Smoke notes in spirits have specific sources. In whisky, smoke comes from peated malt — barley dried over peat fires, with the smoke permeating the grain and carrying through into the final spirit. Islay Scotches (Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin) are famously peated. Indian Indri, Paul John Peated, and Amrut Peated represent India's smoky whisky tradition. In mezcal, smoke comes from cooking agave hearts in earth-pit ovens with hot stones and wood — producing the characteristic smoky-sweet character that distinguishes mezcal from tequila. Some dark beers and craft spirits use smoke as a deliberate flavour element. With 254 mentions across 12 categories, smoke is concentrated in specific high-impact drink types.

Whisky smoke ranges from subtle to overwhelming. Lightly peated whiskies (Springbank, Highland Park) have smoke as a background element among other flavours. Medium-peated whiskies (Talisker, Bowmore) feature smoke prominently but balanced with other notes. Heavily-peated whiskies (Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin) showcase smoke as the dominant character — leather, iodine, brine, tar, and intense peat smoke define the style. Smoky whisky is famously divisive — drinkers tend to either love it or hate it. There's no neutral middle ground. The intensity is measured in 'phenol parts per million' (ppm) — Laphroaig 10 sits around 40-50 ppm; Octomore can exceed 200 ppm.