How to Smoke Whiskey

Quick Answer

To smoke whiskey at home, pour it into a glass, cap the glass with a smoke lid, light a small pinch of wood chips with a torch and leave the smoke on the whiskey for 10–20 seconds (up to a minute for a heavy smoke), then lift the lid and sip. A smoke lid is the easiest and most consistent method because it traps the smoke directly over the glass; smoking an upturned glass or using a handheld smoke gun also works. The wood matters as much as the technique: oak, cherry and hickory pair best with rye; corn husks or oak suit bourbon; pecan works well with corn whiskey.

For whiskey lovers, there comes a time when the same old pour doesn't cut it anymore. Smoked whiskey is one of the easiest ways to change things up: it's simple to do at home, and besides adding flavor, it turns pouring a drink into a small ritual. Think of a home-cooked meal versus ordering in.

What Is Smoked Whiskey?

"Smoked whiskey" can mean two different things:

• Whiskey smoked at home (this guide): any whiskey you expose to wood smoke in the glass, just before drinking. The smoke mostly adds aroma and a light smoky edge on the palate.
• Whiskey made with smoke: smoke that's part of production, such as peated Scotch, where malted barley is dried over peat smoke, or the few American whiskeys made from smoked grain. That smokiness is built into the spirit.

Smoking whiskey at home means exposing your favorite whiskey to wood smoke. It adds the aroma of whatever you burn and some of the wood's toasty, tannic character, which gives the drink more depth.

When you think about it, wood is already central to whiskey: most of its flavor comes from the charred oak barrel it ages in. So while you can smoke any drink, combining smoke, wood and whiskey makes a lot of sense.

The reason smoke changes a whiskey's flavor comes down to chemistry. Wood smoke contains phenolic compounds, the same broad family of compounds (including guaiacol) that gives barrel-charred whiskey some of its toasty, woody character, and these compounds create smoky and woody aroma notes. Research on smoke aroma chemistry has shown that the character of a phenolic compound (whether it reads as smoky, woody or musty) shifts depending on its concentration, which is part of why lightly smoking a glass for a few seconds tastes completely different from a longer smoke (Wang & Chambers, 2018).

How to Smoke Whiskey With a Smoke Lid (Step by Step)

1. Pour 2 oz of whiskey into a rocks glass, neat or over one large ice cube.
2. Place the smoke lid on top of the glass.
3. Add a small pinch of wood chips to the lid's screen. More chips don't mean better smoke; a full screen makes harsh smoke.
4. Light the chips with a torch for a few seconds, until they catch and start to smoke.
5. Leave the lid on for 10–20 seconds (see the timing guide below).
6. Lift the lid, let the first wave of smoke roll off, and take the first sip while the aroma is strongest.

New to it? Our cocktail smoker kits include a smoke lid, wood chips and a torch (they're our products, so we're biased).

How Long to Smoke Whiskey

Smoke time changes the drink more than anything else, so start short and add time on the next glass if you want more. For a visual version of this guide, see our smoked Old Fashioned recipe.

Best Whiskeys to Smoke

You can smoke any whiskey, but neat pours and spirit-forward drinks with few ingredients work best, because the whiskey keeps its character under the smoke. Stirred cocktails also take smoke well. The top whiskeys to try smoking are:

Rye

While bourbon and Tennessee whiskeys are sweet and smooth, rye has more spice, kick and body, and no two ryes taste the same. If rye is your base, go for oak, cherry or hickory wood chips: rye's spicy notes combine exceptionally well with these woods.

Bourbon

Bourbon is arguably the sweetest of the American whiskeys, with a full body and a smooth feel. Oak chips echo the barrel it aged in. For something different, try smoking it with corn husks, which bring out its natural corn flavor and add sweetness.

Wheated Bourbon

Most bourbons use rye as the secondary grain alongside corn and malted barley. In a wheated bourbon, wheat replaces the rye, giving a softer, sweeter whiskey. Cinnamon or a light wood like pecan accent that sweetness without overpowering it.

Corn Whiskey

Corn whiskey is made from at least 80% corn and doesn't have to be aged, so it tastes of sweet honey, browned butter and cream with little or no barrel character. That makes it an excellent candidate for smoking: try the charred nuttiness of pecan wood.

Beyond these, you can also smoke Canadian whisky, Irish whiskey, blended whisky and single malts. Other things worth smoking alongside the wood: vanilla beans, rosemary and citrus peels.

