How much peaty whisky do you drink?

[Scotchio]

So amazingly Ardbeg,that notorious dark horse of the whisky poll, runs away with the top 10/12 yr old poll with a massive 50% of the vote albeit in the absense of the other smoky Kildaltons which it previously vanquished.
Now I know a lot of you love your peat and personally i always have bottles of the Kildalton 3 open but on reflection although they are always a pleasure I don't think I sample overtly peaty malts that often except when the weather becomes seriously dark and cold. i spend a lot of time bumbling about speyside and the lowland styles particularly for that essential early evening dram.
My question is just how much time do you spend on heavily peated whisky in proportion to other styles? I guess it's best answered as an approximate ratio so the 1st number is the smoky one
eg 3:1 means 3 smokies to every one nonsmoky.

[Deactivated Member]

There was a time when I drank almost exclusively peaty whiskies, but at the moment, I find myself drawn more towards the lighter, flowery and more complex varieties.

MT

[Mustardhead]

Depends what you mean by peaty

Although I enjoy my island drams I do rather like the sherry stuff. Then I also like some of the lighter Lowland products and.... well I just like Scotch!

Roger

[hpulley]

Depends what you mean by peaty
Roger

Absolutely! Are Ardbeg 17yo or Kildalton peaty? Some I guess but not what I'd call really peaty. I go through more Ardbeg than anything else but not all of them would be classified as peat monsters.

Harry

[irishwhiskeychaser]

I have 21 bottles open at the moment and 9 are peated so 12 non peated. However I reckon my consumption is even stephen.

[Scotchio]

I was trying to avoid a detailed discussion of peating levels. For the sake of simplicity lets take peaty as being any whisky whereby the peating level is mid to high,ie peat is a major flavour component

[Mustardhead]

Then I'd say of my open bottles, five have a notable peat influence, two are lightly peated island malts, three are Speysides and one is a sherried Highland.

But as for consumption, at the moment I suppose almost half and half peat and sherry with an occasional intruder to keep my palate honest. I blame Ardbeg and A'bunadh for the balance.

[bamber]

I'm not a peat freak anymore, but it still makes up about 1 in 5 drams for me.

[les taylor]

Looks like i've joined the majority on half and half. Interesting topic thoough makes you think about it.

[lexvo]

Half/half for me too. I used to drink a lot of Islay, but lately I also appreciate whiskies like Glenfarclas 17.

[Jan]

Somewhere around half & half I think - at least seen over a period of time.

I have come a long way from the early days, where peaty kildaltons were more or less all I drank - but I still like a heafty peat kick once in a while.

It varies a lot though - some periods only the very occasional peat dram - at other times a lot of islays and the like.

[Deactivated Member]

At this point I'd say it's less than 10% of what I drink. Consider what I've brought home from Scotland each of the past five years (peaties in italics):

2002 7:2
Ardbeg 21 Cask Strength
Ardbeg 25 Lord Of The Isles
Caol Ila 18
Bruichladdich 12 Valinch
Talisker 10 Cask Strength
Talisker 25
Bruichladdich 1969 Cask
Caol Ila 21 Rare Malts
Port Ellen 22 Rare Malts

2003 6:0
Ardbeg Uigeadail
Lagavulin 12
Brora 24 Rare Malts
Port Ellen 24
Talisker 20
Talisker 25

2004 7:4
Clynelish 12
Bruichladdich 1989 Valinch
Ardbeg 25 Lord Of The Isles
Lagavulin 25 #268/9000
Port Ellen 24 Burgundy Finish
Clynelish 14 OMC 'Advance Sample'
Brora 26 Old & Rare
Laphroaig 17
Brora 24 Rare Malts
Bruichladdich 1969 Cask
Port Ellen 1979 Cask

2005 5:5
Unspec Islay 5 Vintage Islay
Port Ellen 1979/24 Third Release
Bruichladdich 1991/14 Yellow Submarine
Bruichladdich 1989 The Tonga Valinch
Bruichladdich 1989 Lord Robertson Valinch
Bruichladdich 1989 The Tonga Valinch
Bruichladdich 1990 Flora McBabe Valinch
Ardbeg 17
Ardbeg 6 Very Young
Caol Ila 10 OMC

2006 1:8
Bruichladdich 1988 Queen's 80th B'day Valinch
Bruichladdich 1988 Queen's 80th B'day Valinch
Bruichladdich 1989 Buckingham Palace Valinch
Bruichladdich 1989 The Tonga Valinch
Ardbeg 'Oogling'
Aberlour 14 Single Cask Selection
Balvenie 14 Roasted Malt
Bladnoch 1988/2000 Cask
Highland Park 10 Ambassador's Cask 2

Bit of a change in taste, I think!

