Everyone has feelings about peat. Imbibers are rarely apathetic towards peated whiskies, with even the best peated whisky unable to convince detractors otherwise. Similarly, those who are fans of the peated stuff can’t get enough of it, with the heady smoky flavours, notes of brine and iodine, and often medicinal or even tarry character hitting the palate in just the right way. Naturally, we at Albert Review fall into the latter camp, appreciating peated whisky for all its earthy, salty, smoky intensity, not to mention its undernotes which span a broad spectrum from apples and tropical fruits to cereals, caramel, and vanilla.
When it comes to the best peated whiskies on the market, our favourites aren’t necessarily the rarest or the most expensive picks of the lot — rather, they’re beloved pourings that serve as reference points for the category itself. With that in mind, we’ve split this list up into two parts, with both peated whisky legends and up-and-comers making an appearance.
Overview of the best peated whiskies
- Baby’s first peated whisky: Talisker 10-Year-Old, Laphroaig 10-Year-Old, Lagavulin 16-Year-Old (in that order)
- Best heavily peated whisky: Ardbeg 10-Year-Old, Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10-Year-Old
The best peated Scotch whiskies
1. Lagavulin 16-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Based on the island of Islay, Lagavulin is known for its distinctive peated whiskies. While it’s been a mainstay on the bar carts and shelves of peated whisky lovers the world over for decades, Lagavulin has recently entered the mainstream thanks to actor Nick Offerman, whose Parks and Recreation character Ron Swanson was a fan of the Islay distillery. The Lagavulin 16-Year-Old is an archetypal peated Scotch whisky. Its balanced, full-bodied flavour makes the Lagavulin 16-Year-Old the ideal foray into the peated stuff, with a nose of briny maritime flavours, woodfire smoke, and caramel teasing at its palate of smoke, iodine, dried fruit, caramel, and a hint of citrus.
Price: $155AUD
Whisky PPM: 35
Established in: 1816
Founder: John Johnstone
Parent company: Diageo
Location: Islay, Scotland
2. Ledaig 10-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
A unique entrant to the best peated whiskies, Ledaig 10-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is handcrafted by the Tobermory Distillery, the only distillery on the Isle of Mull. One for lovers of maritime flavours, Ledaig 10-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a vibrant, pure expression defined by a nose of briny smoke, tar, cocoa, and soft florals. On the palate, there are sweet medicinal flavours laced with fried fruit and pepper, with undertones of peat, vanilla, and malt. A dry finish reveals more white pepper and medicinal notes along with a hefty dose of saltiness.
Price: from $90AUD
Whisky PPM: 30-40ppm
Established in: 1798
Founder: John Sinclair
Parent company: Heineken
Location: Isle of Mull, Hebrides Islands, Scotland
3. Laphroaig 10-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Another core reference point for peated whisky, Laphroaig 10-Year-Old is a dram that reflects its seaside location. A nose of seaweed smoke, peat smoke, and a faintly sweet medicinal note is a fitting allusion for the salty, peaty, iodinic palate to come. In spite of its somewhat polarising palate and a lack of gourmand notes, it’s a smooth dram and a decidedly easy drinker. Best enjoyed around a campfire.
Price: from $103AUD
Whisky PPM: 40-50ppm
Established in: 1815
Founders: Donald and Alexander Johnston
Parent company: Suntory
Location: Islay, Scotland
4. Kilchoman Machir Bay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
A family owned distillery, Kilchoman is a relatively new player in the Scotch whisky industry, having been founded in 2005. That said, Kilchoman does things the old-fashioned way, with founders Kathy and Anthony Wills desirous of resurrecting the grass roots tradition of farm distilling; with all barely grown, malted, distilled, and matured on site. Named after the famous Islay beach, Kilchoman Machir Bay is matured in sherry and bourbon casks. An intense nose sees peat smoke and coal accost the olfactory glands, however the palate is far softer and more nuanced than the aroma suggests. Notes of tropical fruit, charred lemon, dark chocolate, burnt caramel, and peat smoke with a distinct mineral undertone grace the palate, with the fusion of sweet and savoury notes making for a well balanced dram.
