The occasional sound of early fireworks, the leaves turning golden and the night's fair drawing in can only mean one thing, autumn is in full flow. With people set to head out to enjoy the official displays on November 5, it's the ideal time to pick out some great whiskies to help warm us up this autumn.
And what better way to enjoy this time of year than with a peaty Scotch whisky? Whether it be an Islay monster or a more subtle mainland smokebomb, there are loads of great options from around the country to try.
From the more saline, medicinal flavours of the islands, to the creamier drier options elsewhere, there are peaty whiskies for all palates.
Even better they needn't be the obvious ones either, Laphroaig and Lagavulin are incredible but there are other, more underrated options out there for people to enjoy, with that in mind here are some of our favourites.
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Longrow Peated
Our first stop is Campbeltown and the always-excellent Springbank Distillery, where you will find their peated version, Longrow.
Tasty, easy drinking and filled with flavour, you'll wonder why you've never come across this single malt which combines the rich character of Springbank with smoke to create something to really tantalise the palate.
Ardbeg Wee Beastie
If you love peat, then you might find that when it comes to peat, the younger the single malt the better and this absolute beast(ie) from Ardberg is a cracker.
Punchy, with sweeter notes mingling with those huge medicinal flavours you'd expect from Ardberg. It'll knock your socks off.
Kilchoman Machir Bay
Islay is home to some of the peatiest whiskies around and this little beauty is one of the ones you might not have heard of.
The Machir Bay is probably the easiest to get from their small range and there's a reason for that, and that is that it's really good, and a perfect example of what this small distillery is capable of.
Think liquid charcoal with just a little of that brine that seems to permeate the rest of the distilleries on the island.
Peat Monster
We love a blended malt (a blend of single malts from different distilleries with no grain whisky) and in Peat Monster from Compass Box, you'll discover one of the best examples (as you'd expect from this brilliant whisky firm, seriously check out their stuff it's great).
Cu Bocan Signature
This lightly peated creation from Tomatin Distillery is named after a mythical monster that once stalked the northeast, but this sweet smokey dram is anything but a nightmare.
Matured in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and virgin oak casks, it's unlike anything you'll have tried before.
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