If there’s one thing everybody in South Africa knows about, it’s that one of our favourite pastimes is having a braai. Whether we’re camping or having friends and family over for the weekend, we love lighting a fire with charcoal and wood before cooking a variety of meat over the flames. At the same time, we’re often having some drinks with whisky, be it neat or mixed, as one of the popular options. However, you don’t see a lot of peated Scotch whisky on drinks tables or bars.

Peated whisky, especially Scotch is known for its hefty smoky smell and flavour that can either caress your senses or overpower your palate. But for a country that loves a braai day filled with fantastic smoky smells and flavours, peated whisky is not always accessible.  

What is peat and how does it impact whisky?

Peat is a spongy material formed by the partial decomposition of organic matter, primarily plant material, in wetlands such as swamps, muskegs, bogs, fens, and moors. It’s formed over thousands of years and compressed. Beyond its considerable ecological importance, peat is economically important as a carbon sink, as a source of fuel, and as a raw material in horticulture and other industries. Like the whisky industry in Scotland and Ireland.

Peat is often used for fuel and fireplaces but when whisky makers wanted to dry out their barley before making their single malts, they used something widely available and known for burning well. They discovered the very different and much-loved flavours the peat smoke added to the spirit, and a whole new style was created. The more time the barley is exposed to the peat smoke, the more intense the flavour.

Peat on its own doesn’t taste of anything due to having a neutral PH, but when it’s burned and used in whisky-making, provides subtle smells and often dominant flavours. On the nose, you’ll often smell burning wood and meat but you might also find fresh damp earth. When tasting, the smoky flavour can be overpowering, but you might find a meaty or protein flavour and mouth feel. Some malts may be light and oily, others rich and heavy, some fruity and spicy, others nutty or sweet. Everything individual distilleries use and the amount they use will change what you smell and taste, and you never need to worry about “being wrong” because everybody tastes and smells differently.

How do South Africans experience smoky whisky?

As mentioned before, South Africans often prefer drinking blended whisky instead of single malt, often due to price or what we add to the glass. That doesn’t mean that we don’t experience smoke in our drinks, but it’s often part of a blend, meaning it’s not going to overwhelm our taste buds. Some of our favourite “smoky” whiskies are expressions like Johnnie Walker Black, Green, and Blue Labels. These expressions often get their peated spirits from the Islay region but the underrated Cardhu (a key component of Johnnie Walker) also provides some smoke to some bottles.

In terms of popular smoky single malt, Lagavulin 16 year is high on the list thanks to celebrities like Nick Offerman with Highland Park 12, and their interesting bottle, on our shelves. But do they provide the flavours that pair well with a braai?

How can South Africans enjoy more smoke?

South Africans are a hearty bunch. So, when we celebrate, we often have a braai full of steaks, chops and boerewors. We can smell our neighbours doing the same thing, and that’s when we realise that we’re having a truly South African experience with friends and family. So, are there any whiskies we could add to our overall experience as we enjoy the conversation and the smells of wood fires with a range of meat on the braai?

Even though single malt can get quite pricey, many of the popular distilleries that specialise in peat have added more accessible bottles to their core range. A fan favourite, Ardbeg Wee Beastie, is a 5-year aged single malt that has a reputation for tasting like bacon being cooked directly on hot ash. If you’re in the mood for something similar but more complex and refined, Ardbeg Uigeadial, Bowmore, Talisker, or Caol Ila might be more up your street.

But Islay isn’t the only popular smoky Scotch-makers. As Islay tends to specialise in the smoke, the Highland and Speyside regions often provide mostly non-peated Scotch with some peaty expressions to round out their ranges. Benriach Smoke Season has become more accessible locally with Oban and anCnoc from the Highlands providing something completely different.

If you’re a fan of smooth Irish Whiskey, you’ll be happy to know that they also provide some smoke to their single malts. A fan favourite, Connemara Peated provides your palate with wafts of smoke and some honey sweetness that would provide a great gateway to those unfamiliar with smoke. If you want to take it down another notch, try an Irish whiskey that only uses a small percentage of whiskey aged in a barrel that used to have peated Scotch, like Dunville’s 1808 which provides the idea of smoke without overpowering your taste buds.

Should South Africans enjoy more peat?

Even though my journey with whisky has barely left the station, as a South African who loves a braai with my favourite people, I think the answer is always “YES”.

We already have the foundation of enjoying the smoky flavours from bacon as well as chops & boerewors on the braai, peated whisky might just elevate our celebrations even more. We are a hearty nation that thrives under pressure and we celebrate our wins on days filled with fires that fill the neighbourhood with delicious smells.

 By adding the hefty levels of smoke from Islay to the nuances of Highland and Speyside sweetness or taking a smoother turn to peated Irish whiskey, you might just discover a whole new world to elevate your next braai.