Peated Whiskies That Aren't From Scotland

This whiskey certainly disproves the notion that all Irish Whiskeys are the same. Bringing back older styles of Irish Whiskey production, this is double distilled and uses peated malted barley. It then gets to spend its life in ex-bourbon barrels for 12 years.

This particular Penderyn limited edition, which is bottled at 46%, is distinct in the single malt world. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels as well as ex-peated-Scotch casks, the latter of which imbues it with its smoky character. No peated malts are used in production.

This peated bottling is a blend of two aged whiskeys distilled at Westland, one was from a peated malt mash and one was from a Washington pale malt mash. The whiskeys were aged a minimum of 2 years in a variety of casks which include heavily charred, new American oak; ex-bourbon barrels, and ex-sherry casks. Note: As of spring 2021, this along with the Sherry Oak and American Oak expressions are discontinued.

Goa, India, has long been a sea-side destination for Western tourists and trust-fund youth in search of themselves. Unlike British India, Goa remained a Portuguese outpost until it was annexed by India in 1961. Visitors will find more piri-piri dishes than curry here and this Goan fondness for spices shines through in the Scotch-style single malts of Paul John distillery. This new distillery is clearly focused on the long term. Despite a climate that favors rapid aging, Paul John did not begin showing its whiskies to the world until they were well rounded and balanced. Like all Paul John whiskies, this one is non-chillfiltered.

The peat level on the sourced Scottish barley is around 23 ppm, on par with that of Bowmore on Islay. Generally, Amrut whiskies are typically aged for only 4-5 years due to the extreme temperatures in Bangalore.

McCarthy's Single Malt Whiskey is produced at Clear Creek Distillery outside of Portland, Oregon. Master Distiller Stephen McCarthy, ever the spirits pioneer, wanted to make an American whiskey in the style of Islay Scotch, but give it a local spin. So he sourced peated malted barley from Scotland, distilled it in Oregon, and aged it in Oregon oak.

This expression from Suntory's Yamazaki Distillery is a blend of various single malts that have aged in casks of American oak, Mizunara (Japanese oak), sherry oak, and French oak casks that previously held Bordeaux wine. Some peated single malt is also blended in. Released in 2014, Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve carries no age statement.

The Hakushu Distillery is one of three owned by Suntory. Located in northern Japan in the forests of Mt Kai Komagatake this is a peated whisky, but it is one comprised of different whiskies produced at the same distillery. The components are a non-peated whisky aged in American oak, a non-peated whisky aged in ex-sherry/Spanish Oak, and a peated whisky aged in American oak. As such, the peat level goes down to a mild 7-9 ppm. Note: Announced in 2018, this product will be discontinued in some markets at some point beginning in 2019 with limited availability in the next few years.

With Japan experiencing shortages of aged malt whisky, many Japanese brands like the Nikka have opted to replace their range with no-age-statement variants. Launched Stateside in September 2016, Yoichi Single Malt is a peated single malt that replaces the beloved aged expressions of the same line: Yoichi 10, 12, 15, and 20 that have been discontinued. Distilled from malted barley and aged using a variety of casks including new American oak and ex-sherry casks, it is bottled at 45% ABV.

Distilled from a mash of three different types of barley malt: pale ale, chocolate, and heavily-peated malt. It had a long fermentation (96 hours) using three types of yeast strains. It was double-distilled in copper pot-stills. The whisky was aged in three types of barrels: heavily-charred Quercus Muehlenbergii from Missouri, heavily-toasted Quercus Petraea from Allier, and medium-toasted Quercus Robur from Bourgogne (Burgundy). Bottled at 41.8% ABV with no chill filtration. The whisky is named for the island's most famous sons, an astronomer named Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).