Big Peat was the first whisky in Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts series, which launched in 2009. The idea behind the brand was to offer whisky drinkers the ‘ultimate distillation of Islay’.

Big Peat Beach BBQ Edition is offered at a natural cask strength of 54.2% ABV, the release is limited to 3,000 bottles globally. We’re currently delivering to the following countries including Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand (16 of 17 regions), Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, & United States (20 of 62 states inc Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, & Wyoming). Laing: “No, it was only about four or five years ago that I realized this. Anybody who is fond enough of Big Peat to have a tattoo applied to his arm or leg, that’s got to be a cult-ish following. There’s even a group that call themselves Big Peat Nerds. They came across for a celebratory dinner a few months ago and flew in from all over. It’s very warming for us to see that sort of interest.” Distiller: What do you remember about the inception of Big Peat? Neat – Slightly thin mouthfeel. I would have expected it to be oilier given the nose. Sweet, some chocolate, then hit with peat on the development. Not very complex, but quite smooth (neutral descriptive comment, not an endorsement) and pleasant. 22/25Finish: There is a salty taste here that accompanies the smoke and peat. The grassy taste lingers a bit and slowly fades. Big Peat is definitely the Die Hard whisky. Like the first three of the Die Hard trilogy, it offers heavy blasting and lots of smoky explosions on your mouth but gives you a soft and tender side as well (mainly for your nose). It is like John McClane – a vulnerable badass. Given peat’s availability (it is found worldwide, largely in the top of the northern hemisphere through North America, Russia and Northern Europe, with a very large concentration in Scotland), it made for a reliable and easily procured source of fuel before coal and other options made their way to Islay from Glasgow hundreds of years ago.

What this means is that the universally accepted PPM measurement is a good indicator of the presence of peat, but also has a wide range of scope for distillers–not all that dissimilar to the measurement used by brewers to determine the bitterness levels of a delicious beer. Image: Kilchoman What is Peated Whisky? If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. I rarely comment on colour of whisky but this one is so refreshingly pale I can’t help but assume that no caramel has been added.I’ve had this bottle for only a few days, so this review is based on my third dram. If I notice some changes over time, I’ll add them to the comments section down the road. Meanwhile, candied fruit marmalade adds an element of zest while a warm malt cereal nose adds a touch of vanilla softness. Additionally, I couldn’t help but notice a touch of woollen lint in there too.