[Di Blasi]

I started with Ardbeg. And it's all I drank for awhile, not a year, but close. Then I discovered Bruichladdich, very different indeed, and then continued from there. Now, especially coming out of a beautiful summer, I haven't been drinking much smoky/peaty stuff at all. But slowly I will soon. It's usually a seasonal thing to me.

[gregralls]

first post here - great forum! i am relatively new to the single malt world. so far, i haven't had any truly peaty scotch...but they are next! i started this journey with the typical popular & lower-priced single malts available here in pennsylvania. first the glenlivet & glenfiddich, then the auchentoshan, dalmore & speyburn...and finally to my most recent bottle, the glenmorangie 10-year. that, to me, was FAR above all that went before. next, i plan to try talisker, laphroaig & laguvilin.

[Di Blasi]

Welcome gregralls! Glenmorangie 10y is an excellent standard bottling. Enjoy the new ones you mention you're looking forward to tasting, and remember to also taste Ardbeg while in the "neighborhood" of Lagavulin and Laphroaig for the real kick of smoke!

[Thesh]

It's hard to say. I generally try and mix it up, and I really drink more bourbon than scotch these days. I do enjoy peaty smokey whiskies, but would get bored if that was all I drank. Probably close to 1:1 peated:unpeated for scotch, but I probably drink 2:1 bourbon:scotch.

[Paul A Jellis]

I doubt if I go above 20% on peated bottlings, although I love them, there are so many other types out there!

At this time of year the sherried Speysides come to the front of the shelf.

Cheers, Paul

[Cam]

I would have to say that I as yet do not drink the 'peat monsters'. Some faint peat in some of the SM's I have but I haven't venture into Islay as yet.

Cam

[Adz]

first the glenlivet & glenfiddich, the glenmorangie 10-year. that, to me, was FAR above all that went before. next, i plan to try talisker, laphroaig & laguvilin.

As a fanatic of Glenlivet - can I urge you to try the 12 yo Glenlivet again, back to back with the 10 yo Glenmorangie - I love both but I seriously believe the Glenlivet superior.

Good health!

Adam.

[gregralls]

thanks for the welcome & the suggestions! ardbeg would've been on my list, but it is not currently available in pennsylvania. i do enjoy glenlivet, so i'm certainly not saying that i'm done with it forever or anything.

[Wave]

I like a variety of whiskies so I usually have about a half the # of Speysides and other Highlands plus a couple 3 sherried and other finishes opened along with a dabble of low/unpeated Islays with the same # (or so) of peaty Islays and others (Millburn, Brora, etc.).


Cheers!

[Ize]

I like peat, smoke and tar taste a lot. I believe 3:1 is near to my consumption.

[mikeymad]

Just a rough estimate is 115:450 Just right around 1:4 (my vote).

[gregralls]

i now have bottles of 10-year-old laphroaig & talisker. i like them both, but i'll probably wind up being around 50/50 peat vs. less peat. depends on the mood i'm in, i guess.

[lapianoman]

It's about even for me now, but my next purchases will (hopefully) be the Glenlivet Nadurra and Cragganmore 12YO, which will tip the scales.

[EdipisReks]

about 50/50

[Nock]

I have 9 bottles open and 6 are peaty.
I also have 10 bottles in reserve stock and 9 of them are peaty.
So I guess 4 of the next 19 bottles I drink will be peaty
(provided I don't buy more bottles between now and then)

Ya . . . I don't know I am going with
"mostly peaty"

Nock

[vitara7]

as much as i can chew my way through...