Peat and Whisky

＂Outstanding ... among the most important books about whisky ever written.＂ Charles MacLean

Bringing together landscapes, geology, history, people, and their whisky, and addressing the key role of peatlands in mitigating climate change, Peat and Whisky: The Unbreakable Bond is a love letter to the unique substance that forms part of the DNA of Scotch whisky.

Through epic journeys around Scotland and elsewhere, and back in time, Mike Billett dives deep into the science and stories of ancient peatlands and bogs, capturing the spirit of places where whisky has been distilled for centuries. He sheds light on how peat imparts its distinctive aroma and flavor to the world’s finest single malts. He looks back to tradition and heritage, as well as forward to a future in which peat will remain part of the whisky recipe, while at the same time becoming an increasingly precious living sponge for atmospheric carbon. He takes us to places where the bond between peat and whisky is growing around the world.

Whether you’re a whisky connoisseur, a lover of Scotland’s beautiful landscapes, an armchair traveler or a history buff, this unforgettable book will deepen your appreciation for the land itself and help you to understand the profound connection between peat and the unmistakable character of uisge beatha, the water of life.

As well as being a whisky connoisseur, Mike Billett is among the world’s leading peatland scientists, with a background in geology, earth, and water science. During his career in research and education at the Universities of Edinburgh and Stirling and at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, he researched and wrote extensively on the peatlands of the British Isles, Scandinavia and the Arctic, focusing on water quality, carbon, peatland management, and environmental change, writing many research papers, book chapters, reports, and articles. In recent years he has immersed himself in the landscapes, taste, and qualities of Scotland’s single malt whiskies and has applied his deep understanding of the science of peatlands to this passion. Peat and Whisky is his first non-academic book.