Westland Distillery’s Peat Week 2019: The Peat Symposium

The delicate scent of brown sugar, peach, oak, and a puff of savory smoke tickled my nose as I swirled the whiskey in the rounded glass. It was inviting, and not at all like a rough, peaty brick to the face like other single malts I’ve tasted. This is the sort of peaty whisky I enjoy; one with flavors that enhance each other instead of compete for dominance. Westland Distillery’s 5th Annual Peat Week expression is an excellent example of a skillful balance between flavors.

For those who enjoy a peaty dram, like myself, Westland Distillery hosts a festival every year called Peat Week. Their “Week of Reek” generally features three events: a Peat Symposium, Cocktail Competition, and Closing Night Party. This is the third year that Adam and I have attended the Peat Symposium, and as usual, we loved it! The Peat Symposium is perfect for the whiskey enthusiast who loves to learn more about the history, science, and other peat geekery of whiskey.<cough> Me. <cough>

This year’s presentation focused on non-traditional ways of creating a smoky whiskey. Previous presentations have featured the differences between peat from Scotland and Washington (yes, we have peat bogs here), innovative malting techniques, and experimentation with barley varietals. Learning these scientific details is thirsty work, so there’s a tasting flight of whiskies included to help lubricate (and illustrate) the presentation!

For some background, “traditional” methods of malting barley include using peat as a heat source to dry and halt the germination of wet barley in order to maximize the available sugars in the grain for fermentation. The smoke from burning the peat is what gives the grain, and the final whisky, a smoky flavor. (If you’re new to whisky or want a refresher on whisky basics, I recommend this excellent article from Whisky for Everyone.)

Why is peat used as a heat source? Peat was the most available fuel to burn in Scotland, so it became the fuel of choice for the malting process. Nowadays, you can use other sources of heat that have no impact on the flavor, which is why there are many Scotch whiskies that aren’t smoky. However, there are plenty of distilleries that still use traditional malting methods with peat by choice, and not necessity. The most well known are Laphroaig, Ardbeg, and Lagavulin, although there are others!

We’ve established what the traditional Scottish method is for making a peated (smoky) whisky, but what does American whiskey have to offer for non-traditional methods for making a smoky whiskey? The Peat Symposium explored this question with their panel discussion featuring Westland, Whiskey Del Bac from Arizona, and Balcones from Texas.

Westland is working on a whiskey that uses Washington peat (instead of Scottish) to impart a smoky flavor. (It’s not finished yet, but we got to try an unaged sample.) Whiskey Del Bac’s unique Dorado expression uses barley that is malted with mesquite wood instead of peat. Balcones’ innovative Brimstone expression uses blue corn instead of barley, and they use Texas scrub oak to smoke the spirit itself, and not to malt the grain. Jared from Balcones said, “I’m not going to tell you how we do it, because it’s the only trade secret we have, but whatever you’re thinking of, it’s less complicated than that. It’s definitely not like a giant bong. Or is it?”

All three speakers emphasized that American craft whiskey is about taking the traditional processes, and with love and respect, applying and altering them to fit their local environment and culture. This begs the question: Are distillers only keeping with tradition if they use the exact process as the Scots? Or is it more in line with tradition if they use what is locally available to make the best product? I would argue it’s the latter, and the panelists made a persuasive case for it.

This is the America, and necessity is the mother of invention, right? Distilleries from hot and dry Arizona and Texas are not going to use the same methods as wet and temperate Scotland. That would be like going for a trail run in high heels. (Spoiler, it’s not going to end well, folks.) For Scotland, peat is the available fuel source. In Arizona, it’s Chilean mesquite, which is a non-native species that quickly consumes the habitat of the native mesquite. For Texas, it’s Texas scrub oak, which is too knotted and small to be of practical use to anyone. Both are fine examples of using what’s available to make a unique, flavorful, yet practical whiskey that is reflective of the local environment and culture.

With another Peat Symposium concluded, I’m even more interested in exploring what American whiskies have to offer. All three of these whiskies are great examples of American innovation at its best. A distinctive product, made with passion, and reflective of local flavors.

You may be wondering, what did these creative smoky whiskies taste like? The short answer is ‘delicious,’ but if you’d like more details, here are my notes:

Tasting Notes

Westland 5th Annual Peat Week Release (Single Malt – 50% ABV)

• Nose: Delicate, clean, brown sugar, peach, oak
• Palate: Sweet, little fiery, savory smoke on the finish
• Fun fact: They used a different style of malted barley than they do in their core expressions, so it’s a fun (and tasty) departure

Whiskey Del Bac Dorado (Single Malt – 45% ABV)

• Nose: Fresh, hint of campfire, grain, little wood
• Palate: Spicy, and campfire-y, little menthol on the finish
• Fun fact: They got into using mesquite for malting because they had wood scraps left over from making furniture and noticed it’s tasty effect on BBQ. What would it do for whiskey?

Balcones Brimstone (Corn Whiskey – 53% ABV)

• Nose: Corn sweetness, with a sharp freshness
• Palate: Very sweet, yet hint of savory smoke, and menthol on the finish
• Fun fact: The emotion they’re aiming to evoke is sitting around a campfire with friends, with a whiskey in hand – a comforting Texan tradition.

***A note on whisk(e)y spelling: You might be wondering why in a single post, I used both spellings. Both “whisky” and “whiskey” are technically correct, but tend to align with spellings in the whisky’s country of origin. Generally Ireland and the United States use “whiskey.” Scotland, Japan, Canada, and other countries tend to use “whisky.” While geography isn’t a foolproof method, it’s a good guide to figuring out the “correct” spelling. With the goal of respecting each distillery, I will use their spelling for the whisk(e)y under discussion.