Peated whisky is hitting new heights right now, and for all the right reasons. It is a style that can feel intimidating at first, especially early in your whisky journey. But once the time feels right, peat has a habit of pulling you in. Before you know it, you want to explore it properly.
With so many distilleries now offering peated whisky, not just those on the west coast, here are five peated whiskies that feel increasingly overrated, and five alternatives that deserve your attention instead.
Ledaig 18 Year Old over Lagavulin 16 Year Old
We all owe a lot to Lagavulin 16 Year Old. It is a characterful, famous introductory bottle that opened the door to peat for countless drinkers. It still deserves respect for that alone.
However, with rising prices and a growing sense that the quality no longer quite matches its reputation, it feels like the right time to step aside and welcome something even older, a little stronger, more natural in style, and with an equal level of peat.5 Bourbons to Choose Over Blanton’s
Ledaig 18 Year Old fits that bill perfectly. The fact that you can pick up an 18-year-old peated single malt for just over $100 is genuinely astonishing. In the UK, it is an absolute go-to for mature peated whisky. It delivers those classic old cigar smoke notes many of us fell in love with through Lagavulin. There is less sherry influence overall, with more emphasis on ex-bourbon casks, but it remains a dram of real distinction, offering old-school peat without demolishing your wallet.
Kilkerran Heavily Peated over Bruichladdich Octomore
When it comes to smoke, Octomore remains a cult bottle. Extreme PPM levels combined with experimental cask maturation and finishing have made it world famous. Bruichladdich deserves credit for pushing boundaries, but the pricing has become increasingly difficult to justify.
For a five-year-old whisky, the cost is starting to feel excessive. On a price-per-year-of-age basis, it may well be one of the most expensive whiskies on the planet.
Meanwhile, Kilkerran, from Glengyle, is now onto Batch 12 of its Heavily Peated release. This is a cask strength, heavily peated whisky, largely matured in bourbon casks, that can rival some of the best limited-edition Lagavulin, Octomore, and Bunnahabhain releases I have ever tried.
It manages to be creamy, sweet, rich, and smoky all at once. At around $65 a bottle, it is genuinely affordable. Better still, it comes from the Springbank family and is actually available on shelves, which feels like a small miracle these days.
Isle of Raasay Single Malt, The Draam over Highland Park 12 Year Old
This is not written with any venom towards Highland Park. The 12 Year Old was one of my first whiskies and still holds a special place for me. That lightly peated, heather-honey style will always be legendary for good reason.
That said, the Scottish islands are now full of distilleries offering gently peated styles with more complexity and intent behind them. Highland Park still delivers familiarity, but modern alternatives are pushing the category forward.
The Isle of Raasay single malt has quickly become a favourite for drinkers around the world. Yes, the bottles are beautiful, but the liquid itself shows real focus and confidence. Matured in a combination of ex-rye, ex-Bordeaux wine, and Chinkapin oak casks, it layers multiple wood influences over a gentle thread of peat.
The result is familiar yet genuinely different. It is a brilliant example of what a young, modern distillery can achieve when quality and flavour come first.
SMWS Fife Peaty Potion over Ardbeg Uigeadail
I miss having Uigeadail on my shelf. It is a great whisky, there is no denying that. Tar-driven smoke, sticky toffee sweetness, and nutty notes make it a classic Ardbeg.
But it has become increasingly expensive, and at a certain point it is hard to justify the price for what it delivers. As that price climbs, the alternatives available now offer equal flavour quality for significantly less money.
Fife Peaty Potion is a single malt sourced from an unnamed Fife distillery, now known to be Inchdairnie. Matured in first-fill bourbon, ex-Oloroso, and ex-PX casks, it delivers a smoky, sweet, sticky, and richly textured style that feels spot-on for this time of year.
The caveat is that you need to be an SMWS member to buy it. That said, membership has given me access to some truly exceptional whiskies over the years, and this is one of the best newer peated styles I have tried in a long time.
Kilchoman Machir Bay over Bowmore 12 Year Old
Entry-level Bowmore has almost become a running joke. The distillery could offer so much more and genuinely reshape the category, but too often it does not. Bowmore at higher strength, focused on flavour, can be among the best whisky in the world.
Right now, the brand seems more interested in premium positioning through expensive packaging and partnerships. Long-time fans are left longing for a return to the days of Tempest, Laimrig, and higher strength releases that let the spirit speak.
That brings us neatly to Kilchoman Machir Bay. Since its early days as a single malt, it has improved year after year. It is salty, smoky, meaty, and sweet, with excellent balance and a finish that just keeps going.
It is a whisky that consistently delivers and deserves a place on every shelf. With the recent launch of a cask strength version, there has never been a better time to pay attention.
Read the full article at 5 Overrated Peated Whiskies and What to Buy Instead
