Sneaky Peat Whiskey Review

Paul Needham -

BOTTLE DETAILS

  • DISTILLER: Sneaky Peat is blended by the House of Glunz in Chicago, IL
  • MASH BILL: A blend of Single Malt Scotches with a hint of peat
  • AGE: NAS - No Age Statement
  • YEAR: 2021
  • PROOF: 86 Proof (43% ABV)
  • MSRP: $49.99

PAUL'S REVIEW

SHARE WITH: While this doesn't have enough of a peat-punch for Islay-lovers, fans of Highlands or Speyside Scotch who like just a bit of smoke will enjoy this.

WORTH THE PRICE: For sure - you could do a lot worse for quite a bit more in the blended malt world.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: I think if the description below speaks to you, I'd recommend a bottle and just finding your favorite way to drink it.

OVERALL: Disclaimer: One of my favorite blended malts at any price is Johnny Walker Green, so when Sneaky Peat advertised itself as a Blended Malt with a bit of peat while being $15 cheaper, JWG became my instant point of comparison.

Going into this tasting with that lens, I was pleasantly surprised with what I experienced while returning to the bottle over the course of a couple of weeks. While I don’t find Sneaky Peat to be as complex as Johnny Walker Green, it is solidly in the same ballpark and just as good a value to me.

The nose was on the weaker side but quite sweet and pleasant with pears and green apples combining with the malted barley. Faint campfire smoke brought along some sugar in the form of toasted marshmallow.

The taste was silky smooth with a mouthfeel reminiscent of an Irish whiskey. The note of sweet, soft oak that joined the mild peat made me confident that few, if any, of the single malts were especially young and the sugar presented itself more like honeycomb and cocoa malt.

At the end, the sweetness was more like a sugar cookie and the warm but short finish allowed the peat to be the last note experienced.

Overall, I would say that this is a simple dram, but good way, and one that lives up to its name with a mild, sweet peat that gently makes itself known from nose to finish. I found it equally welcoming neat, with an ice cube, or with a splash of water. I haven’t yet experimented with any cocktails but would be surprised if it didn’t perform well there also. If the entry price of more expensive blended malts has scared you away to this point, or if it has made you hesitant to water it down, then this might be perfect for you.

I opened by saying that Johnnie Walker Green would be my benchmark during this review, and I think that for the value Sneaky Peat performs quite well. While you don’t get everything that’s available for a bit more money where complexity is concerned, I believe you easily get more than you pay for with this one, and it could be an interesting way to #drinkcurious!

BRAND TASTING NOTES

APPEARANCE: Rich, lustrous amber color.

NOSE: Honey and candied fruit, freshly-baked spice cake, hazelnut, round roasted malt body, faint notes of peat smoke.

PALATE: Rich vanilla flavor evolves into wood spices, baked apple and a gentle savory balance of smoke on the finish.

We are extremely proud to announce the arrival of Sneaky Peat blended malt Scotch whisky, our newest House of Glunz bottling.

Sneaky Peat is a blend of Single Malt Scotches with, as the name denotes, just a hint of peat.  It is the culmination of a year long journey to produce a high-quality pure malt blended scotch whisky at a reasonable price.  Using our family’s long-term relationships and forming a few new ones, we travelled to Scotland in search of the Single Malt components that would combine to harmoniously create an amazing dram.

When blending Single Malt Scotches, you never want to middle their qualities.  That would be a net loss.  The key is to find components that synergize to highlight each whisky’s strength and produce a dram better than each would be separately.  After many iterations our team settled on what we found to be a beautiful blend of pure Highland malts with no grain alcohol fillers.

An elegant dram, whether neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail.  There’s just a hint of the Scottish peat that carries its age-borne complexity to a smooth, calm finish, without dominating everything else or resulting in palate fatigue.

Disclaimer: Sneaky Peat provided Bourbon & Banter with a sample of their product for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.