American Peated Whiskey Is Coming of Age

Happy autumn, Top Shelf faithful. Your resident whiskey expert, Brad Japhe, reporting for duty. As we prepare ourselves for falling leaves and brisker eves, I’m already eagerly anticipating cozy nights beside a smoldering fire. I refer not to any sort of open hearth, but instead to the liquid I’ll be swirling in my snifter. At my home bar, Labor Day signals the start of peat season.

You’re probably presupposing pours of smoky Scotch, especially one subcategory of such, born on the windswept bogs of Islay. Let’s not be so hasty to assume, however. I’m here to talk about American peat. But before we get into that, some drink links:

New (and controversial) US Dietary Guidelines advance the notion that moderate alcohol consumption is healthier than no drinking.
It’s Pappy Time, people! American whiskey’s most-anticipated annual drop is enhanced this year with a special twist: the auctioning of one bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 25 Year Old—the brand’s oldest and rarest release ever.
Passport optional, Glencairn glass required: My list of the10 most important world whiskies of the 21st century…so far.

Whiskey lovers, get ready to spend—that old Rip Van Winkle on auction.

The American peated whiskey movement

Now back to the bogs. Damp and oxygen-deprived, these swampy grounds provide the ideal environment for peat formation. Mosses and other plant life here are slowly broken down and compressed into layers of concentrated carbon over hundreds—or even thousands—of years.

The decomposed vegetative earth necessary to produce peated whiskey can be pulled from all different corners of the world, including, notably, the Pacific Northwest of the US. The resulting matter might resemble clumps of simple brown soil, but it’s actually a precursor to coal; energy-rich earth that can be used as a fuel source.

ICYMI: Last month I talked about what to know if you want to buy a whole cask of whiskey.

And this is where it relates to whiskey production, or more precisely, the malting of barley that goes into whiskey production. You need heat to make malt, and in Scotland, where timber is scarce, peat is often the easiest way to fuel that fire. That it imparts a strong flavor upon the ensuing whiskey—reminiscent of iodine and bonfires—is just a happy coincidence. One, which gave rise to a style and tradition that’s been honored for more than two centuries.

Half a world away, Westland is carrying that tradition to American soils. In March 2023 the Seattle-based distillery introduced the Solum series of single malts, built with peat sourced from the lower basin of the Puget Sound, right in its backyard. The bog sits on a bed of eroded sandstone and shale created during the receding glaciers of the Pleistocene era.

Westland’s Washington State peat bog isn’t drained, unlike those in Scotland.

“It’s arguably more biodiverse than most traditional peat bogs used for whiskey production,” says Westland Master Distiller Tyler Pederson. “It’s never been drained and remains intact as a 30-acre lake surrounded by towering Western red cedars and Douglas firs. There are waist-high bushes called Labrador tea that look like rosemary but have an earthy citrus flavor, as well as bog cranberries, various sphagnum mosses, sedge grasses and an array of other botanicals.”

If that sounds like a delightful scene, wait until you taste it.

In its most recent release, Edition 3, the 100-proof whiskey exhibits a rubberiness to the nose, a touch of latex to consider alongside candied almonds and grilled tropical fruit. The profile is sandalwood and sagebrush, leading the tongue toward the dried incense and gentle turmeric spice typifying the finish.

Peat, it turns out, is quite expressive of its terroir, which prevents defining a prototypical American peat character. In fact, Pederson expects to encounter myriad flavors from within varying depths and microclimates of this singular site.

So if you’re expecting this $125 expression to echo your standard fare from, say, Laphroaig or Ardbeg, don’t. Besides, what would be the point of merely imitating something that stands so stably on its own?

“Whiskey is fundamentally a product that is imbued with the characteristics of the place in which it was produced,” says Pederson. “Environment, raw materials and cultural factors all play a significant role in how a whiskey is crafted and delivered to the market. Our approach is modeled after the old-world practices, but those traditions were questioned at every step. Adaptation and innovation are hallmarks of our process and the American way.”

Harvested peat like this infuses a distinct terroir when burned during the malting process.

The way in which peat is introducing itself onto and into American single malt is unorthodox to say the least. In Scotland, for example, bogs are usually drained before excavation begins. Westland by contrast works with highly skilled regional maltsters to scoop up buckets of the stuff from below the waterline. It’s not harvested in the typical brick form, holding instead a higher surface area that can dry out quicker. The novel process also allows for minimal impact upon the surrounding ecosystem.