Price: from $110AUD
Whisky PPM: 50ppm
Established in: 2005
Founders: Anthony and Kathy Wills
Location: Islay, Scotland
5. BenRiach The Smoky Ten Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Let’s head out of Islay and over to Speyside. The elegant, full-bodied, fruity nature of Speyside whisky translates to its interpretation of peat, with the BenRiach The Smoky Ten using peat smoke to complement the other flavours rather than as the star of the show. Made with a combination of peated and unpeated spirits three cask matured for a minimum of ten years in bourbon barrels, Jamaican rum casks, and toasted virgin oak, BenRiach The Smoky Ten has a sweet pleasant nose of green apples, campfire smoke, honey, and a hint of oak spice. On the palate is more apple, spiced pear, vanilla, honey, oak, and campfire smoke, making for a decidedly sweeter, less intense take on peat thanks to the lack of brine, medicinal, and iodine notes.
Price: from $78.40AUD
Established in: 1898
Founder: John Duff
Parent company: Brown Forman
Location: Speyside, Scotland
6. Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Ghost distillery Port Charlotte remains alive through releases by its parent company Bruichladdich. Each release is heavily peated to 40ppm, with Port Charlotte in no shortage of drams catering to lovers of classic peated whisky. That said, the Port Charlotte 10-Year-Old is a solid starting point. There’s little alcohol on the nose, with ozonic and marine notes coming through, followed by hints of caramel, fudge, vanilla, faint citrus, and oak as the whisky breathes. The palate sees campfire smoke and a dry earthiness attenuated by notes of coconut, vanilla custard, citrus, honey, and saltiness.
Price: $122AUD
Whisky PPM: 40ppm
Established in: 1828
Founder: Walter Frederick Campbell
Parent company: Bruichladdich
Location: Islay, Scotland
7. Ardbeg 10-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
You can’t talk about the best peated whiskies without mentioning Ardbeg. While we mightn’t agree with those who consider the Islay distillery the be all and end all of peated whisky (as this list proves, there’s a wide range of drams worth trying), the Ardbeg 10-Year-Old is a good introduction to peated whisky in the classic Islay style. Known for being one of the smokiest, peatiest expressions, the Ardbeg 10-Year-Old sees a palate of campfire smoke and peat tempered by iodine, salt, and malty sweetness to produce a well-balanced whisky.
Price: $99.99AUD
Whisky PPM: 55
Established in: 1810
Founder: John Macdougall
Parent company: Moet Hennessy
Location: Islay, Scotland
8. Octomore 14.1 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Subtle? Never heard of her. If you like your peat to positively punch you in the face, Octomore is the whisky for you. An annual release from Bruichladdich (also responsible for the heavily peated creations of fellow ghost distillery Port Charlotte), the Octomore 14.1 was distilled in 2017 from barley malted to 128.9ppm before being aged five years in bourbon casks. A relatively young whisky, Octomore 14.1 is a vibrant expression that delivers peat in spades, with a nose of smoke, tar, medicinal menthol, rubber, and campfire smoke. The palate is slightly less of an affront to the senses, with the smoky, rubbery, menthol flavours of the peat somewhat tempered by zesty lemon and orange, soft spices, green apples, toffee, and a touch of vanilla. To be frank, Octomore 14.1 is still pretty rubbery and mentholy, so we’d recommend those new to the world of peated whiskies steer clear — sip your way through the Laphroaigs and Lagavulins before arriving here.
Price: $245AUD
Whisky PPM: 128.9ppm
Established in: 1816 (annual releases began in 2008)
Founder: Jim McEwan
Parent company: Bruichladdich
Location: Islay, Scotland
9. The Balvenie 14-Year-Old Week Of Peat
Known for its soft vanilla, honey, and fruity flavours, Speyside distillery The Balvenie is essentially the antithesis of the signature smoky, briny profile of most Islay whiskies. But for just one week per year, the Speyside distillery throws peat into its kilns. The result? The Balvenie 14-Year-Old Week Of Peat boasts the distillery’s classic velvety mouthfeel with the quintessential vanilla, honey, cereal grains, soft citrus, and ripe pear notes, with the added nuance of dry smoke.
