Broken Barrel Isle of Peat Whiskey, California, USA

It might not be peaty Scotch, but it's an extremely cool experiment with Whiskey and Islay barrel staves.

The aptly-named Infuse Spirits had its start in 2012 when Seth Benhaim began infusing Spirits in his garage at the age of twenty-five — becoming the youngest brand owner to ever win Best-In-Show and Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. He’s our kind of guy. While Infuse Spirits Vodkas and Bitters are infused with natural spices and fruits, their Whiskies are infused with staves from other barrels of a variety of wood types — from Whiskey and Sherry to Wine, Single Malt, and more. They even use exotic woods like Mizunara and French oak.

This unique wood infusion technique results in their Whiskies not only having a mash bill, but also an oak bill. Isle of Peat could only be a reference to one place, the magical island where smoky Single Malts dwell. You know it ― this expression employs staves from imported Islay Scotch barrels for its maturation. The blend of 1-year-old Wheat & Single Malt Whiskey from Indiana gets the stave treatment for at least a month in a warm environment, speeding up the process. It certainly isn't Scotch. But it's an epic experiment that's bound to tickle any smokehead's fancy. A grand total of 6,600 bottles were produced and it's taken home a Double Gold Medal at the SF World Spirits Competition.