Your Guide To Getting Started With Peated Whisky
Is Peated Whisky On Your To Try List In 2025? Here’s Where To Start
So you are a bourbon drinkiner you may have even sampled a few scotches and even enjoyed, so now what? Peated whisky of course. Now jumping in the deep end is not the best course of action and is usually whats turns off a lot of people. Its best to ease into it starting with the lightly peated scotches first and working your way up to the bonfire level bottles. This list is meant for people just starting out on their journey. Lets dive in.
Talisker 10 Year Single Malt Scotch
Talisker 10 Year Single Malt Scotch - not too smokey and not too pricey, this bottle is one of the first bottles that I started with when embarking on my peated whisky journey. It has a fair bit of complexity for being only 10 years old and has notes of dried fruits, clouds of smoke and malty flavors. Huge, long, peppery finish with an final note of sweetness. 2020 SIP Awards Platinum winner. Buy it now!
Highland Park 12 Year Single Malt Scotch
Another great beginner withh heather honey, dried fruits, winter spices, Seville oranges, and a light smoky finish being among the notes. 2017 SF World Spirits Competition Gold Medal. 2018 Gold Medal: The Fifty Best. Buy it now!
Wolfburn Morven Single Malt Scotch
A perfect everyday drinker that is lightly peated. Malted barley that has been infused with smoke during the drying process is used to make this lightly peated whisky. After a gentle distillation, the whiskey is matured in quarter casks and ex-bourbon barrels. The outcome is a whisky that is exquisitely rounded and silky. Buy it now!
Jura Bourbon Cask (Journey) Scotch
The Isle of Jura line, which was revived in the middle of 2018, has Journey as its entry-level expression. It was bottled at 40% ABV and matured only in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels. A fantastic introduction to single malts from Jura. There are notes of vanilla and toasted coconut on the scent, along with a trace of butterscotch and a faint smoke. Starting out gentle and sweet, the palate finishes with creamy toffee with notes of cocoa, cinnamon, and poached pear. matured in ex-bourbon casks made of American white oak. Not sure this can even be counted as a smoky whisky as its unpeated but I do believe this is a good gateway for someone just dipping their feet in. Buy it now!
Caol Ila 12 Year Single Malt Scotch
The most properly peated of the bunch and has on the nose, notes of olive oil, citrus, and crushed almonds. With hints of smoke, salty tang, honey, caramel, and oak, the body is both robust and supple. There is a hint of peat at the end of the smooth, somewhat tangy finish. Buy it now!
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