Peated Malt with Will Hawkes

Peated Malt; the authentic flavour of Scotland

What is the authentic flavour of Scotland? Some would say its marvellous seafood, its salmon, scallops and Arbroath Smokies; others would point to more prosaic delights, from well-fired Morning Rolls to Lorne sausage to an ice-cold pint of Tennents. Then there’s Chicken Tikka Masala, invented, so the story goes, in a Glasgow curry house. Mischievous observers south of the border might suggest a deep-fried Mars Bar.

But for the real flavour of Scotland, you have to look elsewhere – in the ground, to be precise. That flavour in glasses of whisky, particularly those made in Islay, derives from peat.

Peat is a dense, natural, nutrient-rich substance abundant in Scotland. When prepared and used for the drying of grains in the malting process, it becomes a crucial component in many of the nation’s most revered drams. Its impact creates whiskies that are smoky, roasty, rich and delicious.

It’s a potent link to Scotland’s history – both human and geological – according to Andrew Ballantyne, maltings manager at Crisp’s Portgordon site, where all of Crisp’s peated malt is produced.

“Peat is 100 percent Scotland,” he says. “Once, most Scottish distilleries had their own maltings, and a majority of them used peat – so the flavour itself is a nod to the past. But then there’s the peat, too: ours comes from a bog which is 10,000 years old. A little bit of that history goes into every batch of peat malt.”

In fact, peatland makes up more than 20 percent of Scotland’s land area, and the vast majority of the world’s peated malt comes from here (even if many other countries – from Russia to Canada – have sizable peat deposits). When you taste peat in a whisky, it’s Scotland you’re tasting – and it’s very likely Crisp you have to thank.

As one of the the largest producers of peated malt, Crisp sends it around the world to distilleries near and far – from Japan to South Africa and India – but it’s not just about volume. Quality is the crucial reason why so many distilleries rely on Crisp when it comes to getting that authentic taste of Scotland.

A Deep, Resonant Flavour

When drinkers choose a whisky made with peat-smoked malt, they want to taste it. With Crisp’s peated malt that’s always going to be the case, according to sales and marketing director Colin Johnston, because of the way in which it’s smoked. “We smoke the malt when it’s green – that is, when it’s still moist,” he says. “That makes a big difference to the depth of flavour.”

How so? Well, the flavour permeates the malt, explains Ben O’Gorman, Crisp’s distilling commercial manager. “If you smoke the malt when it’s still moist, you’re curing the peat smoke into the grain,” he says. “If you wait until the malt is dry, all of that smoke gets trapped on the outside.”

This is one of the reasons why Crisp is able to consistently hit high phenol levels – measured in ppm, or parts per million – ensuring that distillers can get the depth of flavour they’re looking for. “We’ve got some great customers, at home and increasingly abroad, who take our higher phenol spec malt delivering even greater peat character to the final spirit” says Colin.

Delivered Exactly How You Want It

It’s not just about powerfully flavoured malt, though. Crisp is able to cater its product to the customers’ demands, thanks to the process used. “I’ve produced peated malt as low as 7 but can achieve well in excess of 80ppm,” says Andrew. “Depending on the customer, the amount of peat might change – but we always do that to the spec required.”

Crisp typically makes peated malt at three levels; lightly peated malt (12ppm), medium peated malt (25ppm) and heavy peated malt (50ppm), but different levels are available on request. “Each customers’ interpretation of ‘lightly peated’ or ‘heavy peated’ might be slightly different,” Andrew says, “so we do find ourselves having to make them slightly differently depending on what the customer wants. The super heavy peated malt (70-80ppm) is probably the most interesting to make.”

Smaller distillers can also have malt their own way, he adds. “They can get exactly the same high-quality product,” he says. This extends to packaging: thanks to Crisp’s new bagging line in Alloa, smaller distilleries can have peated malt delivered in quantities they can use.

Always a Perfect Product

Crisp’s processes – from cold-smoking to ensuring each batch hits the correct PPM level – are the best in the business, according to Andrew. But it’s not about that, he says. “Peating is a mixture of science and art,” he says.

“There’s an artisanal quality to peating at Portgordon – it’s about how the guys assess the smoke, the colour of the smoke, if they smell something different, or they see part of the peat burning off quicker [than normal]. If something is different, they’ll take action, and they do that on a day-to-day basis.”

This approach, he says, permeates the whole Crisp organisation. “It’s about teamwork,” he says. “It’s about the lab team analysing the phenolic compounds, it’s about the site and management team, it’s about each individual staff member. That’s why the peated malt is so good.”

That’s crucial, according to Ben. “It’s quite a tricky process,” he says. “I think that Crisp is achieving some of the highest phenol levels in the industry. It really sets us apart.”

Heritage Flavour

Crisp is a company that values its heritage – from flavour-first varieties to peated malt. The latter now goes out to more than 100 distilleries around the world, and the feedback is universally positive.

“We’ve got an excellent reputation,” says Colin. “The success we’ve had in Japan over the past 40 years is testament to that. There’s a perception, I think, that peated whisky might be for older palates but I’m always amazed by the innovation and the way distilleries are using peat in subtle ways to enhance struture and depth of flavour, sometimes in “non-peated” whisky, to simply give the perception of age. The Japanese invented this technique but it’s now being used all over the world. I’d encourage distillers to reach out and talk to us about how this wonderful product can enhance their spirit.”