JEFF HARRIS
Chances are if you mention peat to another whisky drinker, you’ll spark a strong reaction. Peated whiskies aren’t for the faint of palate; their often intense flavors, which run the gamut from iodine, asphalt, soot, seaweed, and burnt ends, are over the top from first sip to last. Peated whiskies are most often associated with Scotland, and specifically Islay, where brooding bogs of sphagnum moss elicit that signature smoke that defines the island’s single malts. There, peat is incorporated into the malting process, during which the barley is smoked over a peat-fed fire, picking up pungent flavors as the smoke is absorbed into the grains.
Slowly but surely, more peated whiskeys are being made in the U.S. The easiest way for American distillers to get that peaty flavor in their own whiskeys is by using peated malt from Scotland. This is a popular route—earlier this year Buffalo Trace debuted a peated bourbon that substituted its regular barley with peated barley from Scotland. Another option is peat-smoking barley in-house, but in most cases the peat will still hail from Scotland, largely because American peat is not up to par with its Scottish counterparts. Even so, Seattle’s Westland Distillery has shown that using locally sourced American peat is possible; the distillery released Solum, a peated American single malt, earlier this year, with the peat coming from a bog just two hours south of Seattle. And Minnesota whiskey maker Brother Justus has an American single malt made with peat from Minnesota’s Boreal Forest and using what it calls its cold-peated process.
Of course, you don’t necessarily need peated barley to evoke those smoky flavors. There’s a growing contingent of American distillers incorporating peat into the maturation process by finishing their whiskeys in casks that previously held peated offerings. Examples include Hudson's Back Room Deal, Oppidan, and Talnua American Single Pot Still Peated Cask. This often adds a more delicate touch of smoke and salinity—distillers can better control the intensity of peat flavor—which can make such whiskeys more approachable for those just dipping their toes into the peat pool, or looking for a lighter dram.
Made With American Peat and Malt
93 Westland Solum, 50%, $150
Stone fruit, strawberry rhubarb pie, and a whiff of smoke on the nose make for a pleasant start, and once cinnamon, buttercream, campfire char, and burnt marshmallow join the mix, it's a joy. Peat is sourced from Washington.
Made With Scottish Peat in the Mashbill
93 New Riff Backsetter Peated Backset Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Rye, 50%, $50
The nose shows cherry Robitussin, leather sofa, old books, and a sweet nuttiness, while the palate is chewy and oak-driven, with flavors of burnt ends and burnt marshmallow in tow. Peat comes from backset collected from a prior distillation of Scottish peat-smoked malted barley.
92 Balcones Peated Texas Single Malt, 63%, $80
Subtle smoke on the nose is balanced by grilled pineapple and lemon, which carries on to a palate that’s rife with five-alarm chili, grilled plums, and thick, spicy smoke. Made from peated Scottish barley.
92 Manatawny Still Works Double Peated (Batch 24), 47%, $75
A rustic and smoky nose pulls you in; the palate keeps your attention with its creamy texture and flavors of oyster brine, anise, peppercorns, and chocolate. Peated barley is imported from Scotland, and the whiskey is aged in casks that previously held Ardbeg. (While this is last year's release, the distillery's current peated whiskey is also made from Scottish peated barley, but differs in that it's finished in sherry casks.)
91 New Riff Backsetter Peated Bourbon, 50%, $50
This is an earthy whiskey that has a nice interplay between spice and sweetness. Like its rye counterpart, the peaty flavors in this whiskey come from backset collection from a distillation of Scottish peat-smoked malted barley.
90 Boulder Spirits Peated Malt, 47%, $54
Sweet barbecue smoke, vanilla bean, grilled apples, and charred peppers on the nose; sweet smokiness continues on the palate, joined by light meatiness, dark chocolate, and tobacco leaf. Peated barley is imported from Scotland.
90 King’s County Peated Bourbon (Batch 19), 45%, $69
Dark fruit and wood embers on the nose; flavorful smoke, barbecue rub, and brisket on the palate, with a long, pleasantly ashy finish. The peated malted barley in the mashbill was grown and kilned in Scotland.
Made With a Peated Barrel Finish
91 Oppidan Smoke + Sea Straight Bourbon, 46%, $45
Bright and delicate, this has a delicate, scotch-like nose, a deep, dark, brooding palate, and a mid-length finish that offers sweetness and a touch of light citrus. Peat influence comes from maturation in Islay single malt casks.
90 Hudson Whiskey Back Room Deal Peated Scotch Barrel Finished Rye, 46%, $55
The nose is sweet and somewhat musty, and there’s an undercurrent of smoke that transfers smoothly onto the palate, which is awash with lightly charred sugar cookie, raisin, and Fig Newton. Hudson sends its bourbon barrels to Scotland, where they’re used to age peated whisky, then emptied and returned to the distillery and filled with straight rye.
88 Berkshire Bourbon Smoke and Peat, 43%, $60
A compelling and original whiskey, it offers smoke and sea on the nose, and sweet vanilla, candied nuts, citrus, and distinct vegetal notes on the palate. Finished in Islay single malt casks for 3 to 8 months.
88 Talnua Peated Cask, 43%, $85
Initial aromas of woodsmoke on a creamy background, becoming coastal with iodine, brine, and sizzling bacon fat joined by hints of chocolate, smoked nuts, and herbal notes. Finished in Laphroaig casks.
88 Corsair Triple Smoke Single Malt, 40%, $45
The nose is Islay-reminiscent peat; the mild palate is plenty peaty as well, with cherry and pipe tobacco aplenty. Peated malt comes from Scotland.
