Whiskey that works for you
Single malts, blends, Scotch, Bourbon, there's a plethora of options when it comes to picking a Whisky. It can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here are the five important factors to consider in finding your best dram.
Region
Scotch Whisky must be made in Scotland from malted barley or grain with the spirit aged in oak casks no bigger than 700 liters for no less than three years. Single Malt Scotch Whiskies traditionally come from five regions: Lowland, Speyside, Islay, Campbelltown, and Highland. Traditionally triple-milled, Lowland whiskeys are light, soft, smooth malts, with a gentle, elegant palate reminiscent of grass, honeysuckle, cream, ginger, toffee, toast, and cinnamon. Speyside is frugal with peat and full of fruit. Commonly matured in Sherry Casks, apple, pear, honey, vanilla, and spice notes are common expressions from this region. Islay mostly produces peaty, smoky, strongly-flavored whiskies as a result of the heavily peated malt they use and from the local water which runs through thousand-year-old peat bogs. However, there are a few lighter and less peaty variants as well. Campbeltown whiskies are robust and rich with hints of salt, smoke, fruit, vanilla, and toffee. Highland is the largest region and has a huge diversity of flavors and characters because everything outside of the other four whisky regions of Scotland falls under this region.
Irish Whiskey is any whiskey made in Eire (Republic of Ireland) or in Northern Ireland. Unlike Scotch, any malted cereal grains can be used in any proportion. Like Scotch, it must be aged in wooden casks for a minimum of three years.
Bourbon is an American Corn Whiskey produced using a mash of at least 51% corn and distilled at 160 proof or less. The distillate must not contain any additives and should be stored in charred oak barrels at 125 proof or less. It must be made entirely within the United States to qualify. Straight bourbon is from one American state, for example Kentucky, that has been aged for at least two years and doesn’t have any additives. A blended bourbon can include other spirits and flavorings, but must be a minimum of at least 51% straight bourbon. Tennessee whiskey is bourbon filtered through charcoal.
Canadian whisky must contain barley, corn, wheat, and rye and be aged in separate barrels.
Japanese whisky is usually made in the same way as Scotch whisky. It has been manufactured since the 1920s, but has only become widely available outside Japan in the last decade.
Indian whisky is produced the same way as scotch whisky, but mostly uses molasses instead of malted grains, making it closer to rum. This and the use of two row barley, give Indian whisky a fruitier, spicier flavor with notes of caramel, treacle, vanilla and even tropical fruits like Mango, Banana and Pineapple. The aging process also takes place faster compared to cooler Scotland, making the drink lighter and fresher.
Variety
Whisky is made from four key ingredients: cereal grains, yeast, water, and time spent aging in barrels. The most common cereal grains used are Barley, Corn, Rye and Wheat with the majority of whisky around the world having a base of either Barley or Corn.
Malt Whisky is made purely with barley. Malted barley are divided into different groups. Single Malts, like The Singleton, are the classic and most common type. It is a whisky from a single distillery made using a mix of alcohols from different aging periods, blended in different barrels. Single Cask Malt is alcohol made in a single oak barrel and has persistent aroma and flavor. Pure Malt is the purest blend of single malt whiskey blended together.
Grain Whisky is made from grains other than malted barley and can be malted or unmalted. For example, Rye is primarily made in North America. In the United States, it must be fermented from a mixture of malted grains that is at least 51% rye. The rules around Canadian rye are much looser and they can contain far less than half rye.
Blended Whiskeys is a mix of single grain and single malt and is one of the most popular varieties. The advantage of blending is that it ensures the flavor and quality of the whisky remains the same over time, like Black and White.
Age
The age of the whiskey refers to how long the distillate was stored in a cask. The period after bottling does not count. The youngest alcohols maturation is considered as the age of the blend. The age can differ from 3 years to over 20 years. The older whiskeys are considered more flavorful, with 5- 12-year whiskeys being common and anything above 12 years, like the Johnnie Walker Blue Label, considered premium.
Distillery Character/ Cask
Nearly all of the taste of whisky comes from its contact with oak casks. Though every whisky has its peak maturation point, the general rule is: younger whisky has more distillery character, older whisky more cask influence. There are over 120 whisky distilleries, spread across five different regions in Scotland alone and each has a unique taste thanks to varying factors like the stills, the location, the craft and skill of the people who work in the distillery. Small stills mean more contact with the copper, creating a lighter, fruity note. Larger stills mean a heavier, meaty flavor. The number of times a liquid is distilled also plays its part. The length of time the liquid is fermented is also important. For example, a fermentation lasting under two days creates a very nutty, spicy character once the liquid is distilled. Whether it’s a European or American oak cask, held another liquid, and was toasted for reuse all play their part. Whether the distillery burns peat to dry its barley will have one of the most dramatic influences on the final flavor. Depending on these factors the final drink can be fruity, smoky, spicy or sweet.
Bottling
The alcohol level of cask strength Whisky can be as high as 75%, but this is then reduced up to 40% to be bottled and sold by adding water. This is why Cask Strength is a more premium option as it allows you to experience the cask flavors better. Even within bottling there are multiple types. An official bottling or ‘owners bottling’ (OB) is bottled by or for the company that owns the distillery and offers consistency in their products. In contrast, independent bottling (IB) is bottled by an independent bottler by blending multiple casks from multiple sources to create a unique, limited signature. Bastard bottlings are the least valued style of bottling where no indication of the distillery where the whisky inside the bottle was produced is identified.
