Three GREAT Peated whiskies for 2023 

Love tbe pine flavours of the Ledaig..yummy!😋😋😋

Laphroaig truly is one of the most richly flavored whiskys and is pretty singular in its overall vibe.. should be interesting to see what they do with batches 16 and 17 and so on. Might be increasingly on the sweeter and lighter side or go full hospital Cortizone cream.

There it is. Laphroaig 10. My first peated Single Malt twenty five years ago.

You have so nailed it on the first two. I am even more partial to the 18yr Ledaig in sherry casks, (yummy!) and Port Charlotte remains on my re-buy list. Plus an interesting surprise: cask strength Laphroaig! I bow before you, Oh Guru of the Bothy.

Thank you very much, Ralfy! You are the BEST!!!

I'm so happy to see Port Charlotte on your list!!!! I just shared this with my father over the holidays. LOVE IT

Yesterday I tried the ledaig and was fantastic. The all three are amazing. Thank you Ralfie.

Thanks for all you have done over the years. Sure the thought of a gift is nice but its even better knowing the gift to my malt mate will be something of actual quality that they can enjoy.

Love this list. Thank you.

Ledaig: Impossible to find now. A year ago, it was plentiful. I love it! But now it's on the endangered species list I think due to your raves. A reserved thank you, Ralfy.

Your thumnails are getting more eye-grabbing and I love them. Thank you as always for great reviews.

This is very good recommended. Thank you.

Really enjoy the first two. Thanks Ralfy!!

Ahh! Great choices, Ralfy! Thank you and many thanks to you on this (US) Thanksgiving Day.

A perfect cross-section of this style 👌

Glad to see Port Charlotte on your list. It's probably my favorite. I am on my second bottle of the Laphroaig Cask Strength. I actually prefer Ardbeg Uigeadail over the Laphroig.

We love peated malts! Thank you Ralfy!

Thanks Ralfy, some interesting choices there, and I look forward to giving the Port Charlotte a first try soonish on your recommendation. I think Ardbeg Uigeadail may be my favourite peated whisky (so far!), but I look forward to continuing to broaden my horizons with many more options in the years to come

First I tried some of the standard Islay brands but I never connected with them. Then I had the chance to try Ledaig 10 and I loved it. Now I’m enjoying the 18 year Old too. Great stuff! 😊 Anders, Stockholm

Can’t beat an independent Caol Ila. Always a treat & Lagavulin 8yo is always a joy

Just picked up the Ledaig based on your earlier review. Can’t wait to try it!

Laphroaig is my all-time favorite, it is like going back in time to the bonfires of antiquity, it has an emotional effect, truly it can change you as a person.

Great Stuff! Have got the Ledaig and Port Charlotte in my stash and both are exceptionally good. Very recently have been looking at the Laphroaig 10 last week as a treat, and I'll now be adding it to my collection. Will also be tracking down a Balblair too. Thx ralfy!

Excellent choice, these three fit quite perfectly into every smokey drinks cupboard

Pure peated perfection there Ralfy.

Great trio Ralfy, Ledaig is my total favourite, it was the peated whisky (during a wonderful distillery trip to Tobermory )which turned me onto peated whisky after years of trying and failing. Will forever be my goto peated malt. Won't turn down a Xmas stocking full of any of the three :)

Yesss thats what I love 👏

Ralfy chose some reasonably priced bottles as well which is nice to see. Thanks Ralfy

Man, I love that you included the Laphroaig 10 CS. I tried the 2020 release and it's firmly in my top 2 whiskies I've ever tried, if not the best whisky on my list. Such a glorious smoky bastard of a whisky.

Greetings and happy holidays also from an island (in the Atlantic- off the coast of Massachusetts)

Tried Ledaig 10 on Ralfy's advice back in mid 2021and It cannot be recommended highly enough! Scored two spares to avoid the price increase that followed after it being Ralfy's Whiskey of the year for 2022 ;-) I also took up Ralfy's advice to visit the Isle of Mull as well as Tobermory Distillery during my Oct visit to Scotland and it was the best distillery tour experience of my entire visit. Just my family of 4 and our guide, absolutely amazing! oh and the Isle of Mull is well worth a day trip if your in/near Oban. Ralfy always enriches the journey! Cheers my brother!

