What is 'Peated Whisky' and Why Does It Smell Like a Campfire?

Sunday, 10 August 2025 at 15:01

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You pour a dram into your glass and voila, there it is: that smoky, almost barbecue-like aroma and taste that reminds you of a campfire on a warm summer night. So what is peated whisky exactly, and why does it smell like fire?

Peated whisky is adored by some and a definite no go for others. The notes of smoke, tar, iodine, bacon, sea salt, and barbecued meats are not for everyone.

What is peated whisky?

Before we delve into the rich aromas of peated whisky, let's give you a bit more insight into what it actually is.

Peated whisky begins with the use of peat. Peat is simply a thick layer of decayed vegetable matter that sits in the ground. Traditionally, this is dug up and dried. After this process, it's combustible and can be used for various purposes.

One such use is the drying of malted barley for whisky. Blocks of peat are ignited as if it were firewood, which creates a warm smoke that permeates the malted barley. This dries the barley so it can be ground up and subsequently transformed into the mash with which distillers brew.

Why does peated whisky smell like campfire?

Upon drying with peat smoke, the barley not only dries, but also absorbs a smoky scent and flavor. As the smoke quite literally passes through the barley, some of the smell and taste of the used peat remains. This is comparable, for example, to how your clothes smell post-barbecue.

So, the barley is peated or ‘peated’. But how much peat is in the barley is not necessarily the amount of peat reflected in the whisky.

Fun fact: Did you know that the degree of peat smoke is expressed in parts per million (PPM)?

What determines the smokiness of peated whisky?

How peated a whisky is depends on several factors:

How long was the barley dried above peat?
How much smoke came from the peat?
How hot was the oven?
How wet were the barley and peat blocks still?
Where does the peat come from?
How long has the whisky matured?
What portion of the spirit did the distillery use?

Peated whisky doesn’t have just one character

Peated whisky cannot simply be called peated whisky. There is a world of difference to be found, from the amount of peat to the peat flavors that come through. This is determined by the phenols present in the peat.

These molecules are full of aromas that can give the smell and taste of ash, tar, barbecue smoke, wood fire, iodine, plasters, seaweed, or coal. This can be broken down into four taste types:

Burnt (like ash or tar)
Smoky (like campfire or barbecue)
Medicinal (like plasters, bandage or iodine)
Maritime (like seaweed)

So, peated whisky is not just whisky that tastes like a barbecue, bushfire, or campfire, but it can also be a sweet whisky with a dash of smoke. There are countless variants of peat and, therefore, of peated whisky.

Explore our other How To Whisky articles here.