Smoke on the Pot Still: Distilling with Crisp Scottish Malt at Corsair Distillery

In crafting the perfect Scotch Whiskey, the malt that goes into the recipe must be plain, peated, or highly diastatic. Between the two malting operations of Crisp in the traditional brewing town of Alloa and in the heart of Speyside, Crisp meets these requirements by creating the finest in distilling malts for Scotch Whiskey. Their lineup of distilling malts includes Crisp Scottish Distillers (High Diastatic Power) Malt, Crisp Scottish Premium Pot Still Malt, and Crisp Scottish Heavy 50 Peated Pot Still Malt.

“At Corsair Distillery, we are using the Crisp Scottish Heavy Peated Pot Still Malt in our flagship whiskey, Triple Smoke,” said Lorna Conrad, Head Distiller at Corsair Artisan Distillery when describing her use of Crisp Scottish Heavy 50 Peated Pot Still. “This recipe uses beechwood, cherrywood and Crisp Heavy Peated Malt in equal portions to create a smooth, approachable whiskey that showcases our love of smoked grains and the spirits they create.” 

“We originally used a different brand of peated malt in the past with a lower PPM for our Triple Smoke recipe, but over time we decided that the peat flavor needed to come through more in our final product,” Conrad explained. “By switching to the Crisp brand of peated malt, the higher PPM resulted in a stronger peat smoke flavor along with adding depth to the other smokes in the recipe. Since we use smaller barrels to age our products, we were able to boost the peat profile significantly to compensate for the shorter aging times as well.”

Crisp Heavy Peated Pot Still Malt utilizes peat from Aberdeenshire and the same spring barley as Crisp’s Premium Pot Still Malt. This malt is slowly peated to give fullest absorption of phenols by each grain. “At first, I was worried the increase in PPM would alter the flavor profile too much in the final product. The thing I’ve always loved about Triple Smoke is that the three types of smoke balance each other out well,” Conrad said in the case of Corsair’s Triple Smoke American Single Malt Whiskey. “In the end, it was a great way to boost the peat smoke without overpowering. The peat comes through nicely on the nose while finishing with a slightly briny, salinity that complements the sweeter caramel, toffee notes that the other two smokes produce.”

So, what are some of the best parts of using Crisp Heavy Peated malt? “What I enjoy about the Crisp Heavy Peated malt is that it is diverse in what it can contribute to a product. For example, we decided to produce some mashes using 100% Crisp Peated malt to be used in a variety of ways such as boosting the peat flavor in our Triple Smoke blend down to a single barrel option with the utilization of finishing casks. On its own, the Crisp malt can pack a punch, emulating an Islay Scotch with rich tobacco and leather notes. But in our case, it blends well and provides delicate notes of toasted marshmallow and campfire smoke.” Conrad noted. “Lots of people like to say they don’t drink scotch or they don’t like smoky whiskies. But personally, I love to change minds and perceptions and our use of Crisp malt has helped to educate people on what peat malt is capable of producing.”

“I would absolutely recommend using Crisp Heavy Peated malt. From the high quality of the malt to the diverse flavor profile it can create, it will be the perfect addition to a recipe giving depth and smoky character to the final product. I’m glad we made the switch, because our product would not be what it is today without Crisp Heavy Peated Pot Still Malt,” Conrad said.

Corsair Distillery’s Triple Smoke is one of their more widely distributed products with a variety of ways to find it across the country. Their two locations in Nashville, TN, including their Marathon Village location, are currently open to the public. Their second location in Wedgewood-Houston area is currently offering curbside pickup. To view all their retail locations and distribution options to try out Crisp Scottish Heavy Peated Pot Still Malt in Triple Smoke, go online to corsairdistillery.com. To learn more about Crisp Scottish Heavy Peated Pot Still Malt and their other distilling malts, go online to bsgdistilling.com.