Master of Malt Blog Few spirits have a cult following like peated whisky. If you’re particularly taken by smokier spirits or you’re in the mood for something different there will be a bottle for you on this list. Considering peat is a dark, partially decayed organic matter formed in the wetlands, you’d be forgiven for thinking it wouldn’t create the most appetising of flavours. But you’d be wrong. It takes thousands of years for this flammable substance to form and over that time it acquires an array of flavour and complexity. And every time you dry barley with peat in a kiln during the whisky-making process, it infuses with the grain, bringing all that goodness to the eventual spirit.