Peated Scotch is Scotch whisky made from barley dried over a peat fire, and its intensity is measured in PPM — phenol parts per million in the malted barley. The five bottles in this guide are all in stock at Del Mesa Liquor, our family-owned store in San Diego, California, and they climb the smoke ladder from a 42 PPM Speyside malt at $69.99 to Bruichladdich's super-heavily-peated Octomore 15.1 at 108.2 PPM and $189.99, finishing with an 18-year-old Islay flagship at $229.99. Every bottle is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
What PPM Actually Tells You
PPM measures the phenols absorbed by barley while it dries over burning peat — the higher the number, the smokier the brief the distiller set. It is a starting point, not a score: cask type, age and distillation reshape that smoke, which is why the 40 PPM Port Charlotte 18, after eighteen years in refill sherry and French wine casks, tastes more integrated than the young, raw Octomore at nearly three times the phenol level. The full shelf lives in our Scotch whisky collection, and the unpeated end of the range is covered in our rare Scotch guide.
The Bottles in Stock
- Benromach Peat Smoke Scotch Whisky 2009 — $69.99. Speyside smoke from Benromach in Forres: barley malted to 42 PPM, distilled in 2009 and bottled in 2020 after roughly eleven years in first-fill bourbon casks, at 46% ABV with natural colour and no chill filtration. Part of the distillery's Contrasts range — the smoky outlier in a traditionally lightly peated house style.
- Longrow Peated Single Malt Scotch Whisky — $89.99. Campbeltown's answer to Islay, from Springbank Distillery, where floor-malting, distillation, maturation and bottling all happen on site. Heavily peated, double-distilled and matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill-filtered with natural colour — earthier and oilier than Islay smoke, with a briny edge.
- Kilchoman Loch Gorm Scotch Whisky 2022 Edition — $139.99. Islay peat wrapped in Oloroso sherry from Kilchoman, the farm distillery founded in 2005. The 2022 edition vats 22 Oloroso sherry butts holding spirit distilled between 2007 and 2013 and aged 8 to 14 years, at roughly 50 PPM and 46% ABV: sweet pipe smoke, dark chocolate, dates and toasted walnuts. One of 17,250 bottles, named for the dark loch overlooking the distillery.
- Bruichladdich Octomore Edition 15.1 Scotch Whisky — $189.99. The backbone of the 15th Octomore series: spirit peated to 108.2 PPM, distilled in 2018 from the 2017 Scottish Concerto barley harvest, aged five years in first-fill bourbon barrels and re-charred ex-bourbon casks, and bottled at 59.1% ABV. Earthy peat smoke over vanilla custard, tropical fruit and charred oak — Octomore at its most uncompromising. More from the distillery is in our Bruichladdich collection.
- Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky — $229.99. The 2024 release of Port Charlotte's flagship age statement: 100% Scottish barley peated to 40 PPM, matured 18 years in refill sherry casks (74%) and refill French oak wine casks (26%), bottled at 54.3% ABV, non-chill filtered. Just 6,000 bottles — bonfire embers and sea spray over dark fruit and toasted oak.
Where to Start With Peat
New to smoke? Start with the Benromach — bourbon-cask sweetness carries the peat gently — or the Longrow, whose sherry casks round the edges. Committed peat heads go straight to the Octomore 15.1, and anyone who wants smoke with age and polish should land on the Port Charlotte 18. A few drops of water open all five, especially the two cask-strength Bruichladdich bottlings. Shipping details are on our shipping and return policy page, and new arrivals are posted on the Del Mesa blog.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does PPM mean in Scotch whisky?
PPM stands for phenol parts per million — the phenol level measured in malted barley after it is dried over a peat fire. Higher PPM generally means a smokier brief: Benromach Peat Smoke is malted to 42 PPM, while Bruichladdich Octomore 15.1 reaches 108.2 PPM, among the highest ever bottled.
What is the most heavily peated Scotch?
Bruichladdich's Octomore series is the benchmark for super-heavily-peated whisky. The Octomore Edition 15.1 in this guide is peated to 108.2 PPM and bottled at 59.1% ABV after five years in bourbon casks — $189.99 at Del Mesa Liquor.
Is peated Scotch only from Islay?
No. Islay is the famous peat region, but this guide includes a peated Speyside malt (Benromach Peat Smoke, $69.99) and a heavily peated Campbeltown malt (Longrow, $89.99) alongside three Islay bottles from Kilchoman and Bruichladdich.
Where can I buy peated Scotch whisky online?
All five bottles in this guide are in stock and available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, a family-owned store in San Diego, California — from the $69.99 Benromach Peat Smoke to the $229.99 Port Charlotte 18 Year Old.