What is peat and how did it get in my whisky?

Ask your average punter if they’d like to try a peated whisky, and you’ll more than likely be met with a reaction somewhere between apprehension and outright fear. The rich, smoky peaty whisky synonymous with Scotland’s rugged coastal distilleries is the Vegemite of the spirits world: revered by those who love its unique flavours, and intimidating to so many others. 

Few drinks, however, convey quite the sense of place that peated whisky does. Rugged, often extreme but ultimately delicious, this mysterious smoky spirit is a source of fascination for newer whisky fans and aficionados alike. Here then, for the peat-curious, is a simple starter’s guide that’ll get you off on the right foot.

Peated whisky is made in pretty much exactly the same manner as any other whisky, with one crucial step added at the very start of the process. While most distilleries naturally dry their barley before adding it to water to begin the distillation process, the barley in peated whisky is smoked using burnt peat – effectively a form of earth made from decayed organic matter that’s found in abundance in certain parts of the world. 

This smoke lends peated whisky its signature, well, smokiness. Some distilleries lean into this, producing whiskies that almost verge on the savoury, while others prefer to use this smoke as a base note, layering on sweet and salty flavours in their final product to make whiskies that are famed for their unique character and complexity.

Most peated whisky tends to originate from locales in Scotland where peat bogs are most common – namely the windswept, picturesque islands off the country’s west coast These islands have been inhabited by humans for thousands of years, and for much of this time, vast peat bogs were a constant, unending source of fuel for warmth and cooking.

Time and technology have, of course, moved on in recent centuries, but peat remains the choice of distillers for the rich, warming smoke it lends to the final drink. The Isle of Skye is one place you’ve probably heard of when it comes to peated whisky, while Islay (pronounced Isla, as in Fisher), situated in the Hebrides slightly further to the south, has perhaps the greatest concentration of whisky distilleries anywhere on the planet.  

This provenance is also the source of peated whisky’s sometimes fearsome reputation – it carries with it the notion of being made in rugged environments by people who like their flavours cranked up to 11. But it needn’t be this way. Peated whisky is, after all, every bit as varied and nuanced as other varieties, ranging from delicate and subtle to fearsome smoke bombs that certain distilleries have become notorious for producing. Below, we have some suggestions for every palate.