Burn Out. Heavily Peated Malt Whisky

Austrian Whisky of the Year, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2024 (95/100 Punkten)
Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2017 (95/100 Punkte)
World Whisky of the Year 2014, Whisky Advocate

The barley is imported directly from Scotland: With its 57 ppm phenol it develops an extraordinary intensive smoke and peaty taste.

Dip your nose into the Burn Out to scent an extreme nose, dominated by peaty-phenolic accents, intensive notes, seaweed and roasted rubber. At first it challenges with expected rich and powerful smoke and peat on the palate, but then in contrast surprises with a sweet balanced flavour. Sweet and creamy notes build up, tobacco and chocolate aromas, spicy oak flavours are tickling on the palate. The flavour remains conserved for a long time.

Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2024:
Austrian Whisky of the Year 2024, Liquid Gold Award: 95/100 Punkte
"nose (23.5/25) peat just doesn't come drier and more ashen as this: highly acidic – a bit like cleaning out the peat fire in a crofter's cottage the morning after a cold night and then the soot getting up your nose. This aroma has one message and message alone...; taste (24/25) the unexpected sweetness which marches onto the palate has a powerful hickory dimension, not unlike Victory V cough sweets...and as the phenols bite it becomes a little more like Victory V joined by Fisherman's Friend sucked and chewed at the same time. There is also barley sugar at work here, too. And after that nose, that is one hell of a surprise...; finish (23.5/25) the finale remains friendly, with that marauding smoke always seemingly toping with icing sugar. Amazingly long...yet always balanced...; overall balance (24/25) there are peat maniacs who might gasp at the nose of this one. But they will equally gasp in amazement of how sweet it becomes on the palate by comparison with the austere, sooty dryness on the nose. In some ways quite bizarre. In all ways, rather beautiful."

That Boutique-y Whisky Company:
One of our Burn Out casks found its way to "That Boutique-y Whisky Company", who launched a special bottling of it in their Norwest-Euro-Express product line. The Norwest-Euro-Express offers exciting Whiskys from non-typical Whisky producing countries in Europe: That Boutique-y Whisky Company.

They describe their Burn Out Single Cask bottling as:
"Nose: Big! Farmyard funk and peaty tar. Hints of dark pipe tobacco, Black rubber, and liquorice, Underneath though, caramel, BBQ sauce, and sandalwood.
Palate: Oily and chewy. Woodsmoke and chimney soot, hard rubber, liquorice root, and an underlying sweet citrus note."

Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2017
Category: Superstar whiskies that give us all a reason to live. 95/100 Punkte
[...] "Closed my eyes... took a mouthful... an lived! [...] Because the Demerara on this is highly impressive. A very pleasant surprise. Oh and didn't I mention it? This is a mini masterpiece...
Nose: good grief..!! Probably the most dense peat I have encountered this year [...] Taste: "dense doesn't quite cover it. But so much softer than you might imagine, helped along by an avalanche of sugars, most of them of a molassed and muscovado variety. But there is a sub-strata of Demerara working underneath, just ensuring a subtle crispness to balance the candyfloss smoke;"
Finish:"so long....Remains smoky, but even more delicate, though the buzzing spices remind you of the peat fest which had just been conducted on your dazed palate;"
Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2017, p.314

World Whisky of the year 2014, Whisky Advocate: "My, my, hey, hey. Freshly-laid asphalt and a swarm of peat buzzes up the nose. Heavy oilskins, stout wellingtons, and bladderwrack entangled in lobster pots. There is charming sweetness; a pussycat compared to the tiger of a nose. A thick, teeth-coating, warming glow emanates from deep at the back of the palate, with some roasted orange and dark chocolate. Superb balance between the peat and the sweetness. A triumph. It's better to burn out than to fade away." (Fall 2014) Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick. Whisky Advocate

"For Burn Out, they knew exactly what they wanted and imported heavily peated Scottish malt to create a burly, bruising, peaty style of whisky. Mr. Barley Farmer, your boys took a hell of a peating! Warm asphalt, rubber boots, iodine, and storm-lashed seaweed on the nose will enrapture devotees of the robust Islay style. Yet secretly, underneath that rugged, challenging exterior, it's a big softy. Warm and tender sweetness pricked with roasted orange and plain chocolate, it treads lightly on the tongue, yet sustains a harmonious balance through to its flickering, sooty ending. It's a magnificent creation and a worthy winner that deserves much wider recognition." Jonny McCormick. Whisky Advocate

Love it or leave it – What do you think about this distinctive peaty whisky?