mystery

PLEASE DON'T

SAY "PEATY"

Many times, one sees a review of a single malt Scotch whisky describingthe whisky as "peaty." This is not an

accurate descriptor

In Scotland , the flavours of the peat rose and permeated the kernels of barley. If one is a hiker or a camper and hasused a campfire, one can recall the smell of wood smoke on one's clothes after a night around the fire. A more mundane memory may include having to wash one's clothes after visiting a smokey pub.

“Peat is not the same everywhere. Consider some of the locations of peat bogs in Scotland "

The lowlands and the Speyside areas have deciduous trees-oaks, birches, walnuts, laurels.The ground is covered with ferns and other plant life.This is what has fallen into the peat bogs in that This is what has fallen into the peat bogs in that area for many millennia.“

“Enjoy your single malt. But please, do not describe a whisky as, "peaty."

Orkney

Contrast that with Orkney. In this windswept archipelago near

the arctic circle, trees did not grow. Ferns were not happy there,

either. The peat bogs on Mainland, the central island of Orkney, are

filledwith the plants that have survived there:sawgrass, wildflowers,

and wild herbs.

Islay

Islay bogs have even a more unusual content.

If you stand on Islay andlook east across Caol Ila,

the Sound of Islay, toJura, you will see from

the height of the steep shore of Jura that the

sea level once was much higher. The sea was sohigh, in fact, that

duringvarious epochs the seahas covered the ground

which now constitutes Islay's peat bogs.

Amongst the sawgrass and wildflowers, the Islay bogs have

layers of seaweed and tiny animiculae.

Permeating Smoke

When we grill or barbecue meat with a certain

wood, we create a certain flavor in the meat. If I

barbecue shrimp after throwing some lemon grass on the coals, the

shrimp pick up that flavor. If I grill meat on an

apple-wood fire, the grilled meat will present all

of those apple-wood flavors.

If I bake a salmon on a cedar-wood plank,

the salmon picks up theessence of the cedar.

This happens in whiskies, too. In Ardbeg,

Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, Lagavulin,

Laphroaig, andLagavulin (and the beloved

old Port Ellen), the Islay peats instill flavors,

including seaweed into the whisky. Note that I

did not include Bunnahabhain. Its whisky is from peat bogs

north of Inverness, in the northern highlands.

The malted barley is trucked to the distillery.

Bunnahabhain is a lovely whisky, but it has

more in common with in Northern Highland

brethren-Balblair, Clynelish, Dalmore,

Glenmorangie, and Ord-- than it has with the

other Islay distilleries. All of these whiskies

have delicate, subtle flavors, and all of them

carry age well, at least 20 and mostly over 30 years.

Isle of Skye

One of my favorite whiskiesis Talisker, from the

Isle of Skye, which juts out into the northern

Atlantic. Talisker usedto malt its own barley,

malting Skye barley with Skye peat. Because

Skye receives the firs and fiercest brunt of the

fall Atlantic storms, Skyebarley often had to be

picked wet and early,while it still was

somewhat green. Thisbarley would be malted

with peat smoke frombogs somewhat similar

to those on Islay, Orkey,Mull, or Campbeltown,

but without the seaweed.The result was a whisky

with a taste hauntinglyreminiscent of lapsang souchong

tea.


*Whisky & Law Scholars*		PLEASE DON'T SAY "PEATY" Many times, one sees a review of a single malt Scotch whisky describingthe whisky as "peaty." This is not an accurate descriptor In Scotland , the flavours of the peat rose and permeated the kernels of barley. If one is a hiker or a camper and hasused a campfire, one can recall the smell of wood smoke on one's clothes after a night around the fire. A more mundane memory may include having to wash one's clothes after visiting a smokey pub. “Peat is not the same everywhere. Consider some of the locations of peat bogs in Scotland " The lowlands and the Speyside areas have deciduous trees-oaks, birches, walnuts, laurels.The ground is covered with ferns and other plant life.This is what has fallen into the peat bogs in that This is what has fallen into the peat bogs in that area for many millennia.“ *“Enjoy your single malt. But please, do not describe a whisky as, "peaty."* Orkney Contrast that with Orkney. In this windswept archipelago near the arctic circle, trees did not grow. Ferns were not happy there, either. The peat bogs on Mainland, the central island of Orkney, are filledwith the plants that have survived there:sawgrass, wildflowers, and wild herbs. Islay Islay bogs have even a more unusual content. If you stand on Islay andlook east across Caol Ila, the Sound of Islay, toJura, you will see from the height of the steep shore of Jura that the sea level once was much higher. The sea was sohigh, in fact, that duringvarious epochs the seahas covered the ground which now constitutes Islay's peat bogs. Amongst the sawgrass and wildflowers, the Islay bogs have layers of seaweed and tiny animiculae. Permeating Smoke When we grill or barbecue meat with a certain wood, we create a certain flavor in the meat. If I barbecue shrimp after throwing some lemon grass on the coals, the shrimp pick up that flavor. If I grill meat on an apple-wood fire, the grilled meat will present all of those apple-wood flavors. If I bake a salmon on a cedar-wood plank, the salmon picks up theessence of the cedar. This happens in whiskies, too. In Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, andLagavulin (and the beloved old Port Ellen), the Islay peats instill flavors, including seaweed into the whisky. Note that I did not include Bunnahabhain. Its whisky is from peat bogs north of Inverness, in the northern highlands. The malted barley is trucked to the distillery. Bunnahabhain is a lovely whisky, but it has more in common with in Northern Highland brethren-Balblair, Clynelish, Dalmore, Glenmorangie, and Ord-- than it has with the other Islay distilleries. All of these whiskies have delicate, subtle flavors, and all of them carry age well, at least 20 and mostly over 30 years. Isle of Skye One of my favorite whiskiesis Talisker, from the Isle of Skye, which juts out into the northern Atlantic. Talisker usedto malt its own barley, malting Skye barley with Skye peat. Because Skye receives the firs and fiercest brunt of the fall Atlantic storms, Skyebarley often had to be picked wet and early,while it still was somewhat green. Thisbarley would be malted with peat smoke frombogs somewhat similar to those on Islay, Orkey,Mull, or Campbeltown, but without the seaweed.The result was a whisky with a taste hauntinglyreminiscent of lapsang souchong tea.


	Bruce is one of the finest lawyer in his profession and pro bono advocating the honesty and empathy for the fairness and heritage of Single malt whisky. He is the scholastic leader of a group of whisky collectors and distilleries experts passionately devoted to the heritage of the Scotland and its distilleries. Bruce's avocation is single malt whisky. He is writing about, he is worshiping the "uisge beatha" and he is organizing pro bono tasting events throughout th US and Scotland.
			*Highlands "Peat" in 19th Century*
			Heavily peated whisky “If you wish to compare heavily peated whiskies from different areas, I suggest you purchase a bottle of Ardmore , the only heavily peated Speyside whisky, and compare it with an Islay whisky such as Bowmore, Lagavulin, Bruichladdich, or Caol Ila. You probably will have to go buy products of independentbottlers, because I think the best comparison arises between whiskies aged at least 15 years, when the tars from the smoke have begun to break down and release all of the flavors previously locked together” Yours Bruce