Great video with some great drams, and easily accessible drams too! I think the best peated whisky I've had thus far is the Williamson (BBR) you put me on to on here. I was lucky enough to not only find one, but two bottles! (one for a rainy day). An absolute world class peated single malt whisky. Cheers Ralfy, and take care!

Great list, especially the third one! Slainte.

A+ suggestions - Ledaig 10 was the bottle that convinced me about peat (and taught me to 'taste past the smoke') and PC10 was the bottle I fell in love with immediately after (it's also easier to find for me albeit a bit expensive at $75USD versus $60USD for Ledaig). I've always gotten a honey and floral character from Ledaig and in PC10 I get a berry note from the wine casks that I just adore. Cheers!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Some great suggestions i'll keep my eye out for. I'd love to see a video and malt mark for Ardbeg Uigeadail also bottled around the same percentage as the cask strength Laphroaig. Keep it up :)

Very happy to see that my Total Wine and More here in Florida has the Laphroaig 10 in stock. I will be purchasing tomorrow. Very excited to try a peated.

PC 10 and Ledaig 10 have been my absolutely favorite peated malts for years. Thanks for the recommendation some years ago !!!

All the superb, CS strength is my particular favourite of three - the Sherry Oak 10 Year is also worth a buy!

I've got all three of those in my personal whisk(e)y bar. Great choices!

Three stonking peated choices there Ralfy...... and I am extremely pleased to see Ledaig 10 in that line up. Quality all the way (which any good spouse should note in time for Santa's wish-list) 😉. Yo ho ho!

Hi Ralfy, I was waiting for this review, wandering what your choice would be for the 3 peated whiskies......All three great whiskies, I have all three of them in my cabinet. Great stuff. And there is so much more, like Ardbeg, Kilchoman, Lagavulin, Caol Ila or the peated whiskies of Bunnahabhain.

Many thanks Ralfy! I never tried any of these whiskies.👍

Thank you good sir! I just purchased Ledaig 10 and port Charlotte 10 last weekend. Ledaig is a repeat purchase for me also!

Have both the Ledaig and Port Charlotte and they are both good quality whisky, the Ledaig 18 and Laphroaig cask strength are already on my list of whiskys to pick up in the future.

The Ledaig 10 is really an interesting one, very different peat from the Islays. More woody, less of the funkiness of the port Charlotte which is also very good. Laph 10 has always been a bit medicinal for me but I respect it for what it is

Totally agree with these peat monsters, highly recommended over the 'stock' ones.

I'm a big fan of the Port Charlotte 10 👍

Love the Port Charlotte!

Great selection, difficult choices ;)

hope I can find some of these near me - seems like a lot of good scotch is getting harder (and more expensive to get) - I havent been able to get springbank cask strength in at least a year. I do love that port charlotte though - very good and still usually available. Thanks for all your reviews ralfy - I have been watching you for years now and you have pointed me in the direction of many good drams.

Ralfy...the World Cup! Have a Happy Thanksgiving from the States. Cheerio...

I've had a bottle of the Laphroaig 10 cask strength, it was excellent. I'm currently going through a bottle of Port Charlotte 10, also great. Judging by this review, I know what I have to find next. Ralfy, you've said a few times that Ledaig is good, so I'm putting it on the wishlist.

Two of my favourites! Not got to the Port Talbot so far...

Love the first 2. Cheers.

