Smoky Spirits 04: Smoke Without Peat
No Peat? No Problem. Five Ways Smoke Still Finds Its Way Into Whisky
Peat may be the most famous source of smoke in whisky, but it’s far from the only one. Yes, we’ve focused predominantly on the use of peat to impart smoky flavors in the last three lessons, but there are some (niche) whiskies on the market that are using alternative sources to impart smoke.
From smoking other botanicals over grain to aging in driftwood-charred casks, distillers are getting creative with smoky flavors—without turning to peat. Today’s lesson explores five alternative methods that bring smoke into your glass in unexpected, delicious ways:
Smoking Grains with Other Materials
Smoking the barrel instead of the barley
Heavily charred barrels and their smoky influence
Reusing ex-Islay (ex-peated) barrels
Creative, experimental, and alternative methods
1. Smoking Grains with Other Materials
Rather than peat, distillers can choose other combustible materials to flavor their grain—think woodsmoke, herbs, or even dung. This technique often mimics traditional drying methods found in other cultures (see: mezcal, Icelandic fish curing, or Nordic saunas).
Examples:
Fary Lochan (Denmark) – Smokes barley using dried stinging nettles, resulting in soft, grassy smoke with herbal overtones.
Kyrö (Finland) – Uses alderwood (resinous knotwood) to smoke rye in a barn, giving warm, piney smoke with subtle sweetness.
Thy Whisky (Denmark) – Smokes grain over beechwood from their bogland—lighter and cleaner than peat smoke, with hints of forest floor and dried bark.
Eimverk Distillery (Iceland) – Uses sheep dung to smoke malt for their Flóki whisky, producing barnyard-y, farm-smoke flavors that echo traditional Icelandic curing techniques.
Flavor Profile Notes: More herbal, woodsy, or rustic than classic peat. These methods are often drier, sweeter, or funkier depending on the fuel.
2. Smoking the Barrels
Instead of smoking the grain, some distillers are smoking the barrel itself—either before charring or as part of an alternative wood treatment. When distillers smoke a barrel—often by exposing it to a smoldering fuel source like driftwood or hickory —the key flavor transfer mechanism is adsorption (yes, with a d).
Unlike absorption (where something is soaked in), adsorption is when molecules stick to a surface. In this case, aromatic smoke compounds adhere to the inner walls of the barrel, especially when the wood is:
Warm (opened up from heat)
Damp or freshly seasoned (still retaining moisture, which binds better with smoke volatiles)
Low-char or untoasted (retaining more surface area and natural lignin)
When the spirit is filled into that smoked barrel—especially if it’s fresh (i.e., wet) from a previous fill or from toasting—the whisky acts as a solvent. Over time, it pulls the smoke compounds off the wood’s surface and into the liquid.
Think of it like marinating meat in a freshly smoked cedar box—the whisky draws out all those smoky oils and volatile compounds that were baked into the wood.
Examples:
Shelter Point “Smoke Point” (Canada) – Barrels were pre-smoked with driftwood, imparting a coastal, campfire-like smoke into the whisky during maturation.
Corsair Distillery “Triple Smoke” (USA) – Uses three types of smoked malt—cherrywood, beechwood, and peat—and occasionally works with smoked barrels for blending.
Wiggly Bridge Distillery (USA) – Experiments with hickory-smoked barrels, giving a sweet, BBQ-like finish to their bourbon and rye.
Flavor Profile Notes: These whiskies often express softer, sweeter smoke, reminiscent of BBQ, pipe tobacco, or toasted marshmallows rather than tar or iodine.
3. Finishing in Ex-Peated (Islay) Barrels
Another way to get smoke without adding it directly: use barrels that previously held peated whisky. These ex-Islay casks lend a whisper of phenolic smoke, without overwhelming the base spirit.
Examples:
GlenAllachie “Future Edition” Peated Finish (Scotland) – Matured in ex-Islay casks, resulting in soft medicinal smoke layered over Speyside sweetness.
Westland “Peat Week” finishes (USA) – Some versions incorporate ex-peated casks to build complexity.
Teeling Blackpitts (Ireland) – While it's technically peated, it’s also known for using ex-Islay and ex-wine barrels to soften and layer smoke.
Flavor Profile Notes: Subtle, ghostly smoke. Can range from seaside salinity to light ash, depending on how long the cask held peated spirit.
