Peat vs Smoke... What's the difference? Peaty vs Smoky Whisky 

Thank you for watching! I don’t usually find the Bowmores all that exciting, but some of the specials are AWESOME. Good luck with your search and let me know what you get! Slainte 🥃

If you want smokey whisky but kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum from Laphroaig, I highly recommend Port Charlotte 10. Talisker 10 might work for you too

Cheers man!! Thanks!! Really appreciate the kind words. I always felt like I was using the wrong term, hence the video. And cheers for the sub! 🥃🥃

Thank you so much! That really really mean's alot. Thanks you we just hit 400 subs so extra thanks! Slainte!

I certainly wouldn’t disagree there! Thanks for the kind words! Cheers! 🥃🥃

Thanks, Dan! Very much appreciated. Absolutely love a Port Charlotte! Slainte 🥃

Haha thanks brother!! Jeff’s a legend been a watcher from pretty much day 1 I believe.

@@Scotchtographer he certainly is a legend 👍🏻

Thank you!! Cheers! 🥃

Man there are so many whiskies I wanted to add, haha… but I have to draw the line somewhere! Thanks for watching. Slainte! 🥃

Love a Laphroaig… especially anything been in a sherry cask for a bit. Love it! Thanks for watching 🥃🥃🥃

Thanks brother! Definitely one of my favourite talking points on the Bunna. Throws so many people off just assuming it's a peaty boi.

Perfectly valid tasting notes! I remember many many years back I smelled Laphroaig for the first time and loudly proclaimed “I can literally smell the mud” having had only a loose understanding of what they do with the peat 😅

Kilkerran 12 is a wonderful dram…. If you can find it! I just about managed to find a bottle. Just be careful not to pay a lot more than you should. Seen bottled going for nearly double!

Absolutely agree. The Wee Beastie is a great bottle, especially for the price. Been really into all my Ardbegs recently... must be the cold weather. 🥶 Slainte!

Hi! I can do my best, for sure! This video is quite old, and I had only been drinking the stuff for about a year, so my notes about smoky flavours was certainly anecdotal. Having done more (albeit somewhat limited) research I can tell you what I know now. I am not a scientist, and I’m sure someone who is far smarter than me, and with more research under their belt, could pluck out a handful of inaccuracies, over-generalisations, or scientific misunderstandings… but will do my best to cite most of my sources, and give you my best interpretation of the research I have done. Here goes… buckle up, it’s a long one! Charring the barrels is primarily for flavour, but also mechanical reasons[1]. The thermal decomposition of wood (specifically, in this case I believe; lignin) doesn’t just produce vanillin, but an enormous array of other phenolic compounds[2][3]. There are others such as aldehydes, but we can focus on phenols here as I feel they are mostly responsible for smokiness in this context. There are an enormous number (maybe even in the 100’s) of flavour compounds in whisky, 40-80% of which are from the cask…[7] A huge number of which are broadly classified as “aromatic phenolic compounds” including, but not limited to, guaiacol[3][4][6] and dimethyl sulfide, both noted for imparting a “smoky” flavour. We can see other phenolic aromatic byproducts as a result of thermal decomposition elsewhere in whisky, too… peat smoking[5]! With regard to bourbon; we absolutely do get some bourbons which are said to have a “smoky” flavour. Of course people can impart/reinforce that flavour with other woods which thermally decompose into more desirable/distinct aromatics than those present in plain-old oak. Maybe we would make barrels out of alternative woods such as cherry or mesquite to impart that directly but it may be that they are too rare/expensive, have other less desirable flavours over time, or maybe just make a shit barrel?! 😂 Fundamentally, though, they are still imparting smoke flavours from thermally decomposing wood. If those smoky notes imparted from the mash ingredient’s can propagate through distillation (although up to 80% of them can be lost during this stage)[11] and aging, I find it very difficult to believe that similar notes aren’t imparted via the exact same processes on the barrel wood. It may also be worth noting that the bourbon is generally aged for alot less time than scotch, some even stating that after 15 years bourbon can become undrinkably sour or bitter[8]. I think we see this reflected in the market, too. 15yo scotch is fairly commonplace (vs bourbon), and many are revered for their complex flavour and “smoothness”… rarely described as sour or bitter. Over time the availability of alcohol (I use alcohol instead of ethanol, as ethanol is not the only alcohol present in whisky) soluble compounds within the wood itself decreases[12]. I can’t readily find specific sources on the alcohol solubility of the enormous list of aromatic compounds in whisky derived from casks, but I think we can agree this is evidenced by the fact that virgin oak imparts a distinctly different flavour profile, notably a higher presence of vanilla, I gather due to higher amounts of available vanillin and its solubility (370mg/ml for vanillin vs 30mg/ml for Guaiacol), and this profile changes both over time, and with re-use[12]. Once the more readily available compounds are dissolved by the alcohols we are left with the broader range of lesser available compounds which may solubilize through various degradation pathways over time, or be more impactful in the final flavour of the liquid as they no longer have to complete with the less subtle compounds. I think we would be kidding ourselves to claim we definitively understand the specific flavour profile each of those compounds imparts, but even if we grab a handful of the most prevalent we can see that many of them are noted to impart “spicy”, “burnt”, “woody”, or “smoky” flavours[4][13]. It’s also worth noting that the term “phenolic” itself as a flavour descriptor is associated with “smoky” flavour due to the fact that many phenolic compounds impart those sorts of flavours[14]. Take tannins, for example. These may be naturally occurring in the wood, or from the liquid the barrel previously held. These have been noted to impart astringent or “burnt” flavours, sometimes adding to smoke or leather notes[15]. It’s not uncommon (at least, for me) to detect a smokiness derived from high levels of tannins in whiskies which have spent a long time in very active sherry casks. I’ve got an 8YO full-maturation sherry cask Ben Nevis here that looks like Marmite. Similarly, the Glen Moray Warehouse 1 full-maturation Oloroso. Both have a distinct tannic note which are akin to bitter burnt wood (amongst other things), which I can easily describe as a “smokiness”. It maybe worth also reiterating that flavour is hugely subjective. What I taste as smoky, you may describe or detect as leathery, woody, spicy, burnt… the list goes on. I usually use the term “smoky” fairly broadly. Woodsmoke, BBQ, burnt rubber, ashy/sooty, heavily tannic… on any given day I may perceive and describe these as a “smokiness”. My understanding is that many of those are imparted from the cask, hence stating that I believe that the cask, via charring, can impart those flavours! As I said, I’m no scientist and alot of the scientific literature gets a bit beyond my understanding. It sounds like you have a fantastic understanding and likely know more than I do but I can only do my best! I’d love to continue this conversation and see what I can learn! Cheers! 🥃🥃

