Wild Life Peated Single Malt (47.7%)

It is actually relatively rare that a whisky is made from 100% peated malt. Of course, the heavy hitters of Islay, Scotland, do it, the Kilchomans and the Ardbegs and the Lagavulins, but the majority of peated whiskies, even those that show a fair amount of smoke, like the Bowmore 12 Year Old, are distilled from peated mixed with regular distillers malt.

Not so this new and limited release from Alberta’s Wild Life Distillery, which is peated and proud, having been constructed entirely from peated malt and aged in bourbon casks for a minimum of four years. With only three hundred bottles produced, It is indeed a very limited edition, so if the following review strikes your fancy, and if you like great whisky it should, then I suggest you make haste to the distillery website to order some.

In the glass, even from a foot or more away, this emanates serious smoke. Up close, no surprise, it’s still dominantly smoky, but it’s a sweet smoke rather than the drier, more woody nose you’d get from something like Lagavulin 16 Year Old. Curiously, given Wild Life’s mountainous location, I find some herbal, almost seaweedy notes, as well, along with hints of dried red apple, phenolics, and a touch of celery salt. Up front on the palate, it’s all smoke, all day, with sweet malt, hot alcohol, and beach campfire notes all swirling together in youthful abandon before adding soft notes of peach and apricot, and finishing quite dry, a bit chocolaty, and almost forcefully warming.

With a drop of water to bring it down closer to conventional bottling strength, the whisky develops a caramel backbone that serves it well, but also detracts a bit from the vitality of the full strength spirit. It’s better at the lower proof, I think, but somehow also a bit less fun.

82 ($110 from the distillery)