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These whiskies are the infamous and formidable smoky ones you’ve probably heard of. Many say these are not for beginners, I didn’t like peated whiskies when I started, but once I tried the ‘hot tea sip’ technique on a bottle of Lagavulin I discovered the smoke could be quite pleasant. I also found a layer of flavour under the smoke.
This whisky is a personal favourite of mine, this was the first “smoky one” I liked. In my opinion, the smoke in this one is a mild kippers kind of smoke, which with the notes of sea salt, and sweet spice kind of like barley sugar, with citrus in the background to make it well rounded.
This one won’t be for everyone, but I love it and think that this is pretty approachable as this category goes and many will appreciate it.
When I first tried this, I thought it was disgusting. That was because I took a big swig of it that was way too much. After trying a few other smoky ones, I came back to this with a ‘hot tea sip’ and fell in love.
This is my staple smoke, I think the smoke in this one is more of a smoked bacon note, with sea salt and black pepper making it even more interesting, the sweet notes in this have blackcurrant and liquorice tones. A beastie, so make no mistake it's not gonna be for everyone, but the followers of this whisky (myself included) revere it.
Moving on after the above, you could try the Ardbeg An Oa, which is both peated and sherried. Its not a favourite of mine, but I can taste its quality and many adore it, so give it a go.
The Lagavulin 16-year-old is often called “the King of Smoke” for a reason, it’s a definite step up from the excellent 8-year-old. The smoke in this one is a bit like lapsang souchong, its different for sure and its reputation is deserved.
Another heavyweight in the world of peated whisky is the Laphroaig distillery, the 10-year-old is an excellent offering with a TCP or iodine type of smoke, which is quite pleasant.
Caol Ila is another great distillery, the smoke finish you find in Johnnie Walker blends is from this distillery. The 12-year-old is a lovely Scotch with full and robust flavours to compliment the smoke.
