A toast to International Whiskey Day this week with an amount of liquid gold. But when you’re faced with the shelves of whiskey at your local liquor store, you may be at a loss as to which one to choose.
You may be asking yourself: what is the difference between single malt and blended whisky? Or does age have to do with price? Why is a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue 10 times more expensive than Johnnie Walker Black? Should I go for Scotch or bourbon? Do I go to Ireland, Scotch, Japan or America?
Side note: whiskey without the “e” refers to Scotch.
Whiskey can be a terrible drink with its high price tag and the stereotypical pattern of whiskey-drinking men in masculine velvet jackets brandishing cigars.
Many whiskey drinkers put on an air of expertise, but in reality, they’ve just discovered a drink they like.
Fortunately, like many of the finer things in life, strict guidelines govern what counts as bourbon versus malt, different distillation techniques, and which regions make the best whiskey in the world. Whiskey can be bucolic, fun and beautiful.
the whiskey business
The world of whiskey is dominated by several countries: Ireland, Scotland, USA and Japan and the most familiar ones from these regions include Glenmorangie, Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker and Macallan.
Like other types of alcohol such as Tequila and Champagne, the place of origin refers to the name of the whiskey. Scotch comes from Scotland, Bourbon is American, Irish whiskey is distilled in Ireland, and Japanese whiskey is definitely from Japan.
These whiskey distillers, with different original methods and ingredients aim for the smoothest spirit distilled from grain.
“A good whiskey is like the shape of a sauropod dinosaur. He explained: a good whiskey tastes good and smooth when it enters, like the small head and narrow neck of a sauropod. It should then expand the complexity of the layers on the palate, like the big body of the Brontosaurus, and finished velvety and long, like the tail of a large sauropod,” said Tim Duckett, a world-renowned whiskey maker. Distilled: A Natural History of Spirits.
Single malt versus blended
Scotland is the largest producer of whiskey in the world. Production has been tightly regulated, which gives rise to three types of whiskey: single malt Scotch, single grain Scotch and blended Scotch.
“Single malt Scotch is made from malted barley and distilled in a batch process in copper pots in a single distillery”, says Nicholas Morgan in Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey.
Single grain Scotch is made from malted barley and corn or wheat in a continuous process in one distillery. Blended Scotch is the result of mixing various single malt Scotch whiskeys with single grain Scotch, writes Morgan.
“More than 90% of all Scotch whiskeys sold globally are Scotch blends. When it comes to publicity, single malt dominates the Scotch whiskey conversation. In fact, single malt Scotches make up less than 10% of sales.
Barley is the main ingredient in Scotch whisky. The wheat is malted, which means that it has been dried out to produce malt and finally, through a century of perfecting the process, the test of good malted wheat depends on the amount of alcohol it sends through fermentation and the final distillation process.
Whiskey buying guide
If you’re testing the waters to find a whiskey that suits your palette, the easiest way to avoid going broke is to choose according to occasion and price, while taking cues from the label.
According to Wine and Spirits Trade Record, wrote in 1899, “Scotch whiskey is liquid gold. Whether fueled by simple ambition or the desire for riches beyond dreams, it is always about money.
Where and when you choose to sip or mix whiskey influences your choice of whiskey. Whiskey in the club should be more likely to eliminate quenching than to taste single malt. A good mix of Scotch or American bourbon with lots of ice is not too expensive and will ensure a smooth drink.
There is a misconception that whiskey is only sipped neat or on the rocks. But whiskey can also coexist with brighter cocktails. Some also believe that cheaper and cheaper whiskeys can be processed into cocktail shakers. But a bad whiskey will make a bad cocktail.
Scotch or Japanese blends are used in cocktails because they do not overpower other ingredients. Whiskey cocktails include old styles and whiskey sours.
For example, Johnnie Walker says on its website, the price between a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black aged 12 years (R369) and Johnnie Walker Green aged 15 years (R899) comes down to certain ages and blends.
But Johnnie Walker Blue’s hefty price tag (R2 899) is credited to the low numbers being produced as “the rarest and most extraordinary whisky”. Only one in ten thousand barrels carries the quality of Blue Label whiskey. Also, the marketing machine prices certain spirits as “prestige”.
Then there is the whiskey that is turned on after work, a long day, or as a daily ritual. This is the whiskey that people buy every year. However, last year, some bottles disappeared from the shelves.
Mikaël Guidot in this guide, Whiskey: It’s Not Rocket Sciencewrites: “Drink an ice-cold bourbon. Try the ‘No Age Statement’ single malt. It’s made to last, and won’t suffer the fate of some of its counterparts over time.
Because of the high alcohol by volume (ABV) and strength, there is a whiskey you will share with your worst enemy – unless they are connoisseurs.
“One of those cask strength whiskeys (with 65% ABV) that you serve without water and without warning. This very high alcohol level will bring tears to your eyes. Or, buy the cheapest bottle you can find in your local supermarket,” wrote Guidot .
A fun event you can do is impress your in-laws with something unexpected like Swedish or Tasmanian whiskey. Or, if you don’t get along with your in-laws, consider the cask strength whiskey mentioned above.
Beyond the beautiful tube and cap, the words on the label further indicate the caliber of whiskey in the bottle. For example, a single malt whiskey will only show the name of the distillery, while a blend will show the name of the brand. According to universal law, the geographical location of the whiskey must be reflected and the age must accurately reflect the age of the youngest whiskey used in this particular batch.
“Your 12-year-old whiskey will contain whiskey that has been aged for 12 years, but also other whiskeys that may be older, giving it structure and reinforcement,” says Guidot.