Exploring those lighter, un-peated expressions which are common to the mainland generally comes first. But why should this be? An atavistic folk memory, like candles and open fires, Christmas trees and stormy nights.
Perhaps it is fair to say, then, that peat is so much more than a stylistic trait or a differentiating factor which tempts whisky drinkers to test their mettle. Peat was and still is a defining aspect of Scotch whisky, and we should approach it with reverence and an open mind from the start of our explorations. Peated whiskies are generally compared using a measure of phenol parts per million PPM.
This refers to the quantity of phenols in the malt itself rather than the contents of the finished whisky. Some lighter whiskies might measure up to 20ppm. Bruichladdich have been very active at the other end of the scale with their Octomore whiskies ranging from ppm to over ppm in one case.
The rating is a blunt tool though and whiskies of similar ppm can still taste very different. Actually no. India, Japan and New Zealand all boast peated whiskies of their own so the peat party is certainly not just for the Scots. There are many peated whiskies on offer out there and most bartenders or shops will be able to recommend drams that range across the PPM scale.
Skip to content Skip to main menu Menu. When is World Whisky Day? How can I take part in World Whisky Day? What is World Whisky Day? Add WWD to your calendar! The liquid in this bottle is pretty much laid out in the name here. Shop Cairdeas reservebar. Ardbeg is yet another truly excellent Islay distillery that focuses on heavily peated whisky. The newest release from this seaside outfit is also its youngest. This is a fresh and bright whisky aged in bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, with notes of pepper, cherry, chocolate, and of course, a mouthful of smoke.
This bottle is a bit cheaper than its peaty brothers, and seems to be positioned as a possible cocktail component for those looking to add some smoke to their drinks. Shop Wee Beastie reservebar. This whiskey is a bit of an outlier in the world of bourbon and rye. New Riff is a distillery located in Newport, Kentucky, that has only been around since In short, some backset stillage left over from a prior distillation was added to the mash the mixture of grain, yeast, and water from a peated barley distillation.
This gives this bourbon and rye a distinctly peaty undercurrent on the palate, introducing a smoky character that is not overwhelming but certainly defining to the whiskey. Shop Backsetter caskfellows. However, the latest addition to the family, Ilegal Smooth, defies that characterization. Try this one in your next highball. Shop Ilegal Smooth reservebar. Westland is a Seattle distillery that is really a leader in the American single malt category.
The most recent release is this fourth edition of its Cask Exchange series, this time in partnership with fellow locals Lucky Envelope brewery. Westland took some casks from the brewery that were used to age its Imperial Stout which had previously held Westland single malt , and filled them with whiskey that had been distilled just after a peated whiskey was run through the stills. That gives the liquid a subtle but detectable smoky flavor, on top of rich layers of chocolate and apricot.
Shop Westland drizly. Texas whiskey is generally big and bold, as the extremes in temperature there as well as the smaller barrel sizes often used by craft distilleries augment the interaction between the whiskey and wood as it matures. The single malt whiskeys made by Andalusia are no exception, with two different smoky expressions to choose from. The first is called Revenant Oak, a peated whiskey aged for about two years in ex-bourbon barrels. There are also some even more intense cask strength versions of these whiskeys that are finished for six months in sherry casks to check out.
Shop Andalusia totalwine. Then a long-handled slicer is used to cut through it to form rectangles that kind of look like slices of fudge cake. Finally, the peat is dried out in stacks for several weeks. There, the peat is put into a massive kiln and burned underneath the malted barley, stopping the germination process and sending wafts of smoke into the grain.
Different types of smoke come through depending on your process, your shape of still, and the level of peat. And dozens of tiny ticks, living in the tall grass above the peat, latch onto the most intimate of areas.
Still, getting out into the rough is a great way to understand how and why peat is used in Islay whisky, for which it is an essential and defining ingredient.
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