What is PPM? PPM, or parts per million, is a measurement of the phenol content in malted barley used to make whisky. Phenols are a group of compounds released from burning peat, which gives whisky its smoky and peaty character, which is imbued with flavor the longer the barley is smoked. Therefore, a higher PPM will influence the taste of a whisky. The average amount of PPM for a peated whisky is around 20-30 ppm, but some whiskies can have much higher levels.
You would think that the higher the PPM the greater the smoke and peaty intensity; however that is not true. While it is a useful indicator PPM is just a measure of the raw material, not the finished product. The final smoke impact is shaped by many facets including distillation, maturation, and blending.
One of my favorite comparison is an Octomore and a Laphroaig. What does the palette say? For example if I tasted an Octomore with an 88-309 ppm range, which is relatively high, you would think it would taste like chewing on a piece of firewood, but it does not.
An interesting way of describing the PPM level is via the mouth feel. Is it a Pepsi with smaller bubbles or Coke Cola with larger, harder bubbles? Maybe a creamy nitro beer or an IPA. I learn toward a creamy nitro or a Pepsi when it comes to Octomore. As a whiskey that ranges from high 88 ppm to 309+ ppm it is surely a smoother mouth feel as compared to that of Ardbeg (45-55 ppm), Lagavulin (35-50 ppm), or Laphroaig (55 ppm) just to name a few, all of which fall into the Coke Cola / IPA mouth feel range.
From 0 To 309: Find Your Perfect PPM
- 0 ppm – Yamazaki 12 Year
- <2 ppm – Glenlivet 12 Year
- 7 ppm – Balvenie 12 Year
- 10 ppm – Oban 14 Year
- 12 ppm – Springbank 10 Year
- 36 ppm – Lagavulin 16 Year
- 35 ppm – Caol Ila 12 Year
- 40 ppm – Laphroaig 10 Year
- 55 ppm – Ardbeg 10 Year
- 55 ppm – High West Campfire
- 100 ppm – Ardbeg Supernova
- 131 ppm – Bruichladdich Octomore 1.1
- 170 ppm – Ardbeg Hypernova
- 258 ppm – Bruichladdich Octomore 6.3
- 307.2 ppm – Bruichladdich Octomore 15.3
- 309 ppm – Bruichladdich Octomore 8.3
