Smelling bad though pickled (4)
I believe the answer is:
high
This clue is a triple definition!
'smelling' is the first definition.
(thesaurus)
'bad' is the second definition.
(both can describe rotten or decayed food)
'though' acts as a link.
'pickled' is the third definition.
(thesaurus)
(Other definitions for high that I've seen before include "Hypertension" , "Eminent; lofty" , "Tall - loud - under the influence of drugs" , "Drunk; anticyclone" , "Western film with Gary Cooper" .)