What Is Peated Whiskey?

Updated April 2026.

Peated whiskey is whiskey made with malt dried over peat smoke. That smoke is a process note, not a TTB class and not a required Scotch grade. Phenol ppm is a lab or marketing number — it does not have to appear on the label. A 1.5-ounce pour is one NIAAA drink at 40%. Not every Scotch is peated; The Glenlivet 12 US page says it is not. We will not invent a 2026 ppm ranking.

Related: smoky whiskey, Glenlivet vs Glenfiddich, double-barrel whiskey.

Process, not a legal type

Term What it has to mean
Peated Malt dried over peat smoke
ppm phenol Not a legal statement
Single malt Scotch May be peated or unpeated
US whiskey / bourbon Still 27 CFR 5.143 if that class is printed

A 750 mL 40% bottle is about 17 drinks. Four pours are four drinks. Pour math: whiskey drinks.

Sources

  • Scotch single-malt technical file. The Glenlivet 12 US FAQ: not a peated whisky (brand page this project).
  • TTB 27 CFR 5.143. NIAAA December 2025. No ppm ranking or MSRP.

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