Meanwhile, up in the Boreal forests of northern Minnesota, Brother Justus distillery is enshrining the essence of its regionality into the world’s first cold-peated whiskey. The 11-year-old operation out of Minneapolis slowly infuses peat extracts and associated oils into its non-age-stated single malt avoiding combustion altogether. The proprietary process results in a mineral-forward whiskey, brimming with bold umami and forest floor tonalities in its rich, 86-proof body. A bottle of the unique offering retails for $100.

Brother Justus Cold-Peated American single malt whiskey.

While they might seem like outliers now, these inventive whiskey variants might soon become the primary way in which we encounter the peated style.

Back in Scotland, the sale of peat for commercial production might be phased out by as early as 2028 over environmental concerns. Even if it’s likely that the UK government will grant exceptions to its all-important whisky industry—worth an estimated £5.4 billion ($7.4 billion)—some brands are getting ahead of the issue by delivering those flavors without draining any bogs.

Edinburgh-based Wee Smoky is simply draining barrels. It enters a non-age-stated grain whisky into casks that were formerly filled with Islay single malt, and even after just several months of finishing, the liquid that empties into the bottle is precisely as advertised: a mild bit of cedar smoke in a delightfully light body. It’s expected to hit select American markets at a retail price of $40 within the year.

Wee Smoky single-grain Scotch with a whiff of Islay.

Back at Westland, Pederson is already at work on new editions of Solum and is eager to retain the distiller’s position on the domestic vanguard, offering compelling new ideas and concepts to global single malts. “Our work with American peat is a reflection of the opportunity that we see in the category as a whole,” he says.

In so doing, he’s pulling more than just ancient carbon from the swamp. He’s lifting genuine innovation from one of the oldest forms of whiskey production.

Seeking more smoke?

As excited as I am for the proliferation of peated whiskey here in the States, I am by no means jingoistic when it comes to smoky juice. Quite the contrary. Yes, Islay remains the epicenter of exploration—that’s what happens when you have a 300-year head start—but for quality peated whiskey there’s also a few other bottles outside the region that I think are worth searching out.

Amrut Fusion Indian Single Malt Whisky ($80)

This standout sipper is named for the 75% unpeated Indian barley it fuses with 25% peated Scottish barley prior to fermentation and distillation. Ultimately it informs a drink that’s more fruity and creamy than boggy and smoky.

Connemara 12 Year Old Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey ($82)

Surprisingly citrusy in the nose and on the palate, the unctuousness of this dram doesn’t fully emerge until its elongated finish: iodine, smoldering smoke and the transportive embrace of the Irish countryside. It’s not just a spectacular sip, it’s a veritable bargain, widely available at under $100 a bottle.

Laphroaig Càirdeas 2025 Lore Cask Strength ($110)

This legendary Islay distillery releases a limited edition each year under the Càirdeas label. It’s as challenging to pronounce as it is to drink (it’s KAHR-juss, BTW). And that’s precisely why we keep coming back for more. This year’s release is a cask-strength variation, bottled at a whopping 59.6% ABV. It’s unapologetically bold and briny, like swallowing a mouthful of seaweed from the North Atlantic.

Octomore 16.2 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($175)

This beloved line of whiskies from Bruichladdich bills itself as the “world’s most heavily peated Scotch whiskies.” Scottish barley with an absurdly high phenolic count is tempered by time spent a combination of Madeira and Moscatel casks. A nutty mouthfeel hoists caramelized corn across the mid-palate—though its eventually consumed by bonfire.

Octomore 16.2 is not for the faint of heart.

Lagavulin 29 Year Old Skies of Feis Ile Single Malt Scotch ($8,000)

If price isn’t an issue, lay down the small fortune necessary for this heavily sherry-influenced cask-strength belter. It entered European oak butts in the mid-’90s, before a transfer to Amoroso-seasoned American oak for an additional 9 years’ worth of secondary aging. Bottled only once as part of the last year’s Islay whisky festival, known locally as Fèis Ìle, it strikes an unrivaled balance between sweet and smoke. It isn’t just one of the best peated Scotches I’ve ever sipped. It’s one of the best whiskies ever, full stop.

Lagavulin 29—some of the best Scotch I’ve ever had.

Sip on this: Bloomberg Screentime

Join us Oct. 8-9 for the definitive gathering of leaders driving the future of entertainment, media and technology, an event where big-picture ideas meet new opportunities. Discuss and debate the future of Hollywood studios, the boom in sports and live music as well as the impact of artificial intelligence on the creative industries. Learn more here.