Water over single-malt whisky?

Over the course of 10 days, the Lea-Wilsons send filtered tap water through loops that use oak chips and oak dust

Chef Heston Blumenthal wanted a simple and consistent way to imbue risotto with a smoky flavour at the Fat Duck, his Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, England. The most obvious way, he thought, was to start with the water. But there was nothing on the market.

He put forth a challenge: Make me some smoked water.

“For anyone else, you would say, ‘No, you don’t normally smoke water,’” said David Lea-Wilson, owner of an ingredients business in Wales. But for Heston Blumenthal? “You think, ‘Actually, this guy knows more about food than I do. Let’s rise to the challenge.’”

Lea-Wilson and his wife, Alison,