Few whiskey styles inspire the same degree of sheer devotion as peated whiskey. Its enthusiasts relish the warmth and nuanced complexity that come from malting barley by burning blocks of partially decomposed vegetation, and they swear by the distinctive character it lends to the finished spirit.
Yet, despite peat’s sizable and faithful following, its use in whiskey-making has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. Peatlands are among the planet’s most effective carbon sinks, but they regenerate extremely slowly, which means that extraction comes at a cost for the environment.
Also, shipping Scottish peated malt to distilleries around the world makes little sense from either a financial or a carbon-efficiency perspective. And even if the environmental effects weren’t a concern, craft distillers tend to favor sensory diversification and finding ways to express local identity—all of which can be hard to achieve through a mainstream ingredient.
That’s why some whiskey distillers are looking elsewhere—often closer to home—for their own distinctive smoky character.