[Urbane Guerrilla]

No, the smokiness comes from smoking the barley malt over a fire fueled by peat. The heat kills the germinated barley which in its turn holds it ready for fermentation.

Charred barrels are more for adsorbing unpleasant-tasting cogeners, leaving the resulting spirit smooth of taste -- bourbon whiskey style -- or is this techically Tennessee sour mash?

The barrels do have their effect. Aside from the oaken barrel both reacting gently with the spirit inside it and coloring the resulting liquor, which color may not be the tea-colored thing we expect in whiskeys but can sometimes come out a greeny-gold, the practice of reusing barrels that previously aged bourbon or sherry each give their savor to the finished whisky.

The Island malts (Islay and I think a few other tiny ones) get smoked over a peat that has a fairish inclusion of seaweed and is also productive of a very intense smoke, which smokes the barley malt to a greater degree than anywhere else. To put it mildly, Islay malts are emphatic. Sip 'em slow, or your wig will do two and a half flips before it lands again.