Here’s a guide to different kinds of peats.
First, the basics. What is peat? Compacted layers of decayed vegetation found in bogs, moors, and wetlands. Rich in moss, heather, and sometimes seaweed, it has been an essential fuel source for centuries and remains central to whisky’s smoky character.
Traditionally, peat was cut and dried to heat homes across Scotland’s windswept islands, where trees were scarce, and Ireland’s heartlands, where bogs were plentiful.
When burned to dry malted barley, its smoke infuses the grain with phenolic compounds that survive fermentation and distillation. That’s why a dram can taste of bonfire, iodine, or sea spray long after the fire is out.
Peat begins life in wet conditions
Not all peat is the same
The flavour of peat depends on what’s buried in the bog. Inland peat full of tree roots burns differently from coastal peat heavy with moss and seaweed. Depth, moisture, and cutting technique all matter, too.
While Scotland remains peat’s spiritual home, global producers increasingly adapt the style to their own climates. Japan’s Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve blends forest freshness with delicate smoke, while India’s Amrut Peated balances tropical fruit with Highland-like earthiness.
So, let’s break down the main peat styles, their flavour profiles, and the whiskies that bring them to life.
Burning peat at Kilchoman on Islay
Islay Peat
Islay is the global capital of smoky whisky. Its peat is soaked in brine, seaweed, mosses, and maritime vegetation, giving rise to drams with salty tang, medicinal iodine, and sea-spray smoke.
Flavour profile: Maritime, briny, iodine, TCP, medicinal herbs, seaweed, bonfire smoke.
Whiskies to try: Laphroaig 10 Year Old (saline and medicinal), Ardbeg 10 Year Old (explosive peat with citrus), Lagavulin 16 Year Old (peat and sherry richness), Port Charlotte 10 Year Old (robust yet balanced). For newcomers, Kilchoman Machir Bay offers peat alongside orchard fruit, softening the punch.
Orkney Peat
Orkney’s treeless landscape means its peat is mostly heather. This gives a sweeter, floral style of smoke that’s gentler than Islay’s iodine blast.
Flavour profile: Heather smoke, honey, light spice, gentle earthiness.
Whiskies to try: Highland Park 12 Year Old for balanced floral smoke and malt, while Highland Park 18 Year Old deepens the sweetness with dried fruit and heather peat.
The peat on Orkney has a unique composition, which affects the profile of the whisky
Other Scottish islands
Plenty of Scottish islands make whisky, from Skye to Raasay, Mull and Arran.
Each island distils its own interpretation of peat, shaped by the local climate and cask choices. Some source peat from the mainland, and others use their own supply. Typically, the peat is coastal but not very medicinal, like Islay. We need to be able to taste more of these whiskies before we can ascertain an overarching peat style, however.
Just last week, The Isle of Harris Distillery announced the release of The Hearach Decade Edition, the first-ever whisky made using peat from the Isle of Harris itself. Exciting times.
Mainland Peat
Mainland peat (mostly found across the Highlands) is drier, with tree roots and fewer maritime influences. The result is earthy, woody smoke reminiscent of barbecue or bonfires.
Flavour profile: Charcoal, BBQ meat, earthy smoke, forest floor.
Whiskies to try: Benriach Smoky Ten (fruity Highland smoke), Benromach 10 Year Old (dry, meaty BBQ), Ardnamurchan AD (vegetal and coastal).
Campbeltown, once fuelled by local bogs, now imports peat but still bottles distinctive smoky whiskies such as Longrow, Kilkerran Heavily Peated, and Glen Scotia Victoriana.
Warterford went as far as to peat barley in Ireland
Irish Peat
Ireland has a long history of peat use (peat is typically called “turf” here), though peated whisky nearly vanished in the 20th century. Most “peated Irish” whiskies use Scottish peat today, but producers like Waterford attempted a revival using native bogs, creating earthy, herbal drams with a distinct character.
Flavour profile: Sweet, grassy, earthy, refined, more briny closer to the coast.
Whiskies to try: Waterford Peated – Lacken 1.1 for grassy, briny smoke with Irish terroir at its heart.
Scandinavian Peat
Peated whisky has taken root in Scandinavia, too. Danish distiller Stauning cuts local peat to craft whiskies with clean, campfire smoke layered over spice and fruit.
Flavour profile: Light, grassy-heather, earthy, floral.
Whiskies to try: Stauning Smoke for Nordic BBQ notes with soft fruit.
The Last Drop: A guide to different kinds of peats
A guide to different kinds of peats can never truly capture the wide spectrum of flavour that can exist in a single brick. There’s no one single character in peat. It’s a whole spectrum. Islay gives maritime medicine, while Orkney adds heather sweetness.
The best way to learn? Line up a few drams from different regions and let the peat tell its own story.
