- The centuries-old process of using peat when brewing scotch may become a rarity in an era threatened by global warming
- Five most popular peated scotches: Laphroaig 10 Year Old, Lagavulin 16 Year Old, Ardbeg Uigeadail, Bruichladdich Octomore, Bowmore 12 Year Old
- Exports of Scotch whisky have risen by 14 percent in value compared to 2019, with a three percent increase in volume
For the uninitiated, scotch is a whisky exclusively produced and bottled in Scotland, a tradition that goes back to the 18th century on the Western Isles, such as Skye, Jura and Islay. The coveted spirit gets its distinctive smoky flavour from how it is made: Grain, primarily barley, is malted and then heated over a peat fire, which imparts the smoky, nuanced flavours for which scotch is known. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, “To be called scotch whisky, the spirit must mature in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years.”
Emanuel Löwi came to understand the seductive attraction of aged peated scotch when he was in his mid-30s. Prior to that, Löwi, a 63-year-old journalist, wine writer and professor at Concordia University in Montreal, says his passion was wine. “I was a wine guy by the time I was in my teens,” he says. “I used to write a wine column for the Brandeis University newspaper The Justice, and I worked in a wine shop.” As the years passed, Löwi expanded his repertoire to include vodka, gin and commercial bourbons like Wild Turkey. But when a friend introduced him to Irish whiskies, he started experimenting with other flavours.
“I am a smoky peat scotch lover and got into Isley peated malts in my 30s. Back then, there weren’t many special bottlings … so you get into the limited edition stuff. I went along with that. It’s very seductive. [Basically], you’re buying exclusivity.”
The Role Peat Plays in Scotch Production — and the Environment
Peat is comprised of compressed, partly-decayed vegetation and organic matter, which commonly grows in moors, bogs, peatlands and mires in various countries around the world. According to a Wikipedia citation by worldenergy.org, “…by volume, there are about four trillion cubic metres of peat in the world,” and it is used as a water resource and in agriculture. It is also a naturally grown source of fuel that lends a strong flavour to whisky. Wet or dry, peat has no scent, but when it’s burned during the process of drying barley after malting, it releases into the whisky a distinct odour of seaweed, brine, charred wood and tobacco.
Approximately 80 percent of scotch produced is peated and recent numbers indicate the whisky industry uses around three percent of the United Kingdom’s extracted peat, although depending on the source, it ranges from one to six percent. This translates into approximately 7,000 tons of dry peat per year.
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The Environmental Impacts
The popularity of peated whisky has greatly increased over the last 20 years or so. In a February 2024 news release issued by the Scotch Whiskey Association, it reported, “The 2023 figures represent a more normalized depiction of the current state of global exports, with robust growth on pre-pandemic numbers. Exports of Scotch whisky have risen by 14 percent in value compared to 2019, with a three percent increase in volume.” The Asian-Pacific was the largest regional market by value in 2023, with China being the biggest consumer in that region, with Europe and the United States not far behind. This thirst for scotch means more production and by extension, more peat. So, what’s the big deal?
According to the vclvintners.london website, “Peatlands absorb and hold a huge amount of carbon. The amount of carbon held by peatlands in the UK alone is 20-times as much as it is held by all of its forests put together, around three billion tons of carbon.”
Globally, peatlands, or bogs, are dense wetlands, and hold as much as twice the amount of carbon held by forests and take up significantly less surface area. They also serve a wider purpose than just collecting carbon. Peatland also plays a vital role in filtering water, flood mitigation and is the habitat of dozens of endangered species. Most importantly, peat takes centuries to form, around 300 years, making it a finite resource. By continually extracting peat, the unextracted peat becomes exposed to drainage and deterioration, preventing new peat from forming. In the UK, 87 percent of the country’s peatlands are now degraded, damaged and dried out, emitting tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.
Photo by Duminda Perera on Unsplash
Peated Scotch: What’s Being Done
To face future challenges sourcing peat for the industry and possibly losing peated scotch whisky lovers, in 2021, the Scotch Whisky Association put together a Peat Action Plan to conserve and restore Scotland’s peatland by 2035. For them, peated whisky is not going away. “For many producers, peat is an essential component of the whisky making process,” said a spokesperson in a reply to an email inquiry from Regarding Luxury. “Scotch whisky production guidelines state that scotch can only be made from three ingredients – cereals, water and yeast. The addition of any flavouring or compounds that would seek to replicate the flavours that peated malt brings to whisky is therefore not legal under current guidelines.
“The industry understands the vital importance of peat to our environment and is committed … to be responsible users by applying care in extraction, maximising efficiency of use, and playing a role in restoration as part of our wider commitment to care for the land.”
That being said, some breweries are trying out new flavour profiles without peat, including Laphroaig, who has developed the Unpeated Glan Muir, a single-malt Isley scotch whisky described at thewhiskeyexchange.com as, “…a unique, modern interpretation of the past.”
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
The Future is Open
Löwi says he was unaware that the production of peated scotch was affecting the environment, but feels the industry won’t stop using peat.
“I don’t know what will happen. I suspect prices will rise if there is a move against peat. Rich people will be able to consume it, and there will be more lower-end options.”
As for the Unpeated Glan Muir, he says, “If the taste wasn’t there, I feel they couldn’t call it Laphroaig.”
Top Photo by Natalie Parham on Unsplash
Marlene Eisner is a freelance writer and editor. She is currently the editor of RENO+DÉCOR magazine (National) and New Home + Condo Guide magazine (Vancouver). She also writes, edits and publishes content for websites and edits master’s and PhD theses and memories.
