“More Peat Than Chimney”
Country: Scotland
Brand: Wemyss Peat Chimney
Bottler: Wemyss Malts, Edinburgh
Type: Blended Malt Whisky
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 40 %
Colour: Bronze
Nose: Soft Sweet Earthy Peat and a little Brine, Ash and Leather are the first impressions followed by hints of Salted Meat and Fish or Shell Fish on the BBQ. I also find some Marzipan, Honey, Sugared Tea, Vanilla, Grapefruit Juice, Malt, Pear, Nuts, Ginger Ale and Nutmeg. It's rather simple but at the same time quite Smooth and Laid-Back.
Palate: Thin and Watery Delivery with Sweet Peat, Licorice, Anise, Lemon Zest,
light Smoke, Orange Juice, Sour Apples, Ginger, Pepper, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg and Menthol.
light Smoke, Orange Juice, Sour Apples, Ginger, Pepper, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg and Menthol.
Finish: Middle-Long but Thin with Sweet Peat, Ashes, light Smoke, Orange, Sour Apples, Lemon, Toffee, Nuts, Black Coffee, light Oak, Licorice, Nutmeg, Pepper Cinnamon and light Vanilla.
The Peat Chimney does not accept added Water. It's already too Thin as it is.
Rating: 82
Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5
General Remarks: The Peat Chimney is part of a recent range by Wemyss of Edinburgh, next to The Hive and Spice King. Each represents one of the three main Scottish production areas, respectively Islay, Speyside and Highlands. The Peat Chimney is a Blend of up to 16 Single Malts. The heart is formed by an Islay distillery. By the way, Wemyss is the old Gaelic word for Caves. The Whiskies for the Wemyss Blends are chosen by a Panel, chaired by the well-known whisky writer Charles MacLean. This Peat Chimney is usually sold at around 50 US Dollars. A cheaper 8 year version is also available. Wemyss did a very nice job on Packaging and Presentation!
Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good
Conclusion: Peat Chimney is not a bad blended Malt, especially on the Nose. On the Palate and in the Finish it is a little on the Thin side. But it offers people the chance to get acquainted with the Islay Aroma and Flavour profile. As such it works as it's all quite smooth and gentle. The people who like Islay Single Malt however will notice that the Peat Chimney brings sufficient Peat but clearly lacks Smoke. No Chimney to be smelled or tasted! It would also benefit from a slightly higher ABV but then we enter again into the eternal struggle between a reasonable price and a sufficient ABV. And now the 1 Million US Dollar question: What Distillery could have produced the leading Islay Malt in this Blend? Based on the Sweetness of the Peat and the Sourness of the Apples I suspect it could be Bunnahabhain but my guess is as good as yours!
Jan van den Ende January 16, 2015
