PEATED MALT WHISKY
Peated malts are seen as an ultimate, in the sense of challenge and reward, which in itself is irresistible to some whisky lovers. The challenge is robust flavours, and the more intense the flavour, the greater the reward.
Peated malts began their elevation in the 1990s, partly due to the growing popularity of malts from Islay (renowned for peated styles). The focus then was very much on the peating level: in fact, “the higher, the better” was a typical chorus. This approach has evolved into a greater estimation of various peating levels, from subtle, wafting smoke in the background to a bonfire in the foreground. Although peated malts are associated with Scotland, the style is becoming more international, with distilleries in England, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Australia and Japan also producing peated malt.
Peated malts account for a mere 10% of the malt whisky market, but with such a dedicated following peated malts can generate 100% of the conversation.
“Peaty and smoky” sums up the nature of peated malts, but their characteristics are far more extensive and delicate. Peat comprises various components such as seaweed, heather, sand and wood, with the origin of the peat determining the exact array and proportions.
Each distillery has a particular peating level, some use various levels, while a growing number produce both peated and unpeated malts, which provides a great possibility to see how peating, and different levels of peating, influence the flavour profile.
The widest range of phenolics appears in the aroma of a peated malt whisky – which don’t all reappear on the palate. One group of related aromas covers peaty, earthy, heather and forest notes, with variations on the forest theme ranging from toasted to charred wood and embers. Smoke appears at various levels, from gentle wafts to gusts, as though emanating from a bonfire on the beach.
Quite a contrast are the gastronomic, and specifically umami, aromas that peat can produce.
On the palate, toasted notes extend to burned toast, and escalate to barbecued and char-grilled flavours, together with earthiness, varying degrees of smokiness and also sweetness.
The impact of phenolic compounds on a peated malt whisky depends on the house style, with a lighter peated malt showing phenolics more readily than a full-bodied malt. Similarly, ageing in a Bourbon barrel shows phenolic character more readily than a sherry cask, which contributes a range of richer notes. The other decisive factor is where the balance in a whisky lies between phenolics and other flavours, such as vanilla and citrus.
Source: The Whisky Dictionary: an A-Z of Whisky, from history & heritage to-distilling & drinking
