The Smokey expression — sometimes labelled 'Smokey' and sometimes 'Smoked' depending on the release — is the English Whisky Co.'s answer to those who like their single malts with a curl of peat smoke drifting through them. It is made at St George's Distillery in Norfolk, the first purpose-built English whisky distillery of the modern era, and uses peated barley distilled on the same Forsyths copper pot stills that produce the distillery's unpeated Original.
The peating level is moderate by Islay standards — closer in spirit to a coastal Highlander than to a heavyweight Caol Ila or Laphroaig — and the result is a whisky in which the smoke acts as seasoning rather than centrepiece. The clean, fruity, vanilla-laced character that defines the English Whisky Co. house style is still very much present; the peat simply adds another dimension.
Matured primarily in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 43% ABV, it is approachable enough to act as a gateway for drinkers who are curious about peated whisky but wary of the heavier examples. The relative youth of the spirit actually works in its favour here — there is a brightness and cereal sweetness that older, smokier whiskies sometimes lose to oak.
It is a quietly confident bottle and a fine illustration of how England's whisky scene has matured. From Iain Henderson's first distillations in 2006 to today, St George's has built a reputation on doing the basics very well, and the Smokey is no exception.
