New from Douglas Laing – Scallywag and Big Peat; New Cutty Sark Attire; New Tomatin
Hello everyone
Things are beginning to feel a bit autumnal here in Scotland now but we were able to sit out in the garden for lunch on Monday so it‘s not all miserable quite yet. The nice people at Douglas Laing are well prepared though as they recently launched their Scallywag and Big Peat Winter Editions. I‘ve now had a chance to nose and taste them myself. Neither has had any chill-filtration or added colour.
Scallywag Winter Edition – 54.2% alc. vol. Finished in Cognac casks. A blended malt using malts from Speyside.
Appearance: Rich barley gold with polished brass highlights. Tears very slow to form, clinging to glass. They run quite close together at first then more widely spaced.
Nose: Vibrant, fruity; barley sugar; apple skins; honey and sweet wood shavings. With water, some viscosity shows in the liquid. Aromas of baked apple and a dab of vanilla; crunchy honeycomb (the sweet). Some floral notes and caramelised brown sugar.
Palate: Medium mouthfeel – some creaminess. Baked fruit; sweet and savoury spices; fruit skin astringency; caramelised, almost burnt, sugars so a slight bitterness.
Finish: Quite long with some fruit but ends spicy and dry.
I‘ve found one or two cognac cask finishes to be at bit lacking in terms of flavour integration but not this one. I did get a bit more on the nose than on the palate. One I‘d like to spend more time with, though. You‘ll find it online at the Douglas Laing website or in specialist stores for around £60/Euro 69.
Big Peat Winter Edition- 48% alc. vol. 10 Years Old. Finished for 16 months in French red wine casks, though they don‘t say from which region or whether a specific grape type. 
Appearance: Rich amber with copper highlights. Almost like Irn Bru for those of you familiar with our other national drink! Clearly some oiliness as tears so slow to form at first then a little swifter, a bit like fruit syrup. Close – medium spacing.
Nose: Smoke! Bonfires! Char! However, all rather well-rounded. Coffee grounds and dark chocolate. Smoked hams with a touch of smoky honey too. Slight dark fruitiness- blackberry, damson; sea salt air and a fleeting note of barbecue vegetable. With water, visible oiliness; more fresh sea air and milder smoke; Left to sit for a while more wood sweetness comes through.
Palate: Smoke, peat and charred wood. A little salt; bitter chocolate/coffee; dried herbs including bayleaf; subtle spices and a bit of liquorice. [I looked at their notes afterwards and they say a subtle nuttiness but I didn‘t get that.]
Finish: Long, smoky, herbal and dry with a touch of liquorice.
Rather liked this one. There are a few Big Peats from some years back I was less keen on but this is a tasty dram. You‘ll find it in the same places as Scallywag and for around £65/Euro 74. A cute, humorous label which depicts a landscape showing a bit of Islay alongside a vineyard. I hope even climate change doesn‘t make that happen!
If you‘re looking at whisky store shelves and can‘t find your usual Cutty Sark, that‘s because there‘s a special label limited edition, „...our latest arty Cutty Sark limited edition, replacing our Cutty Sark Original on shelf for the end of the year. We worked with local Glasgow artist Rory Kennedy who designed a unique label, capturing the spirit of adventure DNA of the brand“. The whisky inside is still the same, though, so don‘t panic. Rory Kennedy commented, “Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to have a whisky bottle wearing their own artwork? With a boat load of history to work with, from the iconic silhouette of the ship, to the tales of its adventures on the high seas, the ideas came easy. I wanted to capture that enduring spirit of adventure and the sense of discovery at the heart of the brand. Looking at it now, it makes me want to nip over the horizon to see what awaits. Until then, a wee dram will do.“ Indeed, who wouldn‘t want to design a whisky label? If only I could draw...
Last for this week is news of a new expression from Tomatin, one of the few distilleries to have its own cooperage. It‘s Tomatin 2011 Pedro Ximénez sherry matured single cask for specialist whisky retailers. They say, „Cask No.37316 presents a 15-year-old whisky that has gently matured to develop a complex flavour profile. The brand’s quintessential soft, fruit-led spirit deepens with layers of dark chocolate and warm spice, creating an elegant balance of distillery character and rich sherried style. 
The single malt opens with notes of candied orange peel, berry compote and honey and vanilla sweetness on the nose, while the fruity spirit develops on the palate with flavours of rich dark chocolate, sultanas and tarte tatin, with a long, lingering finish of baking spices“. Sadly, no sample with the information but this is just up my street in terms of flavour. It‘s bottled at 58.8% alc. vol. with only 608 bottles available. The pack detail alludes to the distillery setting. You‘ll find it now in specialist whisky stores in the UK at around £105 per 70cl bottle.
That‘s all from me for now till October - my birthday month! Therefore, I will feel entitled to plenty of fascinating drams from my own whisky stocks.
Till next time, happy dramming.
Slainte mhath,
Caroline
© Caroline Dewar 2026
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