The Best Peated Single Malt Scotch Whiskies

Caol Ila, pronounced as “Cull Ee-la” is a small Islay distillery founded in 1846 nestled in a hidden cove near Port Askaig overlooking the strait between Islay and Jura. Caol Ila is readily known as one of the lighter, more nuanced and delicate of the Islay single malts with the 12 year as their entry level offering originally debuting in the summer of 2002. It is bottled at a modest 86 proof.

Released in August 2016, Kilkerran 12 Year is the highly anticipated flagship whisky from Mitchell's Glengyle Distillery in Campbeltown. Since Hedley Wright, great-great nephew of Mitchell himself re-opened the distillery in 2004, they've been releasing experimental "Work in Progress" whiskies while waiting for this one to mature. Lightly peated and double-distilled, 70% of the single malt aged in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and the remaining 30% matured in sherry. Non-chill-filtered without added coloring, it is bottled at 46% ABV.

Perhaps because Springbank Distillery is family owned rather than being in the hands of a large corporation, they can be a bit more experimental. This distillery employs three different recipes and ergo three different names of single malts: Hazelburn, Longrow, and Springbank. They vary in the number of times they are distilled and the different levels of peat for their malts. Springbank is distilled 2 1/2 times and is lightly peated.

Port Charlotte 10 Year is a permanent addition to Bruichladdich's portfolio and replaces the multi-vintage Scottish Barley bottling. Made using 100% Scottish barley from the Inverness Shire region. This 10 year old bottling matures in a variety of casks: 65% in 1st fill American whiskey, 10% in 2nd fill American whiskey, and 25% in 2nd fill French wine casks. Port Charlotte bottlings are the heavily peated single malt line distilled at Bruichladdich with the barley peated to 40ppm. Bottled at 50% ABV, it is non-chillfiltered and has no color added. Available beginning May 2018.

The whiskies used to compose the 18 year have spent their time exclusively in either ex-Bourbon barrels or in ex-Sherry casks. They are then blended together to produce this treasure. One note doesn't outshine the other, but rather it is a marvelous symphony of aromas and flavors.

One of a just a handful of distilleries that still floor malts barley, they also must hand cut all the peat used to dry and smoke the barley. As their volume is simply too great to just use what they malt at the distillery, they also purchase peated barley from up the road at Port Ellen and some from the mainland.

First launched in 2003, Ardbeg Uigeadail [Oog-a-dal] is a marriage of some young and some very old oloroso sherry aged single malt along with Ardbeg aged in ex-bourbon barrels. The name Uigeadail means "a dark, mysterious place." Fun to say and even more fun to drink. It is also the name of the loch from which Ardbeg gets its water. Bottled at cask strength with no age statement.

Talisker was 007's drink of choice, not the martini--shaken or not. It is the Isle of Skye’s only distillery and was originally built in 1831 before being rebuilt in 1960 after a fire destroyed the entire facility. Talisker commissioned 5 exact replicas of the original still to be constructed to preserve its signature flavor. An interesting component of these stills is the swan-neck lye pipes that force some of the alcohol to be condensed before they hit the worm tubs and is redistilled. This gives Talisker its rich body!

Though not officially established until 1816, there are records of illicit distillation that date as far back as 1742. Located on the southeast coast of Islay, Lagavulin produces single malt whiskies made with peated malted barley sourced from neighboring Port Ellen Maltings. Aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 16 years, this is the flagship bottling from the distillery.

First introduced in 1997, this lightly-peated single malt whisky is aged for at least 18 years in a combination of former sherry casks made of European and American oak. Note: As of 2024 the brand has updated its packaging with heather-flecked labels and dropped the Viking Pride moniker.