Looking for lightly peated scotch!

  • DramTasticVoyage
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    I've recently taken the plunge into the delicious world of single malt scotch and I have no regrets! My bank account isnt too pleased, but nobody asked him! I've tried a wide array of scotch from Speyside to Islay. I do love me some floral Speysides but i've been trying to branch out into the peated arena. I purchased two bottles in the past month: Ardbeg 10 and Bunnahabhain 12. The Ardbeg will likely collect some dust until I find a peat loving malt mate to come drink it or until my palate matures a bit. It's just too smokey and reminds me of the formaldehyde used to preserve the dead animals we dissected in high school. The Bunnahabhain on the other hand is absolute gold! I love it! Prior to that, the only "smoked" scotch i enjoyed was the Highland Park Magnus (Also very tasty). I am looking for something similar to the Bunna 12 in terms of extremely light peat with sweet undertones. I also tried the Highland Park 12 and it just didnt do it for me. Any recommendations would be much appreciated. Cheers!  

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • bedlamborn Member bedlamborn Joined: 18.09.2016Posts: 611Collectionbedlamborns CollectionRatings: 21
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    @DramTasticVoyage 

    Tomatin Cu Bocan has a light peatiness with some sweet undertones. Benromach ten is also lightly peated but is more complex than the Tomatin one.

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  • DramTasticVoyage
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    @bedlamborn Thanks! I'll get out and give them both a try. 

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • Fatman Member Joined: 17.03.2018Posts: 6CollectionFatmans CollectionRatings: 0
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    Ardbeg 10 is certainly diving into the deep end early on!


    Bunna 12 is indeed gold. So underrated and so delicious.


    For a bit more peat, yet plenty of sweetness, I like Talisker Distillers Editions or Bowmore 15 "Darkest". Talisker and Bowmore are different types of peat than Ardbeg. More salty and briny, which you may find less offensive.


    Cheers.

  • DramTasticVoyage
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    @bedlamborn So I had no luck at my local Total Wine on the Tomatin or Benromach. One of the employees came by to offer assistance (They really are pretty good at lending a hand there) and I told him what I was looking for. He recommended JW Green Label. So I picked up a bottle. Not bad! Right up there with what I was looking for. Very light peat with a lot going on in the background. I'll have to check and see if Horst did a review on this one. I'd love to hear his opinion.

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • DramTasticVoyage
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    @Fatman I will put both of these bottles on my watch list! Thanks for the recommendation. And yes, that Ardbeg most certainly is the deep end! I popped the cork and was immediately taken back down memory lane to a camping trip in my past! Its a campfire in a bottle! Is Lagavulin that intense as well? I haven't tried it yet, but I *want* to like that one! Nick Offerman has done a fantastic job selling me on a scotch I haven't so much as smelled! I cant wait to try it out. I'll probably order one at the bar before I buy a bottle though.

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • bedlamborn Member bedlamborn Joined: 18.09.2016Posts: 611Collectionbedlamborns CollectionRatings: 21
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    @DramTasticVoyage 

    Talisker Distiller edition is one to look for a mentioned above. And I think it may be easier to find than Benromach and Tomatin in some places. But some people may find Talisker a bit to intense with the flavours it has.

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  • DramTasticVoyage
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    So I'm having another dram of the Green Label tonight and getting completely different notes than last night. After a Bunna 12 and some dinner, and with an ice cube this time, I'm actually getting bleu cheese notes out of this whisky! Sounds worse than it seems. Its actually quite enjoyable. Very bizarre how the flavor of whisky can change from one sample to the next.

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • horst_s_2 Administrator horst_s_2 Joined: 01.07.2014Posts: 507Ratings: 661
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    @DramTasticVoyage 

    Most of the whiskies in Scotland are either without peat smoke or with a lot of it.

    Little to medium smoky whiskies just come from a few:

    Springbank, Highland Park, Benromach, Tomintoul (Peaty Tang), Talisker, and a few more, which I do not remember fast enough.


    Heftily peated malts origin either from Islay or from dedicated distilleries or ranges from distilleries in the Highlands/Speyside. Beside the Islay distilleries you find heftily smoky whiskies from these distilleries:


    Cu Bocan (Tomatin), Old Ballantruan (Tomintoul), Bernie Moss (Benriach), Benriach Autenticus, Marchie Moore (Arran), Ledaig (Tobermory), Longrow (Springbank), and a few more.

    Kind regards, Horst Luening, Master Taster, Whisky.com
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  • DramTasticVoyage
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    @horst_s  Thank you for the recommendations Horst! Benromach and Springbank keep coming up in my searches. I'll definitely have to give them both a try. 

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • hwchoy Member hwchoy Joined: 28.07.2015Posts: 462CollectionHeng Wah’s CollectionRatings: 3
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    @DramTasticVoyage 


    you can also try the Glenfiddich cask selection Vintage Cask, which is a travel retail release. It is non age stated, but a very nice light smoke over sweet glenfiddich.

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