Peated Whisky Tasting at BNA Hosted by the Kelowna Scotch and Fine Spirits Society
This event has already occurred
November 19, 2018
Location: BNA
Address: 1250 Ellis St Kelowna, BC V1Y 1Z4, Canada
Time: 6:30 PM
2018-11-19 18:30:00
2018-11-19 16:00:00
America/Vancouver
Peated Whisky Tasting at BNA Hosted by the Kelowna Scotch and Fine Spirits Society
This event is an annual favourite! Get ready for some big peat and smoke bombs. Peated Whisky is probably the most polarizing flavour in the Whisky world. It takes time to appreciate, but those who swear by it, can’t imagine their sipping pleasures without the peat.
Peat is thousands of years’ worth of decaying vegetation, animals and moss which have evolved into layers; a bog if you will. Peat’s substance varies; some bogs are more woody, whilst other peat is more watery. A peat bog grows by 1mm every year, so just a metre thick bog is 1000 years old.
When peat is harvested, it’s cut up into small sloppy slices of ‘sod’, stacked in pyramids and left to dry. Before you know it, well, 2-3 weeks later, you have yourself some tough peat bricks, which contain more energy than coal. Peat fires are an ancient Scottish tradition; the stuff is so compact that it burns piping hot for ages.
When peat is used in Whisky, lots of people think that it’s the water, which runs through peat bogs, which gives Whisky its peated taste. These people are talking codswallop. The substance is in the smoke.
Barley grain, or damp malt, is exposed to the smoke of a peat fire in order to arrest germination; a crucial part of Whisky production. Peat smoke produces chemicals called phenols and these are absorbed by malted barley. The amount of time the barley grain’s exposed to the peat smoke determines the level of phenols, and therefore the spirit’s flavour. For an idea, damp malt is usually dried for about 30 hours. Laphroaig dries its malt over peat fire for between 12 to 18 of these 30 hours.
Peat varies by region, and can add tasting notes including anything from soapy, sulphuric, medicinal, rich, smoky, herbal, creamy, saline, nutty, citrus and mossy to like a bonfire, burning tyres, diesel or even bacon depending on the amount of time the malt is peated for, the PPM and the length of time left to mature.
The peat flavour in varying degrees is considered essential in Scotch Whisky, particularly those produced in Islay, such as Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg, Bowmore, Port Charlotte and Caol Ila.
In other parts of Scotland, peated Whiskies can be found as well: Springbank, Benromach, Ardmore, Highland Park, Talisker, Leadig and Longrow, to name just a few with peaty expressions in their portfolios.
$60.00
BNA 1250 Ellis St Kelowna, BC V1Y 1Z4, Canada
events@kelownanow.com
This event is an annual favourite! Get ready for some big peat and smoke bombs. Peated Whisky is probably the most polarizing flavour in the Whisky world. It takes time to appreciate, but those who swear by it, can’t imagine their sipping pleasures without the peat.
Peat is thousands of years’ worth of decaying vegetation, animals and moss which have evolved into layers; a bog if you will. Peat’s substance varies; some bogs are more woody, whilst other peat is more watery. A peat bog grows by 1mm every year, so just a metre thick bog is 1000 years old.
When peat is harvested, it’s cut up into small sloppy slices of ‘sod’, stacked in pyramids and left to dry. Before you know it, well, 2-3 weeks later, you have yourself some tough peat bricks, which contain more energy than coal. Peat fires are an ancient Scottish tradition; the stuff is so compact that it burns piping hot for ages.
When peat is used in Whisky, lots of people think that it’s the water, which runs through peat bogs, which gives Whisky its peated taste. These people are talking codswallop. The substance is in the smoke.
Barley grain, or damp malt, is exposed to the smoke of a peat fire in order to arrest germination; a crucial part of Whisky production. Peat smoke produces chemicals called phenols and these are absorbed by malted barley. The amount of time the barley grain’s exposed to the peat smoke determines the level of phenols, and therefore the spirit’s flavour. For an idea, damp malt is usually dried for about 30 hours. Laphroaig dries its malt over peat fire for between 12 to 18 of these 30 hours.
Peat varies by region, and can add tasting notes including anything from soapy, sulphuric, medicinal, rich, smoky, herbal, creamy, saline, nutty, citrus and mossy to like a bonfire, burning tyres, diesel or even bacon depending on the amount of time the malt is peated for, the PPM and the length of time left to mature.
The peat flavour in varying degrees is considered essential in Scotch Whisky, particularly those produced in Islay, such as Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg, Bowmore, Port Charlotte and Caol Ila.
In other parts of Scotland, peated Whiskies can be found as well: Springbank, Benromach, Ardmore, Highland Park, Talisker, Leadig and Longrow, to name just a few with peaty expressions in their portfolios.
$60.00
