Whisky Misconceptions

I've been getting to know more people lately who are into or getting into whisky. The more I talk to people, the more I realize that there are a lot of misconceptions regarding whisky. With the marketing flannel being done by the big corporations, it's impossible to avoid it. The sad truth is, whatever features the big corps are marketing, it'll most likely be crap and just fancy to make you bite.

The older the better?
This is probably the most wide spread misconception. It's probably because our older relatives have been preaching this to us ever since we were old enough to drink. The sad thing is, no. It' will not always be the case. Saying the older the whisky the better is similar to saying a product which is more expensive is better than its cheaper counterparts.

Please people, give the younger stuff a chance. Try them. Especially the younger stuff that aren't from Chivas, Johnnie Walker and Macallan. They will blow your minds. There are whiskys coming out right now which are NAS (no age statements). They don't have any age statements because there are whiskys there which are younger than 10 years old. That doesn't mean they're not good though. They are given different names because people who associate age with quality. So rather than a company selling a whisky like, let's say Laphroaig 7, they call it Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Some NAS whiskys have been wining awards. Need some more convincing? Take the Johnnie Walker Blue Label. It's NAS but it's successful. It's probably one of the most famous whiskys of all time. Blue Label isn't the best but it's a good example that a whisky doesn't need to have an age statement to be successful.

The darker the better?
Absolutely false. A lot of scotch are dark because they have added caramel coloring to them. The coloring is called e150. It's said to only change the color of a whisky giving it a darker color which will make it more attractive. The easiest way to tell if a whisky has added coloring is if it doesn't say that it has natural coloring. The truth is these days, you can tell little about a whisky just by looking at it's color. For example:

The Johnnie Walker Black Label doesn't mention addition of caramel coloring or e150 but that doesn't mean they didn't add any. Adding artificial coloring? That sounds like dishonesty.

Then look at this Bruichladdich The Laddie 10. Look at the bottom of the bottle. There are words saying "unchillfiltered and colouring free". This means that there isn't any artificial coloring added to the whisky. Here a better look.

Single malts are better than blends?
Not always. Well, yes, if you compare a single malt with a blend from the big corps who are only after making money. But compare a single malt to great blends and you will be surprised. The best example I can give is Compass Box. They sell pure malts and blends. Compass Box's goal is to make good whisky and not just to make money. If you want to try them, go to Black Sheep in BGC. They're the only bar I know of that carries Compass Box.

The Different Kinds of Whiskys

Just what are the different kinds of whiskys? The type that most people are aware of are the blends. Then there are the single malts which have been getting more attention. Blends would not exist if it weren't for grain whiskys. Then there are the pure malts or blended malts or vatted malts which are sometimes confused with blends. Then there's the least known single casks.

Blends
We can't talk about whisky without mentioning or even thinking about the blends. Blended whiskys are the product of the mixing of single malt whiskys and grain whiskys.

an image of a column still

Grain Whisky
Sadly the whisky that is most responsible for our beloved blends such as Johnnie Walker and Chivas don't get a lot of attention. Grain whiskys are grains that were distilled in column stills/continuous stills. There isn't much else information regarding grain whiskys out there but it is said that majority of the grain being used is corn. It is said that blenders use grain whisky to let the blend have a more well rounded character. Also, grain whiskys are cheaper and easier to make because of them being distilled in column stills. Column stills produce spirits of a lesser quality though.

Malt Blends/Pure Malts/Vatted Malts
Malt blends or Pure Malts, whose names depend on who made them, are basically blends of different single malts. The most famous example is Johnnie Walker Green Label. Sadly there aren't a lot of them around. With the rise of single malts, companies are having their distilleries focus more on producing single malts and blends and not malt blends since uninformed people will not be able to distinguish the difference between blends and malt blends anyways.

an image of pot stills in Glenmorangie

Single Malt Whisky
The highly regarded single malt whiskys are basically whiskys that were made by one distillery. They must also be made with malted barley which was distilled in a pot still. "Single" does not mean it is a single whisky. Single malts are blended most of the time. Go here for more details.

Single Cask/Single Barrel
Majority of the single cask releases are single malt whiskys. Single cask whisky means that the certain whisky that was bottled came from only one cask/barrel from which it was aged in. Which means whatever the age statement is put on the label is the age of the whisky and it came from only one cask. So for example, the image above is a Glendronach Single Cask bottling. The age statement is 10. The year "2002" there indicates which year the whisky was distilled and on the lower left shows when it was bottled. The cask/barrel number is on the right to indicate how many bottles the cask/barrel was able to produce. The type of cask is also indicated.

