Understanding Whiskey
Understanding Whiskey
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Understanding
whiskey
By John Hansell
W
hiskey isn’t the easiest drink to embrace. Its alcohol level is much higher
than beer or wine, and some of the names, like those of Gaelic-rooted
Scotch whiskies, can be difficult to pronounce. Whiskeys, though, are
rich and diverse in flavors — more than any other distilled spirit. At
their extreme, the really smoky, peat-infused Scotch whiskies can
be downright challenging.
But many of life’s great pleasures are acquired tastes and worth the pursuit.
For many, whiskey is just as much an adventure as it is a drink. It invites you to
explore and indulge in its diversity. Each country traditionally produces its own
style of whiskey, but even within that style there is an incredible range of
whiskeys to choose from.
so what is whiskey ?
Whiskey is made from grain. This is what distinguishes it from
other distilled beverages like brandy, which is made from grapes,
and calvados, which is made from apples.
Simply speaking, whiskey is nothing more than distilled beer. Like
beer, malted barley and other grains are the source of the sugars neces-
sary for fermentation. The sugars in the grain are released by steeping
it in hot water. This sweet liquid, known as “wort,” is cooled down.
Yeast is added and converts the sugars to alcohol, creating beer.
The major difference between the “beer” that whiskey-makers
produce (often called “wash”) and the beer that brewers create is that
the brewers also add hops to their beer. Hops, the flowering cones
of a climbing plant, are bitter and help balance a beer’s sweetness.
They also act as a preservative to stabilize the beer’s flavor. Distiller’s
beer doesn’t need hops. Oak aging balances the whiskey’s flavors, and
distilling increases the alcohol level, which preserves the whiskey.
To make whiskey from beer, it must be distilled. Distilling
captures and concentrates the beer’s more volatile components, which
include alcohol. The distillers use either continuously-operating
column stills (as with most bourbons) or copper pot stills (as with
single malt scotch), one batch at a time. This spirit is then aged in oak John Hansell is the creator,
barrels, where it matures and becomes whiskey. The types of grain publisher and editor of Malt
Advocate, the nation’s leading
used, the distillation method, and the casks chosen for aging are what
magazine for the whisky
make each whiskey taste different.
enthusiast. He has appeared in
USA Today, the New York Times,
Scotland has more distilleries than any coun- BusinessWeek, Men’s Health,
scotch try, with close to 100 of them peppered through-
out the land. The most distinctive Scotch whiskies
Food & Wine and numerous
years in oak barrels (a requirement for all Scotch whisky), single malt scotch
Here’s something that’s not complicated at all-drink responsibly. 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. 46.85%ALC./VOL. (93.7 proof ). Distilled and bottled by Barton Distilling Co. Bardstown, KY.
is produced at one distillery (“single”), using only malted barley as the grain
(“malt”), and distilled in copper pot stills. It is an expensive process but pro-
duces a richly flavored whisky and, because it’s not blended with whiskies 1792bourbon.com
from other distilleries, very individualistic. This is why single malt scotch is
generally more expensive than blended scotch and coveted by aficionados.
It’s also the reason why single malts are so much fun to drink and explore.
Single malts are diverse in flavor, ranging from the gentle and subtly
complex whiskies of the Scottish Lowlands, to the firmer, sometimes spicy
whiskies in the Highlands, to the briny and often smoky whiskies from the
Scottish coastlines and islands. The heart of Scottish distilling is an area
known as Speyside, where nearly half of Scotland’s distilleries are situated
on — or near — the Spey River. Some Speyside whiskies, like Balvenie and
Macallan, are full-bodied and rich. Others, like the Glenlivet 12 year old,
are very elegant.
Even with all these great single malts, blended scotch still outsells them
by a wide margin. Single malt enthusiasm is a relatively recent phenom-
enon, gaining popularity over the past two decades.
Blended scotches, like Johnnie Walker, Dewar’s, Chivas and Cutty Sark,
are marriages of several, if not dozens of different single malts. The ad-
vantage of blending is that it smoothes out the rough edges and fills in the
missing gaps of a whisky’s flavor profile.
Probably the least known fact about blended scotch is that the majority
of the blend is not single malt scotch at all, but rather grain whisky. Grain
whisky is made from various cereal grains and distilled in continuous col-
umn stills, similar to the way vodka is made. It produces a less expensive,
lighter flavored whisky. Some blends are incredible products, but are usu-
ally lighter in flavor and less expensive than single malts.
Many people think all Scotch whiskies are smoky, but only a handful of
them really are. The smoke flavor comes from using malted barley that is
dried over a peat fire. Peat was, at one time, the only practical fuel source
for many distilleries. These days it’s an optional flavor enhancement that,
by the way, is very much in vogue right now.
whiskey
and weaves its way around the distillery, ending high
abroad, our distillers can’t make enough up in our Rackhouse Z for at least 8 years. But if you
of the stuff. Bourbons, like Jim Beam, really want to know all that goes into 1792 Ridgemont
Wild Turkey, and Ridgemont Reserve, fit in a category known as “straight Reserve®, one sip should tell you everything.
whiskeys,” and if you look closely enough on a bourbon label, you’ll see it
identified that way.