Price: from $144AUD
Whisky PPM: 30ppm
Established in: 1892
Founder: William Grant
Parent company: William Grant & Sons
Location: Speyside, Scotland
10. Talisker 10-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
With a light-to-medium PPM (phenol parts per million), the Talisker 10-Year-Old is yet another good place to begin one’s journey into peated whisky. It mightn’t be the boldest or most inventive take on peat, but it does the job and does it well — it provides a measured dose of smoke and peat without overwhelming the senses and accents it with ripe fruits, honey, pepper, salt, and a little malty sweetness. As the last operating distillery on the Isle of Skye, Talisker draws heavily upon its rugged coastal setting, with the maritime influence evident in its expressions. Expect to find saline, seaweed, and binary undertones in each drop. For what it’s worth, this is a favourite here at Albert Review.
Price: from $89AUD
Whisky PPM: 16-22ppm
Established in: 1830
Founders: Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill
Parent company: Diageo
Location: Isle of Skye, Islands, Scotland
11. Highland Park 18-Year-Old Viking Pride
The country’s northernmost distillery, Highland Park is located on the island of Orkney, off the northeastern coast of Scotland. All of the distillery’s whiskies are distinguished by their use of smoke and peat, and the Highland Park 18-Year-Old Viking Pride is no exception. While it’s in no shortage of peaty, smoky notes, it’s balanced with cherries, honey, vanilla, and an underlying savoury earthiness that sets it apart from the Islay style take on peat.
Price: $289AUD
Established in: 1798
Founder: Magnus Eunson
Parent company: Edrington
Location: Orkney, Islands, Scotland
Best global peated whiskies
While most of our favourite peated whiskies are of the Scotch variety, there are a few global contenders that have piqued our interest—not to mention our palates—of late.
12. Amrut Peated Single Malt Indian Whisky
As the Indian climate doesn’t provide ideal conditions for the development of peat, Bangalorean distillery Amrut sourced its peated barley from a Scottish malting company in Aberdeenshire (the distillery typically uses Indian barley grown in the Himalayan foothills). On the nose, the peat smell is not dissimilar to the dank smell of old leather furniture left in a damp location, intermingled with a hint of citrus. However, the palate is surprisingly sweet and dry, with notes of molasses, candied citrus, vanilla, and butterscotch.
Price: $109.99AUD
Whisky PPM: 23ppm
Established in: 1948
Founder: JN Radhakrishna Rao Jagdale
Parent company: N.R. Jagdale Group
Location: Bangalore, India
13. Connemara 12-Year-Old Peated Single Malt Irish Whisky
Connemara 12-Year-Old makes use of Scottish peated barley in this decidedly Irish whiskey. A soft nose of sweet cereals, rockmelon, pear, and grape hint at a delicate fruity palate accented by barbeque smokiness. A world away from the Islay style smoke, Connemara 12-Year-Old is an ideal easy drinking peated whiskey for those in search of something different.
Price: $135AUD
Whiskey PPM: 13-14ppm
Established in: 1987
Founder: John Teeling
Parent company: Suntory
Location: County Louth, Ireland
14. Hakushu 12-Year-Old Single Malt Japanese Whisky
Another decidedly different take on peat, Hakushu 12-Year-Old sees the signature soft, fresh Japanese style complemented by a light suffusion of smoke. A verdant nose of basil, green apples, and gentle smoke are an apt teaser for a palate of pear, mint, green kiwi fruit, green tea, and light smoke. A whisky that proves clean and smoky needn’t be mutually exclusive.
Price: $450AUD
Whisky PPM: 5ppm
Established in: 1989
Parent company: Suntory
Location: Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
What is peat?
