Review: This Finnish Whisky Pairs Smoke with a Generous Dose of Sweetness

Sunday, 18 October 2026 at 09:03

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When you think of peated whisky, Scotland is probably the first place that comes to mind. But for a blend of peat smoke, bourbon casks and Pedro Ximénez sherry, we can travel much farther north. In Finland, Teerenpeli makes Savu: a lightly peated single malt where smoke is very much meant to play a supporting role.

Teerenpeli Distillery is based in Lahti, around 100 kilometres north of Finland’s capital, Helsinki. Founded in 2002, it has since grown into Finland’s largest whisky distillery.

And it keeps things impressively local. Teerenpeli makes its whisky with Finnish barley malt and groundwater from the Salpausselkä region. The only exception is the peated malt used for Savu, which the distillery has to source from beyond Finland’s borders.

Savu simply means “smoke” in Finnish. But don’t expect a Finnish take on a heavily peated Islay whisky. Teerenpeli describes this single malt as “gently peated” for good reason.

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Taste first, then decide

For Savu’s maturation, Teerenpeli chose not to rely on just one type of cask. The whisky matured in a combination of 80% bourbon casks and 20% Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

That ratio wasn’t plucked out of thin air. Several combinations were tasted blind by brand ambassadors and visitors to whisky festivals. In the end, the 80% bourbon and 20% PX sherry blend came out on top.

So bourbon casks account for most of the maturation. The sweeter Pedro Ximénez casks then add a little balance to the peated malt.

On paper, that already sounds like an intriguing combination. Time to see what it delivers in the glass.

Look, smell, taste

Country	Finland
Distillery	Teerenpeli Distillery
Whisky type	Single malt whisky
Colour	Light
Nose	Peaty and fruity
Palate	Lightly peated, with a balance of sweetness and smoke
Finish	Medium-length, with spicy oak and notes of vanilla
Age	No age statement
Alcohol content	43%
Volume	50 centilitres
Price	Around €55

A Finnish whisky with a little help from Scotland

Teerenpeli may be Finnish through and through, but it gets a little help from Scotland when it comes to production. The distillery uses traditional copper pot stills made in Scotland.

The original distillery opened in 2002 at Restaurant Taivaanranta in central Lahti. It’s still there today, but in 2015 a larger distillery opened outside the city centre. It can now produce around 100,000 litres of spirit a year.

Savu holds a special place in the range. It was the first peated single malt Teerenpeli added to its core lineup.

The whisky is made with peated malt and then matured in that combination of bourbon and PX casks. The result is bottled at 43% ABV.

A campfire with a fruit bowl beside it

Bring your nose to the glass and you won’t have to look far for the peat. The smoke, though, comes across as remarkably gentle. Think of a campfire that’s been burning for a while, rather than a glass dominated by thick, medicinal peat smoke.

There’s a hint of driftwood and soft campfire smoke, along with a touch of plasticine. Then Savu turns noticeably fruitier.

Peach and apricot bring a gentle sweetness. There’s also something reminiscent of apple strudel with vanilla sauce. That sweetness gives the smoke just enough balance, keeping the whole thing approachable.

Then an unexpected note makes an appearance: sauerkraut. It’s not something we write in our tasting notes every day, but there’s definitely a slightly sour, fermented edge here. It makes the nose all the more interesting.

Smoke, coffee and plenty of spice

On the palate, Savu turns a little drier. The soft campfire smoke from the nose takes on a faintly ashy character, while the peat remains relatively restrained. This isn’t a whisky trying to bury your taste buds under a thick blanket of smoke.

A lightly sweet peat note comes first, followed by coffee grounds and a touch of white pepper. At 43% ABV, it’s all very approachable, though the whisky also feels a little thinner than we might like.

Thankfully, there’s more to it than that. Almonds and cocoa bring sweeter, nuttier flavours, followed by a flourish of spice.

Nutmeg and cloves are instantly recognisable and pair well with the whisky’s smoky character. There’s also a dry, grassy note in the background.

What makes Savu especially enjoyable is that the smoke never has the stage to itself. There’s always something else going on: fruit on the nose, coffee and cocoa on the palate, followed by an increasingly spicy finish.

The smoke doesn’t linger forever

With a peated whisky, we often expect the smoke to hang around long after the last sip. Savu takes a different approach.

The finish is on the short side, especially for a peated whisky. The fruit and sweeter notes fade fairly quickly, leaving mostly ashy smoke with a dry edge.

As a result, Savu ends on a simpler note than it begins. The nose and palate have considerably more to offer than the finish.

A slightly higher ABV might have given it a little more heft. There’s also a Savu Cask Strength at 58.5%, but the standard Savu comes in at a much more approachable 43%.

Teerenpeli Savu Review: Conclusion

If you’re expecting a smoke bomb from a Finnish peated whisky, Teerenpeli Savu isn’t for you. And that’s no bad thing.

The peat is there from the outset, but never takes over completely. It works particularly well on the nose, where campfire smoke and wood mingle with peach, apricot and sweet vanilla notes. Even the odd hint of sauerkraut makes the whisky more intriguing rather than less enjoyable.

On the palate, Savu shifts towards ash, coffee, cocoa and spice. White pepper, nutmeg and cloves work especially well with the light peat smoke. At 43%, the whisky could use a little more weight, and the finish could certainly last longer.

On the other hand, Savu shows that peated whisky doesn’t have to be extreme. Here, smoke works alongside fruit, sweetness and spice instead of drowning everything else out.

And that’s exactly what the name Savu promises. You’ll certainly get smoke—but thankfully, there’s plenty more to enjoy as well.