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SCOTCH & SMOKE
In this month's Outturn, we explore Scotch whisky's most famous ingredient: peat.
Love it or hate it...
Peat has earned its place among the most important ingredients in whisky-making history, shaping some of the world’s most distinctive and passionately loved drams. An instant love for some, an acquired taste for others, few flavors inspire the same devotion among whisky enthusiasts as peat. Formed over thousands of years from the plants of Scotland’s wild, waterlogged landscapes, peat carries a story that begins long before any distillery stood nearby. When burned to smoke malted barley, it brings that ancient landscape into the whisky-making process, beginning a journey that unfolds from kiln to glass. This month, we're taking a deep dive into the world of all things peat. To honor the Society's brand-new documentary, Scotch & Smoke, eleven (11) peated whiskies have been specially selected to evoke the depth and variety of Scotlan'd most famous ingredient.
What is it, actually?
• Peat is a layer of partially decomposed plants that builds up over thousands of years in wet, boggy ground.
• When burned, its smoke gives peated whisky its distinctive smoky character.
• Peat smoke passes through damp malted barley, introducing flavor compounds before fermentation and distillation begin.
• Peat has its own local character. Differences in vegetation and growing conditions change peat’s composition, helping create different flavors in its smoke.
There's more to it
Creating a peated whisky requires more than simply extracting bricks of earth and throwing them onto a fire. Here are a few ways distillers utilize peat to create their desired flavors.
The origin
Distillers know that when burnt, peat cut from the rocky shores of Islay tastes dramatically different from peat cut from the mainland. Choosing the correct origin is the first step in creating a peated whisky with intention.
How it burns
Moisture, airflow, and combustion conditions influence the smoke produced. Damp, smoldering peat behaves much differently from a hot, freely burning fire.
Controlled exposure
Smoking time, smoke delivery, and the moisture of the barley influence how much smoky character the malt picks up.
Distillation
Still design, how the stills are run, and the spirit cut (the portion collected for maturation) help determine which smoky compounds reach the cask.
Maturation
The type of cask, size of cask, and the amount of time a peated spirit is left to mature in the cask will determine the volume of smoke present in the whisky. Wine casks can often mute the presence of peat smoke and older whiskies will often taste more integrated.
Watch the film
Embark on a journey through Scotland's peated landscape in the Society's latest documentary: Scotch & Smoke.
Explore eleven peated whiskies, each with their own story to tell.
Shop the Outturn
Scotch & Smoke