Char and whisky, when time is right (6)
I believe the answer is:
scorch
'char' is the definition.
(I know that char can be written as scorch)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
(Other definitions for scorch that I've seen before include "Burn on surface, char" , "Become burnt on the surface" , "career" , "Burn until black" , "Burn superficially" .)