How to drink smoke: The new batch by Johnnie Walker

When it comes to trends in the whisky game, smokiness is at the pinnacle. So when ol’ mate Johnnie takes a step into the flame with his latest batch, Sweet Peat, you know it’s making waves again. It’s the latest creation from the whisky brand’s experimental Blenders’ Batch project, which started over 10 years ago. A small team of Johnnie Walker blenders began a series of experiments matching flavours and aromas to explore what happens when different types of smoke and sweetness collide.  It gave birth to the limited edition small batches we’re all for, the result of which is this caramel sweetness meets peated smoke. It’s nice. For those whisky nerds playing at home; at the heart of Johnnie Walker Sweet Peat is whisky from the island distillery of Caol Ila, matured in refill casks and specifically chosen for its soft bonfire smoke and hidden sweetness. Speyside malts, including Cardhu, matured in refill casks, add sweet fresh fruit flavours such as apple, orange and pineapple. Whisky from Glendullan, aged in sherry casks, brings additional sweetness, rich fruity notes and balance. It’s a limited edition bottle and batch that you can get for yourself at Dan Murphy’s stores from early January 2019, $55.