Great Taste, as always, ralfy! As far as i can tell, because the first two bottlings are on my shelf 😅

Such a Gr8 another Trilogy!! Holy Trinity for peatheads 😁🥃🙋🏻‍♂️

Got to love the Ledaig 10! 🥃

Ledaig 10 is an excellent choice; it is the one that I would recommend to people who are new to peated whisky. I have Ledaig 18 in my collection; it is also excellent, but it is a bit more challenging and might not be the best choice for beginners. A local bar has Ledaig 10, and I sometimes order it when I go there. They also have Ardbeg 10, Laphroiag 10, and Lagavullin 16. Peated whisky goes nicely with oysters. I have a bottle of Ardbeg 1990 bottled in 2008 that is running low. After it is gone, I'll be looking for another peated whisky. I'll have to keep these in mind. I probably won't buy Ledaig 10 since I can order it at the bar, but the other two certainly look tempting. Unless I get lucky and find an interesting independent bottling, I'm leaning toward the cask strength Laphroiag 10. I have been wanting to include a few cask strength whiskies in my collection, and I don't currently have a peated one. Incidentally, I finally scored a bottle of Balblair - the 15-year version. Ralfy is right - Balblair makes an excellent whisky. I'm glad I finally found one.

Great picks. I thought Macnair's 10 year CS would make it in here but it is a blend....

I'd love to see more videos just like this.

Tough to try for the first time but, oh so good

Whisky season is here!!!

Ledaig adding false coloring now. My bottle is delicious, but so much lighter. Great recommendations. I've currently got all 3 of these on my shelf.

Three top integrity choices Ralfy. I really enjoy the character & intensity of the peated malts . Have both the Ledaig 10 & Port Charlotte 10 and always have the Laphroaig 10 as a backup to do comparison tests with so as its Xmas might try the upgrade to cask strength Laphroaig. Trying out various Scotch distilleries to give a true balanced view of scotch whisky Springbank 10 & Benriach original 10 appeal to my palate as well as Longrow another peated from Springbank.

Port Charlotte is beautiful stuff. I even have a bottle of Laddie 10 which is just as wonderful. Salud!

Ledaig is just one of my favourite whiskies in general the Rioja finish NAS is lovely as well. I'd be tempted to mention Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12 for a really great value whisky with a bit more of a highland peat character and Kilchoman Sanaig for a great mix of peat and sherry.

I’m fairly new to whisky and so far have mostly stuck to the lighter end of the flavour spectrum. I’d been hesitant to dip my toe into peated whiskies after hearing about the marmite, love it or hate reputation it has, but I recently was gifted a bottle of Ledaig by a whisky loving friend of mine and my god, it’s absolutely changed everything.

All great!!! I’d just add Ardbeg 10 to that mix.

PC 10 has been my favorite since my first sip. The swanky bottling is as good as the liquid inside. glad that I have all 3 recommended in this video :D and Laphroag CS- Same batch!

Ledaig 10 is imho one of the best available at this moment. Just hard to find in the states. But it’s here.

Having recently bought a bottle of the Port Charlotte, I'll happily give it a 'highly recommended' rating for anyone after a peated whisky.

@ralfydotcom; I definitely agree with the Port Charlotte 10 and Laphroaig 10 CS, both are wonderful drams. I've never tried the Ledaig 10 so it is now on my list to get. Thanks for the reviews and opinions.

That Laphroig is among the best peated whiskies I've ever tasted...love the stuff

Happy thanksgiving maltmates

Hi Ralphy I’ve tried one peated whiskey Glasgow 1770 an amazing peated whiskey looking forward to trying your recommendation thanks I’ve only just found your Chanel

Never had Laphroaig 10 CS. It is not available in Bulgaria and even if it was, the official importer of Laphroaig commands such prices that it would have cost far more than I'd be willing to pay. The other two I have tasted and liked very much. Enough to buy backup bottles :) The peated whisky I'd recommend the most for 2023 though is Kilchoman Loch Gorm. It's a shame that Ralphy hasn't reviewed any of the recent Loch Gorm releases. They are superb and don't even violate his "no NAS" rule as they come with perfectly acceptable age disclosure. Cheers!

Yesterday, I had my first ever dram of Ledaig 10yo - it was a stunning experience! Ye gods, what a lovely whisky. I then spent a good 20 minutes nosing the glass after I drank what was inside - so much fun! I particularly liked that iodine-mineral vibe. Somebody said that L10 is like Talisker 10yo, but without the latter's vices. I am of the opinion that L10 plays at least two leagues above T10. And here's also a sort of masochistic experiment: I tried Famous Grouse's Smokey Black after L10. Well, nothing but flat sweetness, with smoke found only on the label... I will never again buy that bottle, that's for sure. Here is to all Ledaig lovers, cheers!

