I am almost two patiala pegs down as I write this...
I've had so many different spirits from various parts of world but, whenever I have "Whisky on the rocks", it just feels like home. Probably because this is one drink that we have often at home (well not on the rocks at home ;))
What is Whisky/whiskey?
It is a type of liquor basically made from grain mash.
Scotch, Bourbon, Rye, whisky are all of same family - Whisky.
There are three main factors which determine the type of whiskey:
1. Where it is made.
2. The type and proportion of grain used.
3. How it's aged/matured.
So, if you see someone drinking Johnny Walker Black Label or Dewars White label and says, "whisky", that's correct. But if someone asks you, "if you'd like a bourbon", and pours Bushmills or Johnny Walker (JW) then he doesn't know about whiskies. Because, Bushmills is Irish whiskey and JW is scotch!.
P.S: Whisky and Whiskey both are valid spellings. In U.K it's spelt without -e and in US with -e.
What is a Scotch whisky?
For a whisky to be called as scotch, it has to be distilled in Scotland and then aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks.
Typically scotch is a malt whisky rather than a grain whisky. Which means malted barley is the main ingredient and not any other grain like corn, wheat or rye. Typically the malted barley used to make the scotch is dried over peat fires, which gives scotch a distinct, smoky flavour you don't find in other whiskies.
What is a bourbon whisky?
For a whisky to be called as bourbon, it has to be made in the U.S and then aged for a minimum of two years in oak casks.
Bourbon is a made from mash which consists of at least 51% corn
Like Scotch, there is blended bourbon and single-malt bourbon, however it's not called as "single-malt", instead it's called "single-barrel".
Another aspect when we talk about whiskies is, "Single Malt" or ''Blended'.
Every kind of whisky, be it, bourbon, scotch, rye or whatever, can be either single malt/barrel or blended.
Single Malt / Single Barrel:
Single malt and single barrel whiskies come from the same batch at one single distillery. Thus, scotch is single-malt scotch when it is made from a single batch of 100% malted barley, and the same goes for Irish whiskey.
With bourbon it’s slightly different. Like scotch, they call it single-barrel bourbon when it’s from the same batch; however, since bourbon by definitely only has to be just 51% corn (the rest of the mash can be any mix of other grains), single-barrel does not mean it’s 100% corn.
Nevertheless, single-barrel bourbon and single-malt scotch are advanced whiskies. Because they come from a single batch from a single distillery, single-malt/barrel whiskies are very unique and distinctive. The type of water used, the character of the soil in which the grains are grown, the flavors imparted by the wood used for the casks—all of these come through in unblended whiskies. And this is even more the case for single-malt whiskies than for single-barrel bourbons, since they also use only one grain.
Blended:
Blended whiskies are the most popular in the world. All the brands you are most familiar with, are blended: Jameson, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker, VAT69, Chivas Regal, Crown Royal, etc.
Basically, these are whiskies that are made by combining multiple single-malt or single-barrel whiskies. The reason for blending? To create a well-rounded, balanced whiskey that is both lighter and smoother, and thus easier to sip.
Blended whiskies can be either a blend of whiskies made from the same grain but from multiple distilleries from different parts of the world, or they can be made from whiskies made from a variety of grains. Johnnie Walker, for example, is a blend of mostly wheat and corn, while, Seagrams is like the cornucopia of whiskies — a little bit of everything.
The important thing to remember is this: although the term single-malt scotch has come to be considered the epitome of whiskey in recent years, there aint nothing wrong with blended whiskey — so long as it’s the good stuff, like Johnnie Walker or Chivas Regal. Like I said, they blend whiskies to make them balanced and cover all the whisky flavor bases. So if it’s done well, then blended whiskies will give you everything the spirit has to offer.
Last but not the least
Before sipping your whisky give it a sniff, believe me you will love it!
When you sip, don't just throw it inside and swallow. It is not supposed to be taken at one shot! Instead try to keep it in your mouth for a while or make like chewing it, you may get the flavour of sweet, spicy, dried fruit, leather, wood, smoke, earth... you may feel stupid but it works.
I've had so many different spirits from various parts of world but, whenever I have "Whisky on the rocks", it just feels like home. Probably because this is one drink that we have often at home (well not on the rocks at home ;))
What is Whisky/whiskey?
It is a type of liquor basically made from grain mash.
Scotch, Bourbon, Rye, whisky are all of same family - Whisky.
