Smoke flavor starts from malt, not water
Peated whisky's signature smoky flavor comes from burning the peat when drying the malted barley. Phenolic components in the smoke stick to the wet malt, and then go through saccharification, fermentation, distillation, and aging, and some remain in the final whisky.
PPM is not the taste score of the finished product
PPM numbers are used to describe pit strength, but their meaning varies depending on what is being measured and when. Even if the malt has a high phenol level, the intensity of the smoke felt in the glass may vary depending on the distillation cut, still operation, age and cask.
- Some people feel it like medicine or iodine.
- It can also be expressed as bonfire, ash, tar, dirt, and seaweed.
- The same scent can be liked or disliked depending on experience and context.
Maker Game's selection of non-peated, peated, heavily peated and regional barley is a device that clearly demonstrates the flavor differences. In reality, you can't determine the pit level or origin of barley just by the name of the region.