84

28 August 2020

The visit of ‘Uncle’ Big Peat

Last week we were pleasantly surprised with the visit of our ‘Uncle’ Big Peat, arranged by our friends of De Monnik Dranken. So a huge thanks to them for hooking us up!

We figured the best thing we can do with an uncle you haven’t seen in a long time is to go out and party all night long, but due to the well-known hold-up called Covid-19 we had to think of other ways to make his stay unforgettable.

We decided to go for a spin and take him for a tour around town, Arnhem that is. To show the beautiful history of this city, located in the East of the Netherlands, 10 minutes off the German border. Well-known for the events in the Second World War, Operation Market Garden in September 1944.

We took him along some parts of the ‘Liberation Route’, The John Frost Bridge and the Ordnance QF 25-pounder. Through Sonsbeek Garden and the older parts of the city. Showing him some beautiful graffiti and the fountains in the city center. We enjoyed every minute of it, catching up on things together and gossip about our families. We found out Uncle Big Peat and the two of us were peas in a pod and had the best day together. He even fixed our car, such a handy man, but his dirty hands were clearly noticeable on the palate.

And that makes us dive into the main reason we brought Big Peat along: his tasting notes. Big Peat is a blend of Caol Ila, Bowmore, Ardbeg and a tiny bit of Port Ellen (we assume) and it’s bottled at 46%.

Tasting notes


Nose

At first, a hint of garlic and salmon from the day before, but uncle Peat clearly was in a good mood, offering a bright bouquet of tropical fruits, stewed pears, mango, papaya, popsicle sticks, jellybeans and fried bananas. His rough side also shines through: solder, iron, whole wheat, salt and lemons.

Palate

On the oily palate, his mood seems to slightly shift: Motor oil, licorice, sulphur, salt, minerals, barley, metals, copper, stout, espresso, ham, pineapple and some oriental spices.

Finish

His rugged home (Islay that is) result in a somewhat grumpy finish: Very ashy and kinda rough, with hints of copper, sea salt, sulphur, peated barley, wet ropes, tar, charred meat, buttered popcorn, dry, salmon fillet, grilled pineapple, curry, cardamom and turmeric.

As the day came to an end, and we had to say goodbye to each other, we realized we couldn’t say goodbye just yet. So we took him home and introduced him to our family and friends. He will stick around for a while, that’s for sure! Although he might need do to something about his mood..