What Makes Whisky Peaty?
All Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made from just three ingredients: water, yeast and malted barley. So why are some malts soft, gentle and smokeless, while others are bold, vibrant and smoky?
The answer lies in the way the malted barley is dried. After germination, the barley is dried in a kiln, and for peated whiskies, peat is burned to create the heat and smoke used in this process.
Peat is a natural fuel found in bogs and moorlands, formed over thousands of years from layers of partially decomposed vegetation. As it burns, it produces a rich, aromatic smoke that is absorbed by the barley, creating the smoky, earthy, maritime and sometimes medicinal flavours associated with peated malts. The intensity of these flavours depends on how long the barley is exposed to peat smoke during drying.
The type of peat used also influences flavour. Peat from Islay is often associated with briny, smoky and medicinal notes, while peat from Orkney tends to produce softer, more floral and heathery characteristics.
Historically, regions with abundant peat naturally developed traditions of producing smoky whiskies because peat was the most readily available fuel. This is one reason why Islay became famous for its heavily peated malts.
Today, however, peat is a flavour choice rather than a necessity. Distilleries across Scotland produce both peated and unpeated whiskies, creating styles that range from gently smoky to intensely peaty and powerfully aromatic.
Explore our whiskies to discover peated malts from across Scotland...
Cask Islay 10 Year Old
Sherry Casks / 57.3% vol.
Matured in a 1st fill Oloroso sherry butts and 1st fill Oloroso sherry barriques, this cask strength special edition delivers a powerful marriage of salty beach bonfire style smoke and the spiced berry flavours from sherry casks.
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Staoisha 2013 #10503
Bourbon Hogshead/ 55.9% vol.
Staoisha explores the heavily peated side of Bunnahabhain, pushing far beyond the distillery’s more familiar coastal and unpeated softness. In contrast this cask delivers coal-fire smoke, mineral character and oily weight in abundance.
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A. D. Rattray Islay House Malt
Bourbon Casks / 40.0% vol.
A. D. Rattray’s Islay House Malt has been specially selected to celebrate the legacy of our owners, the Morrison family, who have strong ties to Islay. Matured in Bourbon for over 10 years, this showcases a sweeter, barbeque style of smoke.
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Cask Orkney 15 Year Old
Bourbon Casks / 46.0% vol.
Cask Orkney is a perfect example of Orkney’s peat style, with its floral, sweet smokiness. The subtle smoke is balanced by ripe stone fruit and warming spice, offering an approachable introduction to peated whisky.