You hate whisky? Most probably you are wrong about that. Feb 15 '01 (Updated Feb 19 '01)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet The Bottom Line If you know the distinction between blended and single malt whiskies, and know not to spoil fine whisky with ice, you are well off in the realm of whisky exploration. The first thing you need to know about whisky is that you most probably like it - unaware of this curious fact, you may even love whisky, though you may vehemently argue otherwise. Bear with me, and all will become clear. The reason for this rather odd and perhaps even arrogant sounding start to this essay is that the variety of spirits roughly labelled under the single name of Whisky is quite extraordinary. Saying that you don't like Whisky is therefore exactly analogous to saying that you don't like wine, or, say, ice cream - such a statement just begs the question of "Which kind don't you like?" I can promise you that I could have you taste two whiskies selected in such a way that you would never recognise them as spirits fitting under the same label. I will not bore you too much historical detail, except to point out the origins of this "water of life" (as it's original name, "uisce bheatha" translates to) trace back to Ireland, although today the most impressive selection (and quality) of whiskies comes from Scotland. The kinds of whisky The Irish and Scottish whiskies are made of barley and/or grain, the American version, bourbon, is made mostly from corn - I will be concentrating on the malt whiskies, as Bourbon is not a favourite drink of mine; it is so... different in taste that I think some member more familiar with it might better do it justice. The single most important thing to know about malt whiskies is the difference between single malt and blended whiskies. (There is also grain, and pure malt whiskies - but the most important to know is the distinction between the single malts and the blended.) Single malt, and the problem of demand To make a good single malt is a time-consuming process - all of the single malt whisky has to mature for several years, typically 10, 12 or more. The demand for whisky in Scotland was so high that this presented a problem; how to meet the demand, when there seems to be no quick way of producing more when the demand goes up? Decisions made 10 or more years ago will determine how much you have to sell right now. Single malts receive their colour and much of the taste from the casks in which they mature - the casks are old casks, and variety and depth of character is in some whiskies enhanced by maturing them in casks that used to hold another spirit. For example, the Scottish Macallan is matured in sherry casks, which gives it a distinctive sweet and soft side. But back to the problem of too high demand - the initial solution to the problem was grain whisky - using grain instead of barley, this whisky can be manufactured with industrial efficiency. Of course the taste leaves much to be desired, but grain whisky is very cheap, and easy to produce in abundance. Still, the solution was less than satisfactory because this brutal liquid lacks the character and depth of "true" whisky, and has a stinging quality to it, better associated with cheap booze than good whisky. Blended Whisky The dilemma of the objectionable taste of grain whisky, and the long production time of single malt was solved with a sort of a compromise; add some single malt to the grain whisky to soften it's taste, and give it some character. Unknown to many, blended whisky is essentially grain whisky (typically by more than 90% if I remember correctly), but the sting and the lack of character is overcome by spicing it up with a carefully selected variety of single malts to give it the characteristic taste that each blended whisky has. Another thing that may surprise you is that is due to this fact, and the fact that grain whisky is not aged like single malts, the age displayed on your favourite blended whisky bottle is not how old most of the liquid inside it is! The age displayed is the age of the youngest single malt used in the blending - still, most of the stuff, being grain whisky, is quite young. (that is why I think that the more expensive "fine" and "old" blended whiskies are an outrageous rip off - it's still mostly young grain whisky! So if you are planning to buy an expensive bottle of whiskey, for goodness sake, go for a single malt.) Because of it's composition, you can produce a lot more blended whisky in a lot less time when compared to whiskeys not containing grain whisky - this means that blended whiskies tend to be a little cheaper, but also that few blended whiskies ever attain the level of quality you can expect from an average single malt. Pure Malt So what is pure malt then? Pure Malt is what many people think that blended whisky is - it is a blend of selected single malt whiskies, containing only single malts. No cheap grain for pure malts. As for taste, I may not be the right person to comment on that, as I have precious little experience of