Bourbon
For a whisky to be called Bourbon it has to have been matured in virgin American oak barrels. It must have been made in the US and must be made from at least 51% corn. Most distilleries use column stills to make Bourbon. Now that doesn't mean that Bourbon is the same as grain whisky. They're very different. Because of the climate in the US, Bourbon will mature faster than Scotch being matured in Scotland. Even though a Bourbon is 7 years old. It will act like it's older than 7 years old because whisky matures faster in warmer climates.

Just What is Single Malt Whisky?

      I got into whisky back in June of 2012. I've focused my attention mainly on single malt scotch whisky. Since the rise of single malt whisky in Asia, I've heard a bunch of misconceptions regarding whisky. So, I hope that I'll be able to correct your thoughts on some of the misconceptions.

What is single malt whisky?

It is whisky which was distilled and aged by one distillery. It is not just whisky that came from one cask and then bottled. The usual single malts found in supermarkets such as Glenlivet 12, Macallan 12 and Glenfiddich 12 are actually a product of single malt whiskys of different ages which were blended then bottled. When people think whisky that came from just one barrel/cask, they are thinking Single Cask/Single Barrel.

What about the age statements?

Let's say you found a Glenlivet 12. The 12 year age statement merely means that the youngest whisky that was used to fill that bottle was 12 years old. But, that doesn't necessarily mean that the bottle only has 12 year old whisky inside. Distillers also blend the younger whiskys with older whiskys to round off the body and finish.

Why bother blending them?

For the sake of consistency. Because of the mystery of nature, a whisky that came from one batch of distillation aged in the same kind of oak cask then aged for the same amount of time in the same warehouse WILL NOT make those whiskys taste the same. That is why distilleries will have master blenders sometimes.

How is whisky produced?

Because I am not a chemistry major and I don't exactly understand what happens during the process I will just state the process and put a bit of explanation:

Step 1: Malting

Barley is malted warm water for 2-3 days then are spread out onto malting floors or malting houses to be turned regularly. After 2-3 days that barley will start germinating. The germination is stopped by drying the malted barley in kilns.

Step 2: Mashing

The malted barley is put into a Mash Tun with warm water. It is to be stirred in there for several hours. The resulting liquid is called wort. 

Step 3: Fermentation

The wort is cooled down and put into large tank called washbacks. Some washbacks may be made of wood but some distilleries use stainless steel. Then the yeast is added to start the fermentation. It usually takes 48 hours but sometimes distilleries will let it go longer. The product is called wash and can be made into beer by brewing them. That's why when people ask "what is whisky?" the easiest answer is "distilled beer".

Step 4: Distillation

The wash is put into copper stills to be distilled. Scottish distilleries usually distill the wash twice but some do it thrice. Distillation is done to make the alcoholic strength of the whisky stronger. They usually come out at 65%-70% after distillation. 

Step 5: Maturation

The new make spirit is put into oak casks to be stored and matured. Alcohol evaporates even when in the casks. So the lost spirits during the process of aging are called "Angel's Share". That is why older whiskys are more expensive and less available. 

What factors affect the flavor of the whisky?

A LOT. 

Casks:

According to distillers, 60-70% of the flavor comes from the type of cask it was aged in. Majority of whisky are aged in bourbon casks. Bourbon casks are made from American White Oak and used to contain Bourbon. American white oak usually has vanilla, cinnamon, cream and toffee flavors. Bourbon casks are used more often because they are cheaper. Other types of casks that are used are rum casks, port pipes, sherry butts and brandy casks. The number of times the cask has been used also affect the amount of flavor and aroma the whisky will have.

Water:

Distilleries often use water from lochs near the distillery. The lochs are often rich with limestone deposits are used during mashing. It is said to give the wash better flavors. Water from the lochs are also used to water down the whisky when they are to be bottled.

Side note: Whiskys that are usually found in the supermarkets with the ABV of 40%? The whisky didn't come out of their casks at 40%. They were watered down so the distillery can bottle more whisky.

Location: 

Because the oak casks, while contain whisky, breathe, they location of where the cask is being aged in affects the flavor. That is why Islay whiskys like Lagavulin and Caol Ila have a seaweed and salty taste to it because the warehouses they were aged in are near the sea.

Barley:

The type of barley that was used for distillation also affects the whisky. The easiest example is peated barley. Peated barley is usually used by Islay distilleries. Peating barleys give the whisky a vegetal and smokey-like flavor.