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Indeed. For me the distinction is primarily between Scotch whisky (which is peated and smoky, particularly Islay), and Irish whiskey (not peated (except Connema
by FabHK 7y ago
Indeed. For me the distinction is primarily between Scotch whisky (which is peated and smoky, particularly Islay), and Irish whiskey (not peated (except Connemara), but smooth). American whiskeys (bourbon, rye, etc) are not really my cup of tea, though I’m sure there’s some good stuff out there.
- anfractuosity 7y agoI'm not sure what you mean, regarding peat, lots of Scottish whisky doesn't use peat smoked malt.
- FabHK 7y agoYou’re right, I should have said “typically”. My understanding is that the malted barley for Scotch is dried with smoke that often (but not always, as you point out) comes from peat, but it’s not dried in closed kilns as it is for Irish whiskey. So while you might have more or less peat, you still have more smoke than in Irish whiskey.
- hmottestad 7y agoI would go as far as to say that most scotch is not peated.
- maccard 7y agoThere are a small number of distilleries that use peat, almost exclusively the island distilleries. The vast majority of scotch is _not_ peaty. There's at least 50 distilleries in the speyside area/category (notably not peaty), vs 10 in campbelltown and islay.
- stevekemp 7y agoAgreed. Broadly there are three types of Whisky in Scotland: Highland. Lowland. Island. Varieties from the same region share characteristics, but they're distinct from each other.
- anfractuosity 7y agohttps://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/maltwhisky/kiln.html https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/maltwhisky... seems to indicate that coke/oil is used these days, with peat being added if wanted for flavours. I'm curious how historically the kilns would be fired across Scotland, if peat was more prevalent? http://www.bairds-malt.co.uk/Bairds-Malt/Process/process http://www.bairds-malt.co.uk/Bairds-Malt/Process/process mentions about using hot air. https://www.laphroaig.com/en/whisky/our-process https://www.laphroaig.com/en/whisky/our-process - Has some nice videos, including them using solely peat to kiln the malt.
- tptacek 7y agoMost distilleries, including the best known, don't malt and dry their own barley to begin with.
- pushpop 7y agoThe difference between Irish and scotch whiskies isn’t the smoky flavour. In fact most scotch isn’t peted. It’s the distilling process.
- stock_toaster 7y ago> It’s the distilling process As well as the fact that irish whiskey generally has a mashbill containing a portion of unmalted barley. Not sure, but I think it is at _least_ 30% as per the Irish Whiskey Association rules? Single malt Scotch requires (as per SWA rules) a 100% malted barley mashbill. Blended Scotch, on the other hand, has no such requirement, and is typically a blend of Single malt Scotch and alcohols from other cereals.