title_body: Is there a peatiness scale for whiskies
upvoted_answer: There is a way peatiness or smokiness is measured scientifically: the phenol count in parts per million (PPM) however this isn't as useful as it sounds, as different phenols taste and smell different. Using the phenol measurement you can chart some examples as follows:
  
  
  Ardbeg - 55
  Laphroaig - 40
  Lagavulin - 35
  Caol Ila - 30
  Talisker - 25
  Highland Park - 20
  
  
  Of more use is a chart such as this one from malts.com, which gives a simple way to visualise where a particular whisky sits, and the distance between that whisky and others the drinker may have tried previously.
  
  
  
  Or this one in the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh:
  
  
  
  (Look at how high Talisker sits on the charts, compared with its position on the phenol measurement...)