There’s a time in a man’s life when the same old shot of whiskey day-in-and-day-out isn’t cutting anymore and you start looking for something new outside the house. Good news, you don’t have to leave the house to rekindle your love. Smoking whiskey will spruce up your relationship with your old friend without leaving the house.
What is smoking whiskey?
Smoking whiskey simply means you are exposing the whiskey to wood smoke. There are two method of smoking whiskey, either cold smoking or smoke rinsing. This can be achieved using a smoking gun, smoke chimney, or wood plank. The exposure to the wood smoke allows the whiskey to absorb the tannic qualities of the wood and adds smoke aroma.
How to smoke your whiskey
Smoking gun or smoking chimney you channel the smoke from the burned wood chips into the glass with whiskey. You can mix different types of wood chips or dust to change the taste profile. For example, you can get creative by combining different wood chips such like oak and cherry chips. Smoke for about a minute then remove the smoker and marvel at your creation.
Using a wood plank will give you a milder smoke flavor since there is less contact between the whiskey and smoke. Simply torch a spot on the plank and invert the drinking glass over the torched area to capture the smoke. A cold glass works best to lock in the full flavor of the smoke. Try adding different wood chips or wood dust to the plank for a more complex taste.
Our smoking picks
These kits are great for a beginner and offer the user great options for smoke blending. They are reasonable priced and will give you plenty of burn time. Check out our picks.
Aged & Charred Premium Set. This kit has everything you need to smoke any whiskey or cocktail. The kit comes with oak smoke lid, 4-burner torch, wooden storage box, cleaning brush, and 4 cans of wood chips (cherry, hickory, apple and oak). $$$
Ogery Smoker Kit. This provides everything you need to get started smoking at a reasonable price. The kit includes 2-ice steel cubes, torch, dice, spoon, chimney lid, filter, cleaning brush, stirring spoon, tong, case, and 4-cans of wood chips (cherry, oak, apple, and hickory). $
Taigin Smoker Kit. This is a highly rated on Amazon. The kit is basic which includes chimney is made of beech wood, torch, cleaning brush, and 4-cans of wood chips (apple, cherry, pecan, and oak). $
Back Barrel Smoked Kit. We like this kit! This smoke kit is a premier drink smoker for whiskey. The smoke kit includes a nicely designed wooden box, torch, 6-whiskey stones, ash brush, 6-cans of wood chips (oak, cherry, pecan, apple, walnut, and mesquite). $$
Blipheart Smoker Kit. This is a great kit for the cost. It includes, wooden storage box, oak chimney, torch, cleaning brush, spoon, tong, 2-stainless steel filters, 6-stone rocks, and 4-cans of wood chips (cherry, pecan, oak, and apple). $$
Busy Bee Smoker Board Kit. This board or plank kit includes a plank made with oak, maple, cherry, hickory, and walnut. Also, the kits comes with a torch, 6-whiskey stones, whiskey glass, and a recipe manual. $$$
Viski Barrel Board Smoking Kit. The wooden planks in this kit are from barrel boards. It comes with 3-wooden planks, torch, and whiskey. This a barebones smoking kit that delivers great smoke. $$
Smokey advice
Only you will know if you have achieved the perfectly smoked drink. Be creative, patient and experiment until you reach your favorite profile. By the way, do your whiskey smoking outside.
Matches vs Lighter vs Torch
We prefer to use a torch. Matches or a lighter will work but a torch offers better control and less likelihood of burning your fingers and pissing you off.
Slow burn
Less flame equals more smoke. Be patient when you first start smoking whiskey’s, finding this right blend to your taste is going to take time. Just because a friend likes a particular blend of woods doesn’t mean it is right for you.
Don’t wet the chips or dust
There is no need to wet or presoak the wood chips and especially wood dust. It burns poorly. Keep it dry.
Smokey thoughts
Smoking any whiskey will make the aroma and taste profile more complex. Of course, there are plenty of other options out on the market for smoking whiskey but can be more costly and more complex for a beginner. Just remember, that it will be a great experience to do with friends sitting around a campfire or at home around a fire pit. Keep it simple, be creative and sip on!
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