4. Heavily Charred Barrels
Even without smoke additives, heavily charred barrels can introduce light smoky flavors through caramelized sugars, lignin breakdown, and charcoal contact. When oak is exposed to intense flame, it undergoes pyrolysis—breaking down wood sugars, lignin, and cellulose into flavorful compounds. This creates a layer of carbonized wood that acts like a charcoal filter while slowly releasing notes of burnt sugar, toasted nuts, and gentle smoke over time. Compounds like furfural (toasted almond), cyclotene (maple), and trace phenols (like syringol) give the whisky a roasted, smoky undertone. Unlike peat, which delivers sharp, phenolic intensity, smoke from heavy char is subtle—more like charred marshmallow or grilled bread than iodine or campfire ash. Especially in American whisky or oak-forward single malts, this method delivers warmth, depth, and a hint of smoke—all from the barrel, not the grain.
The longer a whisky rests in a heavily charred barrel, the deeper it pulls smoky, toasty compounds from the wood.
Examples:
Michter’s 10 Year Bourbon & Ryes (USA) – Expect pipe tobacco and leathery notes to these well-aged expressions
Russell’s Reserve 10 Year (USA) - delivers soft, woody smoke with notes of cigar box, pipe tobacco, and spiced oak—thanks to extended aging in Wild Turkey’s signature #4 char barrels.
Knob Creek 12 Year (USA) - Expect heavy toffee with charred undertones, matured tobacco, toasted coconut and dark chocolate.
Flavor Profile Notes: Toasted marshmallow, pipe tobacco, charred oak, ashy
5. Direct-Fired Stills
While most modern distilleries use steam coils or indirect heating, a few still operate with direct-fired stills—where a flame is applied directly to the bottom of the pot. This old-school method creates hot spots, localized caramelization, and occasionally even light scorching of the wash. The result? A spirit that can carry a toasty, faintly smoky, or roasted character, even with no peat or smoked grain in sight.
What’s actually happening?
Maillard reactions and thermal degradation of residual solids in the wash produce compounds like furans, cyclotenes, and trace phenols
These contribute toasted cereal, burnt sugar, or subtle fire-kissed notes
In some cases, if the wash sticks or scorches slightly, it can create a faint ashy or smoky undertone in the final spirit
Examples:
Glenfarclas (Scotland) – Traditional direct-fired stills give the whisky weight, richness, and sometimes a hint of toasted cereal
Mad Lab Distilling (Canada) – Uses flame-fired stills that contribute to their bold, textural spirits, with hints of roasted malt and soft char beneath the grain
Yamazaki Distillery (Japan) – While very subtle, you can find a wisp of smoke on some of their expressions (i.e. 12 year & 18 year if you’re lucky enough to track down a bottle)
One More Expression from the Wild
There’s one more expression I want to note, that is so unique that it doesn’t even fall into any of these categories and unfortunately, you’ll be hard pressed to find a bottle. As a Canadian, I’m always excited for new innovations coming out of my home country and the Bearface Wilderness Series has been a wild ride, showcasing how the natural elements in British Columbia can impact a whisky’s profile.
Their second release in the series, which came out last year, called the Mitlenatch Island Release was actually proofed down with distilled water
from maple-smoked salt, adding some salinity and smokiness to this expression. Unfortunately, there was only about 1500 bottles released and only in Canada.
Bearface’s most recent release 03: Wild Air, also has a slight smoky note to it which is imparted from charring birchwood and resting it in the whisky, although the smoke is more subtle than the previous expression.
Over the last four lessons, we’ve unpacked the full sensory story of smoke in whisky—starting with the chemistry of phenols, moving through the complex compounds behind sweet and savory smoke, diving into how geography and peat type influence flavor, and now landing here: the smoky frontier beyond peat. As this final lesson shows, distillers are finding creative, terroir-driven, and technical ways to bring smoke into the glass—from driftwood and dung to toasted barrels and direct-fired stills. Whether you love campfire intensity or whisper-soft char, smoke is more than just a single note—it’s a flavor language. And now, you’re fluent.
Next month we’re going the complete opposite direction, flavor-wise, and delving into Vodka! But before then, take our Smoky Spirits Quiz which will be available as of tomorrow to test your knowledge from this technical unit we just covered.