly nicer on the nose, more funk going on.
That said, having recently had the standard, I’m not getting a big boost in complexity. It’s different, it’s better, but about the same on the complexity level. Thus expect a nuanced take if this continues.
Taste: Lime, chilli powder, cream, hazelnut
I mean, if you haven’t had lime and chilli pepper, you’re probably about as white as I am and are missing out (not me, I got Tajin). I’ll give them this: The different flavours go together, but it feels half done. Like, we have hazelnut and creaminess, we have some acidity and heat and then… bye?
I like it, but I want the whisky to do a bit more here.
Finish: Lemon zest, cinnamon, molasses, cocoa, smoke
Strong Cola Ila vibes with more spice and richness to it. I like that the peat is giving that cocoa note, and again it feels like there’s effort to get flavours to meld that work together.
Conclusion: Funkier and more acidic than the standard, and therefore better. After my last review, I feel I should say this again: I do not take price into account when reviewing whisky. It’s not part of my score. If you disagree, add it into your score and call yourself “TOModeraSux69NoScope”.
We good? Great. Is this worth the upgrade? Hard to really say. On the one hand, it’s a well balanced whisky that I enjoyed well enough. I don’t think it’s a bad pour, I don’t fault anyone for buying it and enjoying it, and I liked the dram I had. If you can get it for a price you feel is good, and enjoy an acidic, slightly farmy, and slightly rich whisky, it’d be a good bottle to have.
If it costs you an arm and a leg or you prefer a single malt, then buy that. I can’t believe I have to write that, but the last Big Peat review has shown that everyone thinks whisky prices are standard by country and I, a reviewer, knows the price everywhere.
I can definitively say that the 2014 and 2015 were miles apart in quality. 2014 had more to it, more complexity, and overall my notes are nicer. 2015 was simpler. So my final verdict is to always try before you buy these, given the variability between the years. However perhaps 2016 will be similar and I’ve more to learn.
Final Score: 81.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 