From Bogs to Bottles: Peat's Unbreakable Bond With Whiskey

This one's for you, Bill.

In this episode of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming Mike Billett, a peatland specialist and researcher, to discuss his newly released book, Peat and Whiskey: The Unbreakable Bond. His passion for peat led him to write a popular science book that not only highlights the scientific aspects of peat but also intertwines it with the cultural and historical significance of whiskey.

There is so much more than can be covered in a single episode or writeup, but we touch on:

• Peat's significance as a fuel source and how that brought it together with whisky
• The changing uses and applications of peat as coal and oil overtook peat as a fuel source
• How peat forms, is stripped, and how it occurs on all 7 continents and a landmass equal to about 3% of the total surface of the earth
• How regionality of peat in whisky is, at best, a red herring, particularly in modern whisky
• The importance of peat in climate change, carbon capture, and why conservation and reconstruction of peatlands are crucial to our future

I cannot recommend Mike's book highly enough. Even if you're not a whisky drinker, you'll have plenty to learn about peat. If you don't love peat, you'll still get a better sense of how the modern whisky landscape developed, through the lenses of taxes, regulations, consolidation and expansion cycles, and the subtle globalization that led Scottish peat to reach Australia, New York, Belgium, and elsewhere all at the same time. Scientifically-interested folks wiil also love the dive into cresols, phenols, and guaiacols. There's more than one PhD thesis I want to read after this interview.

Pick up the book on Amazon or wherever you get your books!

Thank you to Mike for entering the Whiskey Ring!

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, BAXUS

Baxus is the world's leading collectible spirits marketplace, with user-friendly options for buyers, sellers, and collectors looking to vault their collections. Use my link below to visit the BAXUS.CO website and sign up!

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If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring

There are four (4) spots available at the $25/month bottle share club level. These are the last spots that will ever be opened without a current member retiring - if you've been waiting, now's the time!

If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.

Peat and Whisky

• Purchase Peat and Whisky

There's More To Western Pennsylvania Than The Whiskey Rebellion!

If you're a whiskey nerd of any level, of course you know this, but it's worth saying again. Previous guests such as Wigle Whiskey and Liberty Pole Spirits have done excellent work exploring the Whiskey Rebellion's place in history and its importance to the area - so if you're a new distillery looking to find your niche, you better bring something new or different to the table.

When Matt Strickland had the opportunity to return stateside from his time at Distillerie Cotes de Saints, the call came from Pittsburgh, but he had a question: what does success look like? And what will set us apart?

Before a drop was distilled or a brick laid, the answer became clear: revive a style of rye (or multiple styles, more accurately) using heritage grains, a pot still, and a three-chamber still, only the second active one in the US and third in the world. Working with only Pennsylvania farmers (including previous guest Bob McDonald) and thought leaders like Laura Fields, Matt built out the distillery with the blessings of his bosses to make it authentic and make it right, efficiency be damned.

Bringing in historically accurate features like 38-43 gallon barrels and brick, steam-heated warehouses similar to what they would have used in the 19th and early 20th centuries, The Iron City Team is creating a new, old, new again style of whiskey. We have a bit more time before the whiskies are ready for the public, but I'm as excited as anyone to try them.

Matt will also be back to talk more about his writing and education after delving a bit into his work in this episode, so more to come!

Thank you to Matt for entering the Whiskey Ring!

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, BAXUS

Baxus is the world's leading collectible spirits marketplace, with user-friendly options for buyers, sellers, and collectors looking to vault their collections. Use my link below to visit the BAXUS.CO website and sign up!

• BAXUS Website
• BAXUS on Instagram
• BAXUS on Facebook
• BAXUS on Twitter/X
• BAXUS on LinkedIn

_________________________________________________________

If you haven’t joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring

There are six (6) spots available at the $25/month bottle share club level. These are the last 6 spots that will ever be opened without a current member retiring - if you've been waiting, now's the time!

If you haven’t yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the newsletter on the website.

Iron City Distilling

• Iron City Distilling Website
• Iron City Distilling on Instagram
• Iron City Distilling on Facebook