Islay whisky explained
Islay is a small island off the west coast of Scotland with a reputation far bigger than its size. Its name is shorthand for peat smoke, medicinal notes and sea air. Here is where that character comes from, how smoke is measured and how to taste it without being flattened by it.
A small island with a big name
Islay sits in the Inner Hebrides, off Scotland's west coast. It is about forty kilometres long and has a handful of working distilleries, most of them on the coast. Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 it is a protected locality, so a whisky labelled Islay must be distilled there.
Islay malts are famous for peat smoke. Not all of them are smoky and some distilleries make both peated and unpeated spirit. But when people say Islay, they usually mean whisky that smells of a bonfire on a beach.
Where the smoke comes from
The smoke comes from peat, a fuel made from partly decayed plants that builds up in wet, boggy ground over thousands of years. When barley is malted, it is dried in a kiln. If peat is burned in the kiln, its smoke coats the grain with compounds called phenols. Those phenols carry through mashing, fermentation and distillation into the spirit.
Islay peat formed in a wet, windy, coastal place. Many tasters believe it gives a more medicinal, maritime smoke than peat from inland areas. Our guide to peat and smoke in whisky covers the chemistry.
Measuring smoke in ppm
Maltsters measure the smokiness of malt in parts per million (ppm) of phenols. Unpeated malt sits close to zero. Lightly peated malt might be a few ppm. Heavily peated malt used for many Islay whiskies is commonly in the range of about 30 to 50 ppm and some specialist releases go much higher.
That number refers to the malt, not the whisky in the bottle. A good share of the phenols is lost during mashing, fermentation and distillation. The cut points matter a great deal. Phenols tend to come over later in the run, so a distiller who cuts later keeps more smoke. Maturation softens smoke further over the years.
What Islay whisky tastes like
Peated Islay malts share some common notes, though each distillery has its own balance:
- wood smoke, bonfire and ash
- medicinal notes often described as iodine, antiseptic or sticking plaster
- sea air, brine and seaweed
- sweetness underneath, such as vanilla, honey or ripe fruit
Whether the salty notes come from the sea air around the warehouses is a much debated question. Many tasters find them. The science is less clear.
Not every Islay malt is smoky
Some Islay distilleries are known for lighter, gently peated or unpeated whiskies. A few of the heavily peated distilleries also release unpeated versions. If smoke is not for you, Islay still has something to offer. Read the back label or ask at the bar before you assume.
Our guide to whisky styles of the world places Islay against other smoky whiskies, including peated malts from the Highlands and from outside Scotland.
Smoke and Indian food
Peated whisky can work well with smoky, charred dishes. Tandoori chicken, a smoked fish preparation from the coast or a dish finished with a dhungar smoke all share a note with an Islay malt. Very spicy curries usually fight with high strength whisky, so keep the spicier dishes for a lighter drink or plain water.
These are suggestions, not rules. Smoke can tire the palate quickly, so pour small and keep water on the table.
Maltings, warehouses and the sea
Much of the peated malt used on Islay is made at a large commercial maltings on the island, with some distilleries also running their own floor maltings for part of their needs. Floor malting means spreading germinating barley across a stone floor and turning it by hand. It is slow, labour heavy work and these days more tradition than necessity.
Many Islay warehouses sit right on the shore, with sea spray hitting the walls in winter storms. Whether that sea air reaches the whisky through the cask is the debate mentioned above. What is certain is that the island's cool, damp climate gives slow, steady maturation with a modest yearly loss to evaporation, very different from a warehouse in Goa or Bengaluru.
How to taste it without being overwhelmed
Pour 15 to 20 ml. Nose it gently from a few centimetres above the glass first, since peated whisky can sting a nose that dives straight in. Then add a few drops of water and nose again: the smoke often steps back and fruit or sweetness steps forward. Taste a small sip and let it sit on the tongue before swallowing.
Drink water between sips, keep the pours small and never drive after drinking. Your first step: taste one lightly peated and one heavily peated whisky side by side and try to describe the difference in words other than smoky.
Common questions
Why is Islay whisky smoky?
Most Islay distilleries use malt dried over peat fires. Phenols from the peat smoke carry through into the spirit.
What does ppm mean for peated whisky?
Parts per million of phenols, measured on the malt. Heavily peated malt for many Islay whiskies is commonly around 30 to 50 ppm.
Are all Islay whiskies peated?
No. Some Islay distilleries make lightly peated or unpeated whisky and some heavily peated distilleries also release unpeated versions.