pure malts. Irish Whisky Irish Whisky tends to be smooth, easy to drink - very pleasant tasting whiskies come from Ireland. Irish whisky receives it characteristic smoothness from the production method - the whisky is typically distilled three times (For comparison, scotch is distilled twice, and bourbon only once) - and of course the maturing in old oak casks. Very important factor is also the fact that the malts are dried without allowing any smoke in the process - thus you won't find smoky tastes in Irish whiskies. Scottish Whisky Scottish whiskies contain a huge variety of tastes, from the smooth and plain to the most complex, smoky and peaty whiskies in the world. Just to offer some idea of the variety; there's the complex, smoky and peaty tastes of Islay whiskies like Lagavulin and Laphroaig, there's the curious hint of raisin and prune of Bruichladdich, and even a strange tomato-like taste in the appropriately named (but a bit obscure) Tomatin. Scotch is best known for it's smoky tastes - there tends to always be at least a faint hint of smoke in scotch, and a lot more than a hint in some. Scotland produces hundreds of single malt whiskies, and is truly the whisky lover's paradise. I would dare to say that there is a whisky for just about everyone among the Scottish single malts. Scottish whisky receives it's characteristic tastes from the production method of double distilling, and most importantly, from the way in which the malt are dried - smoke is always let through the malts, bestowing characteristic smoky tastes on the final product. The variety of different oak casks used adds taste and character to the Scotch whisky. The single big no-no of whisky drinking If you drink single malt whiskies, or good blended whiskies, anything which you can reasonably expect to have some nice taste in it, NEVER, EVER put ice in it! This is a cardinal sin worthy of... well... if nothing else then at least a really mean look from a whisky-loving bartender. (Fortunately I am not a bartender, because should someone order an expensive single malt with ice, I'd be REALLY tempted to pour a glass from the cheapest bottle, put some ice in it, and sell it as the expensive whisky. They'd never know the difference.) The thing is that ice kills every taste the whisky may have, and leaves only any sting it may posses - for cheap whisky, and for some blendeds, killing the taste might actually be desirable, but for any whisky-resembling liquid of average or above quality, putting ice in it.... well, you get the picture. How to best drink whisky Straight, or with a drop of water in it. And when I say a drop of water, I do mean a drop. You don't want to dilute the whisky, the purpose of the water is simply to bring out the tastes - and believe it or not, it does work, it's not just snobbery. Whisky should be drank warm, and thus preferably from a thin glass (so that you can warm it in your hands). The most knowledgeable whisky bars offer the whisky not in a traditional whisky glass, but a tulip glass, or the kind that you have cognac in. If this sounds too snobbish, the good old whisky glass will do, but in that case, I do recommend the drop of water (it has a much similar effect to the taste as warming the liquid does). Also an interesting tidbit of information that you might appreciate is that unlike wines, Whiskies do not get better after they are bottled - the maturing must take place in the cask. So a 12 year old single malt (that is, one matured 12 years in a cask) that was bottled a hundred years ago, is no better than the 12 year old single malt that was bottled yesterday. Whatever value may come of storing a bottle for a long time is only value of novelty - the quality and the taste remains the same. Summary of the most important things to know about whisky - You like whisky, if you think you don't, you just haven't tasted the right one yet :-) - The statement "Whisky on Ice, please" will earn you no respect among people who actually appreciate whiskies for something other than the intoxicating effect. Only the cheapest whisky which you'd rather not taste may benefit from a few cubes. - Single Malt whiskies contain the widest variety (as far as the range of tastes goes) of whiskies in the world. You need to compare different Single Malts to get the picture. - Blended whiskies do include some nice ones, but rarely can they be compared to Single Malts - as blended whisky is mostly made of cheap grain whisky, no matter how pretty the label. So don't pay too much for a blended whisky. - Whiskies age in casks, not in bottles. So that bottle that says "12 years old", that you've been saving since the 50's, is no better than the day you bought it. Hopefully this rant is of use to someone. On request, I'll be happy to offer my highly biased opinions of what the best whiskies are, but won't do it here... might as well salvage what little may be left of a sense of objectivity in my essay... On that note I'll finish - hoping that you may find the whisky just for you!

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