I
am, unapologetically, a peat head. I love what it does to whisky, and sometimes,
I find myself craving it.
However,
I wasn't always a fan. Back when I was still a relative newbie, I got an
invitation to my first big whiskey event: Whisky Extravaganza
down in Miami. As I started moving from table to table, opening up my eyes to
more choices than I could shake a stick at, I got to the Lagavulin
table. I asked a lot of questions; I held out my Glencairn glass; they poured Lagavulin 16;
I sipped, and my palate was absolutely destroyed. I thought I licked the inside
of a 1970's American car's overflowing ashtray and followed it up with a
charcoal briquette lozenge. Oh... it was hideous, and I stayed away from
peated Scotches for several years.
Eventually,
I got back into the game and, like I initially said, I'm a peat head. When Barrell Craft Spirits (BCS) announced they were launching a 22-year-old Sweet Peat
whisky, I got excited.
Sweet
Peat is a blend of two Speyside single malt Scotches (if you're unfamiliar with
Scotch, peat isn't something the Speyside region is known for) and a Canadian
whisky. Wait – there's more. After blending, these whiskies went through two
finishing cycles: one in toasted Jamaican rum casks and another in Islay whisky
casks!
"The BCS Black Label Series takes us back to our roots of creating highly unique whiskeys in extremely limited quantities and showcasing cutting edge blending techniques which set us apart from the crowd. Sweet Peat not only blends two single malt Speyside scotch whiskies with Canadian whiskey, but this expression also features two unusual finishing casks." - Joe Beatrice, BCS Founder
But
wait – there's more. Sweet Peat is bottled at its cask strength of 71.17% ABV
(142.34°). That puts it into Haz-Mat territory! It comes with a suggested price
of $199.99 for a 750mL, and can be ordered from the BCS online store or at select
retailers around the United States.
Will
the peat and tropical influences play nice, or will this become a disjointed
hot mess? The only way to answer that is to #DrinkCurious, and for that, I must
thank BCS for this unique opportunity.
- Whisky Type: A Blend of Scotch & Canadian Whisky
- Distiller: Undisclosed Speyside and Canadian distilleries
- Age: 22 years
- Mashbill: Undisclosed
- Cooperage: Undisclosed maturation, then finished in Jamaican Rum and Islay Scotch casks
- Alcohol Content: 71.17% ABV (142.34°)
- Price per 750mL: $199.99
Appearance: I used
a Glencairn glass to explore this whisky neat; it had a golden amber color. A
thin, jagged rim released a wavy curtain of tears that you had to view at an
angle to notice.
Nose: After
waiting 15 minutes for everything to oxidize, I brought the glass beneath my
nostrils and started sniffing. The Rum influence was tremendous; I smelled thick
molasses and far milder toasted coconut. I went deeper; this time I found sweet
oak, maritime air, and baked apples. Next, I took the air into my mouth, and that's
when the peat showed up. It wasn't overpowering; yet it wasn't shy.
Palate: With my
first sip, I discovered a thick, creamy texture and a wild punch of smoky peat
and torched molasses. That Haz-Mat proof grabbed my attention as it warmed deep
down my throat.
I took a second draw and
held it in my mouth, then let it roll back across my tongue. On the front, I
tasted the namesake sweet peat, along with heavily-toasted oak and bold ginger.
My mid-palate caught molasses, toasted coconut, and vanilla. There were notes
of black pepper, clove, and ancho chiles on the back of my palate.
Finish: A slap
of vanilla was soon overcome by maritime peat, molasses, coconut, ginger, black
pepper, clove, and ancho chiles. It seemed to grab both of my ears while it
stared me in the eyes. I could almost hear the whisky laughing as I broke contact
first. It warmed from the start; the finish had a slight drying effect while,
simultaneously, my salivary glands watered. The long (very long) duration ran 2:16.
With Water: Because
this whisky was so potent, I grabbed an eyedropper and added two drops of water
to see what might change.
Sweet Peat's nose turned caramelly.
There was plenty of oak to go around, while grilled pineapples and vanilla took
over. Peat was absent.
The mouthfeel became slick
and oily; my palate had no problem picking out the rummy aspect, and the peat
remained sweet. The spice notes were significantly tamed; it also made things
less fascinating because any maritime quality was quashed. Then, there was the finish.
The molasses and clove remained; there was a smoky peatiness, but it could also
have been heavily toasted oak. Nope, it was smoke. I also found a hint of dill.
This time, everything lasted only 1:34 – still long but nearly 45 seconds less.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I felt
the proof in my head, and I didn't slam what was in my glass. And, as warm as
this experience was, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of Sweet Peat.
While I had a grand time,
Sweet Peat will appeal to only a niche audience. It is big, bold, and loud. It most
assuredly isn't for newbies or the peat-curious. Add the price (which I believe
is not out of line), and my Bar rating seems appropriate.
Final Thoughts: No two
peat bogs are the same. Each has its own terroir. In some ways, it is pretty
easy to distinguish one Islay whisky from another, and some distilleries use
sweeter peat than others to dry their malted barley. I could take a guess, but
that would be worthless because of the Jamaican Rum influence.
Cheers!
Photo courtesy of BCS
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit,
but begs you to do so responsibly.
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