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Whether you love it or hate it, peated whisky leaves no one indifferent. Somewhere between vegetal, smoky or burnt notes, peat strongly marks the whisky. But do you know where the peaty taste of whisky comes from? Sit down and we’ll explain it to you.
What is peat ?
He peat is a plant material produced by fossilization in environments saturated in water and poor in oxygen. Although it looks like soil, it has the great advantage of being used as fuel when dried. It is formed by accumulation over periods ranging from 1000 to 12 000 years. The growth of a peat bog is about 1mm per year. Historically it is used in Ireland and Scotland for heating but it can also be used to power thermal power stations or as a building material.
Where does the taste of peated whisky come from ?
The so particular taste of the peated whisky is obtained during the malting of the barley. Indeed during this operation the malt is dried by ventilating it with hot air. The kiln used is often fueled by wood or gas (for non-peated whisky) but it can also be fueled by peat. In this case the malt will be impregnated with the phenol molecules contained in the peat and will give its so particular taste to the peated whisky. The peat intensity of a whisky is measured in ppm (parts per million) and indicates the number of phenol molecules for 1 million molecules contained in the whisky. Thus, a whisky will be very slightly peaty between 2 and 7 ppm, which is the case of our Rare Collection and Origine Collection whiskies. Between 8 and 19 ppm, the whisky will be slightly peaty while it will be strongly peaty between 20 and 50 ppm (this is the case of Peated and Smoked Collection). Finally, above 50 ppm, the whisky will be strongly peated.
