Each sip is like a fireside tale, with earthy peat, campfire smoke, and perhaps touch of brine. Embrace the boldness and say Slàinte mhath to a peaty adventure!

Love it or hate it, no one can deny that peat is central to the Scotch whisky industry. But what does this illustrious material bring to the liquid, and how is it used in the process? If you want to know the answers, and find some smoky whisky recommendations, read on...

What is Peat?

At its core, peat is plant mulch that has been compressed beneath boglands into a thick turf, which can be dug up, dried, and cut into brick-like segments. Traditionally it was used, similarly to coal, as an organic source of fuel for hearths and homes. Peat bogs are particularly prevalent across the UK and Ireland, with more than 23% of Scotland covered in this marshy phenomena, hence being a prominent characteristic in many whiskies of these regions.

Peat as a flavour was actually an accidental by product of the traditional whisky-making process. Peat was burned in a kiln beneath the malting floors to dry out the barley in preparation for fermentation. Because of the thick smoke produced by the peat fires, the husks of the germinating barley would be absorbed into the husks, giving the resulting grains a smoky flavour.

With the invention of more economical heating methods in the later centuries, using peat turf for the kilns was no longer necessary and became a matter of flavour preference enjoyed by a select few.

What Does ‘Peaty’ Mean?

So now we know what peat is and how it came to be a part of the whisky world, but what does it actually mean when a dram is described as 'peaty'. Well, the most obvious answer is that the whisky tastes 'smoked'. Not in the cigarette way necessarily, but in the warming, sitting-before-a-smouldering-fire-on-a-winter's-eve way. But peat varies from region to region depending on the flora and geology native to the area is was grown in, imbuing it with subtle distinctions in flavour.

For example, peat sourced from Islay is often noted as being 'saline' or 'briny' due to the proximity and inclusion of sea air and salt water in the region seeping into the peat bogs. On the other hand, peat bogs from the Highlands are often formed with other plant life such as trees in the near vicinity, bringing herbal or woody notes. Orkney in particular is notes for its floral-laden peat, which is produced due to the abundance of heather in the region.

How Peated Is My Whisky?

So we've convinced you to begin your journey into the delicious world of peated whisky, but where to begin? Well always best to start light and work your way up I feel! To determine the strength of smoky flavour, you need to look a the PPM level. PPM (parts per million) indicates the phenol levels of the barley after its been kilned. There are a higher number of phenol compounds the longer the barley is smoked, denoting the intensity of the smoky character. A unmistakably peated dram, such as Ardbeg, has around 50-55 PPM, whereas drams that aim for that take-your-breath-away punch of smoke, such as Octomore, have phenol levels of up to 108 PPM or even more!

Ready to begin your peaty adventure? Shop peaty whiskies.