There are three main factors which determine the type of whiskey:
1. Where it is made.
2. The type and proportion of grain used.
3. How it's aged/matured.
So, if you see someone drinking Johnny Walker Black Label or Dewars White label and says, "whisky", that's correct. But if someone asks you, "if you'd like a bourbon", and pours Bushmills or Johnny Walker (JW) then he doesn't know about whiskies. Because, Bushmills is Irish whiskey and JW is scotch!.
P.S: Whisky and Whiskey both are valid spellings. In U.K it's spelt without -e and in US with -e.
What is a Scotch whisky?
Typically scotch is a malt whisky rather than a grain whisky. Which means malted barley is the main ingredient and not any other grain like corn, wheat or rye. Typically the malted barley used to make the scotch is dried over peat fires, which gives scotch a distinct, smoky flavour you don't find in other whiskies.
For a whisky to be called as bourbon, it has to be made in the U.S and then aged for a minimum of two years in oak casks.
Bourbon is a made from mash which consists of at least 51% corn
Like Scotch, there is blended bourbon and single-malt bourbon, however it's not called as "single-malt", instead it's called "single-barrel".
What is an Irish whisky?
For a whisky to be called as Irish, it has to be made in Ireland and distilled for a minimum of three years in wooden casks.
Like scotch, Irish whisky is almost always malt whisky (i.e. made from barley) but unlike scotch, it isn't roasted over peat. Instead it's roasted over charcoal or in gas kilns, which leaves a cleaner, sweet malt taste.
Also, Irish whisky is triple distilled and scotch is double distilled, which also yields a clearer taste.
Like scotch, Irish whisky is almost always malt whisky (i.e. made from barley) but unlike scotch, it isn't roasted over peat. Instead it's roasted over charcoal or in gas kilns, which leaves a cleaner, sweet malt taste.
Also, Irish whisky is triple distilled and scotch is double distilled, which also yields a clearer taste.
What is a Canadian whisky?
For a whisky to be called as Canadian, it has to be made in Canada and aged for a minimum of three years in wooden barrels but, there is no rule regarding the type of grain.
what is a Rye whisky?
For a whisky to be called as bourb, it has to be made in the U.S and then aged for a minimum of two years in oak casks.
Bourbon is a made from mash which consists of at least 51% corn
Bourbon is a made from mash which consists of at least 51% corn
Another aspect when we talk about whiskies is, "Single Malt" or ''Blended'.
Every kind of whisky, be it, bourbon, scotch, rye or whatever, can be either single malt/barrel or blended.
Single Malt / Single Barrel:
Single malt and single barrel whiskies come from the same batch at one single distillery. Thus, scotch is single-malt scotch when it is made from a single batch of 100% malted barley, and the same goes for Irish whiskey.
With bourbon it’s slightly different. Like scotch, they call it single-barrel bourbon when it’s from the same batch; however, since bourbon by definitely only has to be just 51% corn (the rest of the mash can be any mix of other grains), single-barrel does not mean it’s 100% corn.
Nevertheless, single-barrel bourbon and single-malt scotch are advanced whiskies. Because they come from a single batch from a single distillery, single-malt/barrel whiskies are very unique and distinctive. The type of water used, the character of the soil in which the grains are grown, the flavors imparted by the wood used for the casks—all of these come through in unblended whiskies. And this is even more the case for single-malt whiskies than for single-barrel bourbons, since they also use only one grain.
Blended:
Blended whiskies are the most popular in the world. All the brands you are most familiar with, are blended: Jameson, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker, VAT69, Chivas Regal, Crown Royal, etc.
Basically, these are whiskies that are made by combining multiple single-malt or single-barrel whiskies. The reason for blending? To create a well-rounded, balanced whiskey that is both lighter and smoother, and thus easier to sip.
Blended whiskies can be either a blend of whiskies made from the same grain but from multiple distilleries from different parts of the world, or they can be made from whiskies made from a variety of grains. Johnnie Walker, for example, is a blend of mostly wheat and corn, while, Seagrams is like the cornucopia of whiskies — a little bit of everything.
The important thing to remember is this: although the term single-malt scotch has come to be considered the epitome of whiskey in recent years, there aint nothing wrong with blended whiskey — so long as it’s the good stuff, like Johnnie Walker or Chivas Regal. Like I said, they blend whiskies to make them balanced and cover all the whisky flavor bases. So if it’s done well, then blended whiskies will give you everything the spirit has to offer.
Last but not the least
Before sipping your whisky give it a sniff, believe me you will love it!
When you sip, don't just throw it inside and swallow. It is not supposed to be taken at one shot! Instead try to keep it in your mouth for a while or make like chewing it, you may get the flavour of sweet, spicy, dried fruit, leather, wood, smoke, earth... you may feel stupid but it works.
