Lennox Peat is a Murray McDavid Mystery Malt, a heavily peated single malt from an undisclosed Highland distillery set in a Scottish valley, known for producing a wide range of whisky styles under one roof. As with every Mystery Malt, the distillery is never named, leaving drinkers to judge the whisky purely on what's in the glass, and perhaps to have a guess at where it was made. 

The Mystery Malt series is all about exploring what a spirit can become in the right cask, without the expectations that come with a famous name on the label. That freedom lets Murray McDavid's Whisky Creations Team experiment with bold cask combinations, and this batch, released as part of the 2022 Mystery Malt collection, pairs heavily peated spirit with two classic Portuguese fortified wines.

The young peated spirit was first matured in bourbon hogsheads before being finished for three years in first-fill barriques from two renowned wine producers: Tawny Port casks from Caves de Murça in Portugal's Douro Valley, and Madeira casks from Justino's on the Atlantic island of Madeira. Barriques are smaller than the hogsheads used for the initial maturation, giving the spirit greater contact with the wood and allowing the wine influence to make its mark within a relatively short time. Four casks were then brought together for bottling.

Each wine brings its own character. Tawny Port is aged in wood for longer than many Ports, developing a mellow, nutty sweetness alongside its ripe fruit. Madeira is traditionally matured in warm conditions, a process that gives the wine a rich, robust character, notes of dried fruit and a lively acidity. Both are fortified wines with plenty of body, which makes them ideal partners for a spirit as bold as heavily peated malt.

The result is a lively and pleasing young dram, where bold smoke is balanced by layers of fruit and gentle sweetness rather than overwhelmed by them. It shows just how much character carefully chosen casks can bring to a youthful spirit, and makes an approachable, great-value choice for peat lovers and anyone curious to explore how wine casks and smoke work together.

Aged for 4 years and bottled in 2022 from casks 64, 65, 98 and 99, it is bottled at 46% ABV, natural colour and no chill filtration. Limited to 756 bottles.