Review #43 - The Double Peat

Peaty Blends Mini-Series: Part 2 of 3

The second entry in the peaty blend series, and another entry from Angus Dundee Distillers - in fact, another blended malt, as well. It's The Double Peat, a blend of two undisclosed single malts, one from Speyside, and one from Islay. Both parts are peated, so we can expect plenty of smoke here.

The Double Peat

Scotland - Blend

Current Locally Available Price: USD 42 (2023)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 46% ABV

Details: Sourced from 2 distilleries: 1 Speyside peated single malt, and 1 Islay peated single malt; non chill filtered

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 40% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Nicely peaty, and decently malty as well. The cask style seems mostly like ex-bourbon with some oak and sweet sugar and spice tones, but you can find just a little bit of sweet raisin and sherry spice if looking for it. There is also a decent amount of coastal brine, like salt or seawater, as well as some seaweed, and it's just a little bit musty.

Palate: Medium mouthfeel, and a bigger kick of black pepper on the front of the palate than we expected from the nose. Decently high peat level, and now some more flavors: a bit of red fruit, some apples; crisp, sweet pear, and maybe a hint of lemon as well. There is some green fruit as well, hard to place, and at the end, some spice and a little bit of an oak tannin.

Finish: Medium length finish, maybe bordering on medium-short; there is a decent dose of peat again, but it comes across a bit thin. Most of the other flavors have trailed off, leaving smoke, a hint of pepper, and that same little bit of wood tannin prickling the mouth.

Final Note: This is pretty decent value, at least to us: not quite as good as the entry level peaty Islay whiskies such as Ardbeg 10 and Laphroaig 10, but this blended malt is also notably cheaper than those bottles as well (at least in our region). Unlike the For Peat's Sake bottling, which fell away significantly on the palate, this provides plenty of flavor to unpack during that portion of the tasting experience, especially in the fruit realm; now, it's really just the finish that leaves more to be desired.

Our Average Rating: 6.5 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 7.60