Ledaig very quietly came out with a 9-year-old cask strength Bordeaux cask finish a couple months ago. It’s pricey, but superb I thought.

Going to the liquor store today. Thanks.

Mega review

For me, Lagavulin 16 is the cream of the crop. This is my go-to whiskey of any kind. It hits all the Islay notes in all the right ways. Laphroaig 10 is basically budget Lagavulin. Not quite as good, but absolutely good enough for the money. Port Charlotte 10 is either my number two or three. I should try my top three side by side one of these days. Looks like I also need to try the Ledaig.

Thank you for the recommendations! Never tried Laphroaig cask strength before, but I enjoy the 10 year 43% regularly. It's such a pleasure.

Lagavulin 16 is my favourite peated whisky. I know it's not "cool" to like Lagavulin anymore but it's still my go-to.

Nothing wrong with any of them matey 🙂

Got the Laphroaig 😉 Ralfy. Or better to say will 😂. It’s my Christmas present from my wife 👍

Haven’t tried Ledaig, but PC10 and Laphroaig 10 CS are incredible whiskies.

I'm looking for a Bunnahabhain 12 cask strength. That would be my next bottle.

Heh...I've all three in my cabinet. I would add Kilchoman Sanaig, myself. I can drink it, which is more than can be said for the Laphroaig 10. I keep that as a warning. My preferred is Benromach 15. I bought Port Charlotte 10 to trail after finishing off a Talisker Storm. Consequently, Port Charlotte 10 has replaced Talisker in the pantheon.. I have been charmed when I least expected to be. I did not think I would like it, but I keep going back to it.

Love Lephroaig and Port Charlotte. Going to have to try the Ledaig. Recently I've been enjoying the value of the Kirkland Islay Single Malt they sell at Costco in the USA

Just adding: The Ledaig and PC I have and enjoy. Laphroaig does have a very (very) distinct kind of peatyness., My favorite flight of peated whiskies goes as follows: Scarabus (10) , Ardbeg An Oa, Port Charlotte 10 (and if you want to calibrate beforehand take a coloured but good Smokehead). Only one of them is mentioned in Ralfy's video. But hey - it is always a matter of taste, experience and perhaps it is also about the buzz in a very individual moment.

Ha! All three of them are my favorit 10yo peated whiskys. 😃 Nr.4 would be the Benromach 10yo.

ralfy, good 3. I'm not a peat fan, especially the iodine and medicinal peat BUT do like the Lagavulin 16 since the flavors are so well balanced. CHEERS!

My brother likes his peat with a bit of sweet so I got him a Laphroaig 10 CS 2018 for his birthday in May. He has communicated to me many times since then that the introduction much obliged.

Grazie 🙏 dear Ralfy. I have the first two but the Laphroaig is a little dear here in Italy 🇮🇹 ciao amico mio. S.

Tried a miniature of 10 year old Ballechin found it absolutely delish, but possibly something that would divide the room.

Two months ago I bought a bottle of Ledaig just because I need a new one, now today I see the price has risen significantly! I’m in a costal town on the east coast of the States and I have come to realize that even though we certainly don’t get most of the Heavy hitter whiskies around here, I am certainly spoiled in certain ways. For example springbank 10 and Ledaig are fairly easy to find (for now….)

A list without an Ardbeg🔥 is like A fighter jet without landing gears and an emergency parachute, These are wonderful 3 bottles 💯💯💯

Ledaig 10: Not very moreish for me, I have to be in mood for this. But when I am, nothing hits the spot quite like this. Port Charlotte 10: My first dram of this was "hmm, this is pretty good, but I don't understand it", and tonight I had my second dram and thought "wow, NOW I get it. This is so refined and lovely." Laphroaig 10: Never had the CS version, only the original. Hated, absolutely abhorred my first dram of this. These days I think it's pretty alright. Would love to try the CS version at a bar someplace, see how I feel about it.

Outstanding choices! Just a heads up Ralfy. This video isn’t showing up on your Patreon feed as of this post.