Complex Taste. Simple Pleasure.
Continued on bottom of next page
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aPPReCIaTING WHIsKeY
If you’re drinking whiskey just for fun, and aren’t interested in learning more about your whiskey, then go ahead and drink it however you like.
You paid for it and you earned that right. However, if you want to capture as many aromas and flavors as possible, then try to understand that whis-
key expresses itself best at room temperature. I know you are tempted to just go ahead and drink the whiskey, but don’t. Not just yet, anyway.
Whiskey are less bold and more approachable. Some drinkers like the easygoing style
of wheated bourbons, while others enjoy the boldness of more traditional
Continued from previous page
rye-spiced bourbons.
Bourbon, being a straight whiskey, must meet strict requirements. It has to be Largely ignored for decades, straight rye whiskeys have made a huge comeback
made in the United States (and while nearly all bourbon is made in Kentucky right and create a distinctive impact when used in cocktails, making it very a trendy
now, it doesn’t have to be legally), and its grain formula, known as the “mash ingredient right now for mixologists.
bill,” must contain at least 51 percent corn. It can’t be distilled higher than 80 per- Canadian whisky is the lightest example
cent alcohol (by volume) or go into the barrel for aging higher than 62.5 percent
alcohol, and has to be aged in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of two CaNadIaN from the major whisky distilling countries.
That’s because Canadian whisky tradition-
years. These requirements are designed to maintain the quality and consistency
of bourbon.
WHIsKY ally consists of a blend of two components:
a base whisky and a flavoring whisky. The
Other straight whiskeys, like straight rye whiskeys and straight wheat whiskeys base whisky, usually made from corn, is very light in flavor and comprises the large
must meet similar requirements. The only difference is that rye or wheat is the main majority of the whisky’s make-up. The flavoring whisky, often one with a high rye
grain (respectively), rather than corn. content, makes up the rest.
If you walk into a bar and ask for a bourbon, there’s a good chance you’ll get Ironically, Canadian law allows Canadian whisky to be called Canadian Whisky,
Jack Daniel’s. This is probably the biggest misunderstanding in the world of whiskey. Canadian Rye Whisky, or Rye Whisky, even though the actual amount of rye in the
It’s a Tennessee whiskey and made just like bourbon — except for one additional step grain mixture is usually very small, and much less than corn. There is a huge dif-
in the process. After the spirit is distilled, and before it is put into charred oak bar- ference between Canadian “rye” whiskies and American “straight rye” whiskeys.
rels for aging, it is mellowed through vats of sugar maple charcoal. This changes the The straight ryes produced in the United States are considerably bolder and more
flavor profile of the whiskey — which some describe as mellower and gently sweeter challenging. Canadian “rye” drinkers are often confused and overwhelmed by the
when compared to bourbon — making it distinctly Tennessee whiskey. intensity of the straight rye whiskeys from the United States, where the largest in-
While bourbon has to be made from a mash of at least 51 percent corn, in real- gredient must be rye.
ity it usually is made with 70 - 80 percent corn. The remainder consists of rye and Canadian whisky’s lighter style makes it appealing year-round, even in the warm
malted barley. You can think of rye as the “spice” ingredient of bourbon. It doesn’t summer months when other whiskeys might be too heavy. While most people think
have to be used, but it has a significant impact on the flavor profile. If you’ve ever of Canadian whiskies as mixing whiskies, something to be drunk on the rocks or
tasted rye bread, then you understand rye’s contribution to bourbon. with soda, there are also some fine Canadian whiskies that you can sip neat, like
But some bourbon producers replace the rye with wheat. Wheat chang- Crown Royal Reserve or the new Canadian Club 30 year old, both of which are
es the flavor profile in its own way. “Wheated” bourbons, like Maker’s Mark, worth seeking out.
conducTing a reading
Whiskey TasTing The label
The most exciting thing about whiskey is its diversity offla- Reading a whiskey’s label can be very daunting. This guide
vors, which is the reason why conducting a whiskey tasting will help you understand what’s inside the bottle, what it
(and attending one) is so much fun. Comparing and contrast- means to you, and help youfi nd a whiskey you will enjoy.
ing whiskeys is also a great way to learn more about them.
To “e” or noT To “e”?
inviTe The righT people and have a designaTed driver Depending on the country of origin, “whiskey” is spelled with
Before you begin to think of the kinds of whiskeys you’ll be pouring, or without an “e.” American whiskeys, like bourbon, rye, and
make sure you have the right audience. They should be open-minded Tennessee whiskey, usually spell their whiskey with an “e.”
whiskey drinkers, or people who aren’t whiskey drinkers but are curi- Irish whiskeys also retain the “e.” Scotch and Canadian whis-
ous and interested in learning about whiskey. kies are spelled without the “e.”
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