To understand what exactly peated whisky is, we must first understand what peat is. Let us indulge in a mini biology lesson. Peat refers to the surface organic layer of soil that consists of partially decomposed organic matter derived from plant material such as moss, grass, and tree roots. Peat is formed when waterlogging in boggy or marshy areas slows down the decomposition rate of plant material.
Due to its slow accumulation rate (it takes 100 years to form one metre of peat) and the fact that many of the bogs that form peat are thousands of years old, peat is sometimes classified as a fossil fuel. Although it is not technically a fossil fuel as the organic material in peat has not actually fossilised, its greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions are comparable to that of fossil fuels.
Peat was used as the main domestic fuel in Scotland for several centuries, heating not only household hearths but distillery kilns.
What is peated whisky?
Peated whisky is an invention born of necessity. While today most distilleries utilise commercially malted barley (malting barley modifies the starches within the barley grain, making them more soluble and allowing the sugars to be more readily converted into alcohol), distilleries previously had to malt their own. Malting entails germinating the barley to draw sugars from the starch before roasting it in a kiln to stop the seeds from sprouting fully.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the primary fuel used for malting was peat, which burns in a similar fashion to coal and is free and readily found around throughout Scotland, particularly on the wild, boggy landscape of the island of Islay. When peat is burned to heat the kiln, it produces a distinct aromatic smoke which suffuses the barley with a distinct flavour thanks to the presence of a type of compound called ‘phenols’. The longer the barley is left in the kiln and exposed to the peat fire, the higher the phenol content will be.
How to measure the peatiness of a whisky
Peated whisky is commonly associated with flavours of brine, tar, smoke, ash, earth, leather, and medicinal qualities.
While taste is subjective and varies from drinker to drinker, the amount of peat in a whisky can be subjectively measured. This is done by measuring the aforementioned phenols in the whisky, which is the chemical that gives peated whisky its smoky notes. Whiskies are compared by measuring their phenol parts per million (PPM), which refers to the quantity of phenols in the malted barley itself (as opposed to the finished whisky). A higher PPM is achieved by exposing the barley to the peat fire for longer.
Lightly peated whiskies are generally under 20ppm while heability peated whiskies may range from 40-60ppm. The most heavily peated whisky ever released was the Bruichladdich Octomore 8.3 (2017) which measures in at a whopping 309ppm.
It’s worth noting that a higher PPM doesn’t always mean a whisky tastes more ‘peaty’, with fermentation time, distilling techniques, maturation length, and cask type all playing a role in the taste of the final liquid.
Is all peated whisky from Scotland?
While peated whisky originated in Scotland, it’s no longer exclusive to the Celtic country. Australia, New Zealand, India, Ireland, and Japan are among the countries producing peated whisky. Some distilleries like Lark in Tasmania, Australia and Connemara in County Louth, Ireland peat their barley themselves, others like India’s Amrut and Paul John Distillery send their barley to Scotland for malting. Some distilleries in Japan import peat or peated malt from Scotland.
How we chose this list
Happily for us—and regrettably for our livers—we’ve had the chance to sample all the bottles on this list. While we’ve included many of our favourites, we also acknowledge that taste is subjective, which is why we also take into account reviews by the wider public of whisk(e)y lovers, including those on Australian liquor retailer Dan Murphy’s and The Whisky Exchange, as well as recommendations by our network of industry experts. For this list, we’ve prioritised non-limited edition bottles which are relatively easy to acquire.
Alternatives to the best peated whiskies
After something less smoky? Try these.
- Raise A Dram; The 23 Best Scotch Whisky Brands Of All Time
- The 15 Best Irish Whiskey Brands For Dangerously Smooth Drams
- Drams Down Under; The Best Australian Whisky Brands
- The 14 Best Japanese Whiskies You Need To Try
- The 18 Best American Whiskey Brands
- The Best Bourbon Whiskeys Are Unfussy & Uncomplicated
- Some Like It Hot; The Best American Rye Whiskeys To Try In 2024
Words by Henry Blake and T. Angel
