This post is a part serious/part humorous post aimed at approaching peat as new whisky drinker for the first time. If you are an experienced whisky lover, feel free to skip this post. Or read on and let me know if you agree with me. This is not a post about what peat is and the many fascinating facets of this topic. I have added a few online resources on the topic I found very interesting at the end of this post. You can jump to the links if you want to explore the subject more.
You don’t need to spend a lot of time exploring Scotch whisky before finding peated whisky along your path. Let’s get one thing out of the way first. Many whisky lovers love peat, some even focus 100% on peated whisky. Still, you don’t need to love peat to love whisky. Let’s be honest, peat is not everyone’s cup of tea. Its intense aromas can mean love at first sight for some, and complete disgust for others. But, as all parents will at some point tell their kids, you need to try it a few times before saying you don’t like it.
Why you should approach peat like cheese
When thinking about introducing peat to a new whisky drinker, I find the parallel with introducing new foods to children is spot on. For me, the food that works best as a comparison to peat is cheese. Before you call me mad, bear with me a moment.
Many instinctively are charmed by peat’s impact on whisky aromas. In the same way, many love cheese even as a child. Just like the creamy, nutty pungent notes you get from cheese can tickle your tastebuds, the smoky, chemical, at times maritime notes of peat open a new horizon of sensations in whisky. Some may even fall in love with the superintense heavily peated drams like Octomore, in the same way as I love funky blue and runny cheeses (Époisses anyone?).
For others, peat is only fine when it brings a mild smoky note to other aromatic notes in the whisky, almost like seasoning. Not unlike what a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggianoworks adds to make a pasta dish pop. Finally, others just can’t stand peat, and that is fine. Just be aware your preferences may change, just like a friend of mine who refused to touch any cheese throughout his childhood and now appreciates most cheeses except the most funky ones.
I hope I managed to convince you that the cheese/peat comparison does work and that approaching peat as a new whisky drinker should be an exercise in knowing what level of intensity works for you. You might immediately realise you love peat and dive into more and more peated whiskies. Or maybe you will decide to go the slow way and start with something milder. Either way, make sure you do what you enjoy best. We drink whisky for pleasure, not to impress anyone or to get drunk. No two whisky journeys will be the same and all are valid
Admittedly, this is a very Western/European comparison but after all this is the food I have grown up with and now. If you come from a culture where cheese is not common, I apologise. I would love to hear what you would compare peat to – please do leave a comment to let me know what food would fit the comparison with peat in your opinion.
Although I do know that I like peat, I felt that sampling a couple of peaty drams was a must, so in the next couple fo reviews I picked three whiskies that hopefully provide a decent spectrum of intensity
Talisker 10… which became Talisker Skye (and why)
See you soon!
Additional information on peat and whisky
For those looking for more peat information here are three pages I found very informative:
A great overview post on Peat from Malt Review
A nerdy and extremely detailed page on Peat and its aromas from iLaddie
Dramface on the growing discussion around the sustainability of peat
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