 FWIW: This is a great series on the various compounds that influence the flavour of whisky, from a scientific standpoint by Dan Crowell: thewhiskeywash.com/author/dcrowell/ Sources: 

[1]scotchwhisky.com/magazine/ask-the-professor/20468/why-are-whisky-casks-toasted-and-charred/ [2]www.cellulosechemtechnol.ro/pdf/CCT9(2010)/P.353-363.pdf 
[3]whiskyscience.blogspot.com/2011/02/oaky-flavours.html [4]www.thegoodscentscompany.com/flavor/guaiacol.html
 [5]www.drinkhacker.com/2017/10/08/peat-phenols-and-ppm-why-scotch-tastes-smoky/ 
[6]topwhiskies.com/blogs/whisky-blog/what-is-the-chemistry-of-whisky
 [7]www.douglaslaing.com/blogs/news/how-does-the-vanilla-flavour-get-into-whisky
 [8]liquorlaboratory.com/how-long-does-bourbon-have-to-be-aged/
 [9]www.barrellbourbon.com/post/does-bourbon-get-better-with-age-yes-to-a-point 
[10]www.makersmark.com/how-its-made
 [11]thewhiskeywash.com/lifestyle/flavor-development-episode-3-defining-sources-of-flavor-in-whisky-phenols/ [12]onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jib.586 [13]en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaiacol
[ 14]beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/9Z95BHQHMb/ 
[15]thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/what-are-tannins-and-why-should-you-care/

Thanks brother!! Oh man that STR is a belter, sadly I think it sold out long ago. Drop me a DM on Instagram I’ll send you a sample.

Thanks! They have indeed! Mackmyra add juniper twigs to the peat to add an additional flavour to the barley. I don’t believe there are any specific SWA regulations stating WHAT you can dry your barley with, but there’s a whole world of exploration to do there. I love a wormtub… I know what you mean, like a slightly sulphurous mineral flavour. Slainte!

Not so much with Scotch but all kinds of things have been tried in American whisky. Mesquite, Hickory, Maple, Cherry, American peat (which is different from Scottish peat)

Ayy! Thanks!! I always try and make SOME sense when I’m doing these reviews haha. Thanks for watching! 🥃

