Black bottle of Cold-Peated Single Malt Whiskey with Brother Justus branding, resting on the corner edge of a table.

All Whiskeys > Cold-Peated® Whiskey

Cold-Peated® American Whiskey

Named 4th Most Innovative Spirit in the World by The Spirits Business (2023)

Minnesota's Boreal Forest contains vast peat bogs, formed millennia ago by melting glaciers. Traditional whiskeys burn peat, destroying its delicate botanicals and creating bike tire-like flavors. We invented the Aitkin County Process® to capture the pure essence of Minnesota's ancient peat. Our award-winning Cold-Peated® American Whiskey, aged in the world’s coldest oak™, is the first and only whiskey in the world to feature the pure flavor of natural peat, thousands of years in the making.

  • 43% ABV / 86 Proof

  • Aged a minimum of 1 year

  • Distilled and bottled from 100% Minnesota malted barley

$99.99 USD | 750ml

Shipping calculated at checkout.

Cold-Peated® Whiskey Tasting Notes

NOSE

Herbal minerality and mushroom umami balance the sweetness of oak.

PALATE

Maple and caramel highlights with an earthy finish.

FINISH

Rich, bold, and complex flavors in an approachable format.

Awards and Accolades

  • The Spirits Business Logo

    #4 Most Innovative Spirit in the World

    Ranked #4 on the prestigious list of the Top 50 Most Innovative Spirits (2023) by The Spirits Business

  • 2023 International Whisky Competition Gold medal badge

    2023 International Whisky Competition

    1st Place, Best Minnesota Whiskey
    3rd Place, Best American Single Malt Whiskey

  • 2023 New York International Spirits Competition Gold Medal badge

    2023 New York International Spirits Competition

    Gold Medal, 95 Points

  • 2024 Beverage Tasting Institute Gold Medal badge

    Beverage Testing Institute

    Gold Medal, Innovative & Experimental Spirits

Cold-Peated® Whiskey Cocktail Feature

The Golden Hour, a Brother Justus signature cocktail, grapefruit-colored and garnished with a grapefruit peel twist, sitting on a table.

The Golden Hour

Flavor Profile | Tart and Herbaceous

Why We Love It | Reminiscent of a Salty Dog, with the depth of flavor of our Cold-Peated® Whiskey!

Combine whiskey, grapefruit juice, rosemary honey syrup, and lemon juice in a strainer with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins or rocks glass over a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit peel rip.

Get the Full Recipe

  • “One of the Best Peated Whiskies From Around the World”

    — HICONSUMPTION

  • “This Cold-Peated® whiskey is wild: aged less than a year and it’s earthy and a little mushroomy…How do they do it?”

    — Jason DeRusha, WCCO TV

  • “The Cold-Peated® Whiskey, which apparently presses the whiskey through MN peat, gives a taste in the spectrum of a charred oak barrel that must be tasted to be appreciated. Have a shot, buy a bottle.”

    — Steven, Guest

  • “My fiancé really enjoyed the Cold-Peated® Whiskey, very unique flavor!”

    — Monika, Guest

  • “We love the Cold-Peated® Whiskey!”

    — Juan, Guest

  • “A beautifully complex and delicious take on American Single Malt that is unlike any Malt Whiskey previously experienced.”

    — Tastings.com

  • “I don't know how they do it, but the "cold-peated" whiskey is simply amazing. Nothing like the heavy smokey stuff from Islay. Far more flavorful and approachable. Great from start to finish... I wish I was better at descriptions... just try it and you'll see what I mean! It's worth every cent.”

    — JLiving, Total Wine

  • “Great whisky. Very smooth and soft. A little bit like a highland malt. We really enjoy this neat with just a little bit of water.“

    — Naturguy, Total Wine

  • “I can see people who don't appreciate heavily peated scotch liking this one. I think a lot of people are turned off by the smokiness of heavily peated scotch, and there's really no smokiness in this at all.”

    — Abe, Guest

  • “Nobody has a whiskey like this, particularly a peated whiskey.”

    — Kirk Miller, InsideHook

FAQs

Select a question to learn more about our Cold-Peated® Whiskey.

  • Peated Whiskey is traditionally made by drying malted barley over peat fires. This process infuses the barley with distinctive smoky flavors from the peat smoke, a distinctive feature of many Scotch whiskies. The intensity of the smoky flavor can vary based on the duration and conditions of the drying process.

    Brother Justus’s Cold-Peated® Whiskey offers a unique twist on this traditional method. Instead of burning peat to create smoke, the Aitkin County Process® captures the essence of peat in its natural state without combustion.

  • Instead of burning peat to create smoke, our patent pending Aitkin County Process® captures the essence of peat in its natural state, without burning it. This cold-peating technique preserves the delicate botanical notes and earthy flavors of the peat, resulting in a whiskey with subtle, complex flavors rather than the intense smokiness typical of traditional peated whiskies. This method highlights the unique characteristics of Minnesota’s peat bogs, creating a distinctive flavor profile that sets it apart from conventional peated whiskeys.

  • Peated Whiskey refers to any whiskey made using peat during the malting process. Peated Scotch specifically refers to Scotch Whisky from Scotland that uses peat, often resulting in a smokier profile compared to American Peated Whiskeys. While traditional Peated Scotch is known for its strong smoky flavor from burnt peat, our Cold-Peated® Whiskey offers a milder, more botanical peat flavor, unique to Minnesota's peat bogs.

A bottle of Brother Justus Cold-Peated Whiskey and a tasting pour next to it, sitting on a table at the distillery in NE Minneapolis.

Get Your Bottle Today

Our Cold-Peated® American Whiskey is available for purchase online, at a fine retailer near you, or at our Distillery in Minneapolis. Our Bottle Shop is open for whiskey, merchandise, and other distillery exclusive releases on Thursdays and Fridays, 2-6pm.