Review #34: Wemyss Malts Peat Chimney 8 Year

Distillery: Blend

Bottler: Wemyss Malts

Region: Blend (Mostly Islay)

ABV: 40%

Age: 8 Year

Price: $7/dram at a pub

Color: 0.6, Old Gold

Nose: Medicinal peat with a bit of burned rubber.

Palate: Light, sweet, with lots of medicinal peat. There’s a slight bit of burned rubber and smoke which reminds me a lot of the taste you get in your mouth after someone does a burn out in front of you. The sweetness comes in the form of fresh green apple notes rather than straight on sugar or sherry. The peat notes aren’t quite smoky on their own and remind me more of oriental medicine than anything. With a bit of water, the burnt rubber goes away but so does all the smoke.

Finish: The finish is perhaps where this whisky gets its name. You can feel the burn all the way down with some of the rubber smoke and peat lingering. That same green apple note pops up near the end as well. It’s a bit harsh going down, a lot harsher than I would expect a 40% ABV dram to. With some water, it’s a lot more tempered but it gets thin fast.

Conclusion: While drinking this, I couldn’t help but think this would be a decent introduction to peated whisky for those who prefer a lighter, sherried dram. While there is peat, it’s not like the Ardbeg’s or Bruichladdich’s of the world that come out and smack you with it. Nothing too special but decently enjoyable. I can’t help but be disappointed that Weymss has now dropped the age statement on the more recent bottlings of this stuff. It would definitely discourage me from picking up a bottle.

Final Score: 76

Scotch whisky review #34, Blended whisky review #4, Whisky Network Review #44

---

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection.
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.