Hey Douglas, Firstly, thanks for the kind words!! I really appreciate that! Thank you, really. So on to your question… addressing your previous comment. It’s important to understand that the PPM on the bottle is (almost always) the measurement of the phenols in the malt, not the liquid in the bottle. The amount of phenols and their compounds (I.e. peatiness) that makes it though to the liquid is the result of so so many different variables, it’s only really useful if you are comparing liquids where almost every other variable is the same, and even then… there be magic in that liquid, and even 2 batches produced near identically may result in slightly different perceived “peatiness”. Plus, the longer it sits in wood, the more mellow that peat becomes. If you ever get a chance to try a Laphroaig 12 and a 25 side by side… you’ll see how big the difference is. You mention finding the highest price… well that’s a dark art unto itself. I think generally the market as whole will pay for the BRAND first, and the LIQUID second. There has to be trust that they are getting the good shit! It’s arguable that a 21yo unknown brand is likely to fetch less than say, a 15yo well-known, at least when it comes to a broader market appeal. Personally, I’d identify the motivation and focus on that, and forget the rest! If it’s just a financial move, then honestly… speak to someone who knows cask investment and get whatever is going to see the return in the time you want to see it… forget about the liquid (to some extent), as it’ll probably be great anyways. On the other hand, if this is about crafting YOUR perfect liquid, for you to maybe make a few quid on, but PRIMARILY be about making something that is YOURS, that YOU love… then, again, speak to a cask broker, get some samples, see what you like that’s CLOSE, and work with them to fine tune it. Find a distillery that really sings for you with very little age on it, and then discuss re-racking it into different casks at different milestones. Every liquid, every cask, every warehouse… it’s all different and (somewhat) unpredictable! People train for decades to hone this skill, and very few have it! If it was that easy… well… there wouldn’t be a bad whisky!

@@Scotchtographer Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate it. It's helped me a lot. I know what to do now as it's clearer.

@@douglasradcliffe981 I hope so! I’m no expert… all I have is my opinion to share. Cheers! 🥃🥃

Sometimes I love that… sometimes I don’t. I will say Peat definitely mellows with age, too! I do love a Port Charlotte, though. What a great memory! Never been on a steam-boat before. Cheers! 🥃🥃

I absolutely agree! The more into the scientific aspects of distillation, the more interest I have in what exactly propagates to the distillate. A lot of data is collected from the malt, the water, and yeast byproducts/conversation etc, but very little seems to be available on those values pre, and POST distillation. Yeast is another one for me… having been very into technical brewing, yeast strains/variety is INCREDIBLY important… yet very distilleries seem to really talk about it (although, that seems to be changing).

Thanks for the feedback! Will keep an eye on that in future. Cheers!

Really appreciate your response. I wrote an incredibly lengthy reply to another comment stating the same, supplemented by an even longer response (with accompanying citations) on Reddit. Whilst you have some very good points, of which the majority is correct, there is plenty of science out there which can be interpreted to the contrary. In fact, during my lengthy Reddit exchange you can see the numerous citations of peer reviewed papers which talk in depth about this subject specifically. In summary, many people neglect to take into account a source of Guaiacol, a poly phenol present in (relatively) large quantities in many different types of wood-aged spirit, noted for its “smoky” taste. As noted in several citations above, one of the main sources of Guaiacol is the thermal decomposition of lignin, one of the primary constituents of oak barrels. To say that charring of the barrels does not impart any smoke flavour is false. It is not the primary source, nor is it the reason for doing so, but it can and does. In fact, many red wine producers specifically char the barrels to increase the Guaiacol in order to impart smoke flavours. Secondly, your point on the carbonised wood being a filter, whilst true… is usually attributed to the reduction of sulphur compounds, of which Guaiacol is not one. Thanks for your comment, though, and for providing such useful information! If I have missed anything, please do let me know! Cheers! 🥃🥃🥃

@@Scotchtographer I wrote a longer reply yesterday, but during research my browser crashed. (fuck FF) So in short: thank you for metioning Guaiacol, i found a lot of interessting stuff. It seems not so easy. But Horst says the same here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qTWYVwXKcF0.html Its in German, could find an english version. He talked with the guys from Ardbeg and they told the same to us during the visit. Ardbeg alligator is not smoky but mild. Because of the filtering of coal. What I said. But it seems Guaiacol adds smoky floavor, too. But: no bourbon whiskey I know is smoky! But they should get an overload of Guaiacol.

@@Asgaia oh man! I know that feeling 😥 See, I do find SOME have that sweet BBQ sauce smoke vibe going on. I will say that quite often I find the sweetness is quite overpowering on a lot of bourbons. Especially the younger, brighter expressions, and the older have such bold peanut, caramel notes, they can often be drowned out. I think it also comes from your personal experience of smoke. For me, “smoke” is an incredibly broad spectrum of flavours all the way from sweet BBQ, almost steak-like, all the way through to deep peated, acrid, burnt rubber. I think many people are introduced to “smoke” in whisky with things like Laphroaig, which definitely is about as smoky as they come, but that expresses a very distinct end of the spectrum. At the end of the day it’s all personal experience! All I aimed to do was express my personal view of smoke favours in whisky, and how I interpret that. This is a great conversation, btw! Love it! 🥃🥃