Looking to venture into the deepest, darkest corners of peated whisky? Well, you might think the biggest number on the bottle means the biggest punch of smoke in your glass – but it’s not quite that simple.
From Bruichladdich’s eye-watering 309.1 PPM Octomore to the surprisingly intense Laphroaig Cask Strength, we’re diving into six of the peatiest drams you can get your hands on. But before we get there, let’s clear up what these PPM numbers actually mean (and why they might not tell you everything you need to know about how smoky your whisky will taste).
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What Is PPM (Phenol Parts per Million)?
Measuring peat is a tricky thing. A PPM (phenol) rating is determined by measuring the highest phenol spike when analyzing malted barley using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
While some distilleries are very transparent about certain things, they’re not always forthcoming about everything. This could easily be a list of just Bruichladdich Octomore releases, but that would be a rather dull read. Instead, we’ve provided a list of whiskies with some of the highest reported PPM levels on record. However, as you’ll see below, PPM levels might not mean everything you think they do.
If we use Octomore as a key example of high PPM levels, the number printed on the bottle is the rating of phenols in malted barley before distillation. While what’s on the Octomore bottles isn’t a lie – it is truthful – it’s truthful only up to a point. The actual PPM level of the liquid in the bottle is an unknown number not published to the public, though some of you with the right equipment could probably test it.
As a result, we’ve also included whiskies that generally taste smokier than most, regardless of whether their PPM levels are known or confirmed.
Bruichladdich Octomore 8.3, 61.2% – 309.1 PPM
BUY NOW: £799 (~$990)
Despite saying an all-Octomore list would be boring, here are the first two Octomore releases – but they are the highest-peated (pre-distillation) whiskies currently on record. A colleague bought this when it was released, and I was skeptical about how it would taste.
The whisky was matured in 56% ex-bourbon casks, with the remainder split between ex-Pauillac, Ventoux, Rhone, and Burgundy wine casks. That’s a complex mix, especially combined with the high ABV and PPM levels – but the first sip was bombastic.
The nose had weight to it – mossy, sweet, and smoky all at once. Despite all the high numbers, I found it came across as sweeter than smoky. The most distinct notes were candy floss, vanilla extract, and the kind of smoke you get when rain hits a BBQ.
Bruichladdich Octomore 15.3, 61.3% – 307.2 PPM
BUY NOW: $225
This one I have a much more recent memory of. Bruichladdich‘s PR team kindly sent me a sample set of the 2024 Octomore releases, and it was a joy to try them side by side for the first time.
This release was quite impressive on every level – it was deep with smoke, sherry, chocolate, brioche, and some spicy jalapeño notes that were so welcome in an Octomore release.
The only issue I had with this one is that it’s so much more expensive than the 15.1 release. Yes, that release isn’t as smoky, but it had more of an Octomore core profile that sat with me in a more comfortable way. It’s also half the price of the 15.3 release, which is good but not worth double the money.
Ardbeg Supernova SN2019 Committee Release, 53.8% – 100 PPM
BUY NOW: $406
It would be quite difficult to talk about peat bombs and not mention Ardbeg – a distillery once high up on the mountain that has fallen from grace in a rather savvy way, with clever marketing around it.
However, before the fall it was wonderful, and this was part of that wonderful pre-tumble. This is one of the most tar-driven, menthol, liquorice, bonfire styles of Ardbeg I’ve ever tried.
Rumored to have been peated to 100 PPM and aged in simple ex-bourbon casks, this thing screamed with pure, concentrated Ardbeg dirtiness – like drinking the world’s most olive-soaked martini, then chain smoking between fresh pours.
Torabhaig Allt Gleann, 46% – 70-17 PPM
BUY NOW: $50
So let me clear something up first. You can see two different PPM numbers in the title there. Torabhaig‘s Allt Gleann expression has its malted barley peated to a level of 70 PPM, but then, thankfully, the distillery has also published what the post-distillation levels of the whisky actually is – 17 PPM. It has a lot of power and prowess when it comes to smokiness but without delving deep into the medicinal elements of some other Islay whiskies.
I reviewed this whisky at the start of 2024 on Whisky Wednesday, and it has so much excellent, complex smokiness to it. It reaches between a culinary style of smoke and those robust, salty notes that you always want from a coastal distillery, with or without the inclusion of peat. Torabhaig is pretty new on the block, but is already making some extremely strong footing in the Scottish whisky world.
Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch Releases, 55%+ – 40-50 PPM
BUY NOW: $79
If you want to talk about what actually tastes the peatiest, this is no surprise to anyone who has ventured into the world of Laphroaig Cask Strength. There are numerous batches to choose from, both at retail and on the auction market, but the bottle looking at me from across the living room right now is batch 15.
An aroma of wet, boggy, green lands that haven’t felt the drying nature of the sun for a long time. Palate-wise, we’ve got huge waves of salt, drying smoke, a chalky mineral sensation, tobacco smoke, chili flakes, old leather, and that super-dry yet sweet finish that Laphroaig is so famous for. If you’re looking to try something that is, in my opinion, the ultimate expression of Islay whisky, you have to check this bottle out.
Longrow Peated, 46% – 50-55PPM
BUY NOW: $69
Sticking with the subject of what can feel peatier than other whiskies, here we enter the world of Longrow – but not any of the super-hard-to-find releases, this is the entry-level bottle.
Longrow has always had this meaty, fatty, cured smoke smell to it, and it goes across all of their bottles. Some can even dip into petroleum, fishing boat diesel engine territory. So if you’re into peat, you’re in a good place here. The taste does reveal some sweeter tones of vanilla, pecan, and powdered sugar. Outside of that, the finish leans on those drying, meaty, deli counter aromas and tastes that make Longrow stand out, even alongside its step-brother distillery bottlings like Kilkerran Heavily Peated. It delivers a strong introduction level to Campbeltown whiskies that you should be able to purchase and enjoy without feeding the auction market.