Whiskey and Wood: A Quick Pairing Guide

For all eight wood flavors in detail, see our guide on choosing the right wood chips.

Methods of Smoking Whiskey

There are several ways to smoke whiskey at home with different types of cocktail smokers. The most common ones are:

Smoking the glass

This is the traditional way of smoking a drink, and it gives a light smoke flavor. Smoke tends to stick to cold surfaces, so chill your glass first. Light your wood chips (or a cinnamon stick or rosemary sprig) with a torch; avoid lighter fluid, which can leave a chemical taste. Turn the chilled glass upside down over the smoke and leave it until the glass fills.

Then turn the glass over and pour in your whiskey. It's quick and needs no special equipment, but some smoke escapes as you flip the glass, so the effect stays light. We compare it in detail in smoke the glass vs smoke the cocktail.

Handheld smoke gun

A smoke gun is a handheld device with a small burn chamber and a hose. You load wood chips, light them, and pipe the smoke into a glass, a cloche or a covered pitcher. It's flexible and good for smoking larger vessels, but it takes two hands and a little practice to direct the smoke. See how it compares in smoke gun vs smoke lid.

Smoke lid

A smoke lid sits directly on the glass, so the smoke goes straight onto the drink and stays there until you lift it. Add a pinch of wood chips to the screen, light them with a torch, and let it rest for 10–20 seconds. It's the simplest method for home use, and our oak smoke lid kits come with wood chips and a torch.

Electric smoke lid

If you'd rather skip the torch and butane, an electric smoker sits on the glass like a smoke lid but lights the chips itself. Our Electric Cocktail Smoker Kit, in our cocktail smoker collection, works this way and comes with eight wood chip flavors.

Neat, On the Rocks or in a Cocktail?

Neat: the smoke is most noticeable on the nose. Keep it light (5–15 seconds) so the whiskey still comes through.

On the rocks: one large ice cube works best. Smoke clings to the cold glass and ice, and the dilution softens heavier smoke.

In a cocktail: spirit-forward drinks are the classic match. Try our smoked Old Fashioned or smoked Manhattan.

Smoke isn't the only way to add flavor. If you'd rather steep whiskey in fruit, spices or oak, see how to infuse whiskey at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is smoked whiskey?

Smoked whiskey is whiskey that has been exposed to wood smoke, usually in the glass just before drinking, using a smoke lid, a smoke gun or a smoked glass. It's different from peated Scotch, where the smokiness comes from drying the malted barley over peat smoke during production.

How long should you smoke whiskey for?

For a single glass, 10 to 20 seconds is the sweet spot, and up to a minute gives a heavy smoke. The longer it smokes, the stronger the flavor, so start short and adjust on the next pour.

What's the easiest way to smoke whiskey at home?

A smoke lid kit is the easiest method for most people. It sits directly on the glass, so the smoke stays on the drink, and it only takes a pinch of wood chips and a torch. An electric smoke lid skips the torch altogether.

What is the best wood for smoking whiskey?

It depends on the whiskey. Oak, cherry or hickory pair well with rye; oak or corn husks suit bourbon; pecan works well with corn whiskey and wheated bourbon; and fruit woods like apple suit single malts.

Does smoking whiskey change the alcohol content?

No. Smoking whiskey only affects aroma and flavor, not the alcohol content (ABV). It's a flavoring technique, not a distillation process.

Can you smoke a whole bottle of whiskey?

You can smoke a decanter by filling the empty space with smoke from a smoke gun, sealing it and letting it rest, then repeating to taste. But smoke fades and is hard to control in a large batch, so most people get better results smoking glass by glass.

Can you smoke whiskey without a torch?

Yes. An electric smoker lights the chips itself, and a smoked glass can be made with a lit cinnamon stick or rosemary sprig. A torch is simply the fastest and most even way to light wood chips.

Get Started

A smoke lid is the simplest way to add real wood smoke to your whiskey without a lot of gear. As a whiskey lover, you deserve to enjoy your whiskey in its best form without breaking your back for it. Browse our smoke lids and smoker kits to find the right one for your bar.

Sources

Wang, H. & Chambers, E. IV (2018). Sensory Characteristics of Various Concentrations of Phenolic Compounds Potentially Associated with Smoked Aroma in Foods. Molecules, 23(4), 780. PMC6017423