Hot Topic: The Basics of Scotch Whiskey
From Scotchnoted.com
November 1, 2010
If you’re just now getting into whisky, you’re probably wondering, why is one whisky spelled “whisky,” while another is spelled “whiskey?” The answer is very simple. It is all in what the distillers prefer. Any Scotch Whisky or Canadian Whisky is spelled whisky. Irish and American whiskey is spelled whiskey. However, there are some exceptions such as Kentucky- bourbon and rye, the latter have the “e,” while Early Times/Old Forester Distillery and Maker’s Mark do not. In Tennessee, Jack Daniel’s does and Dickle does not. Think you’ve got it mastered?
The term Single Malt Scotch Whisky can be broken down into parts. The word “single” means that the whisky comes from one specific distillery. A distillery is where whisky is made. The word “malt” means that the whisky is made entirely from malted barley. Malted barley means that the harvested barley has been germinated (tricked into sprouting prematurely). The words “Scotch Whisky” can only be used if the whisky has been made and aged in Scotland, opposed to any other country. It also must be at least 80 proof. Ireland makes whisky, however it is not “Scotch.”
What makes scotch so unique is that no other beverage can be identified by the country that it is made in. Ireland, Japan, Canada, and the United States make fine whiskies, but they cannot be identified like Scotch Whisky does of its native Scotland. In Scotland all you have to do is ask for whisky and it is automatically assumed that you mean Scotch whisky. In any other country it is not as precise. If you go into a bar in the United States and ask for whisky, the bartender may ask you “what kind?” In Scotland, whisky is commonly identified by the brand alone.
My mom asked me, after reading some of my work, “What is a vatted malt?” Vatted malt means that all the whisky in a particular bottle does not come from one single distillery. It comes from multiple single malt distilleries. Johnnie Walker makes an expression called Johnnie Walker Pure Malt. It is a vatted malt. Some of the whisky in that bottle comes from one distillery, and some comes from another. By bringing different distilleries together you get a unique product. The term pure malt is sometimes used and means the same thing as single or vatted malt.
Speaking of Johnnie Walker Brand, it is good to know that most of their whisky is blended. A blended whisky is different than a single malt whisky. A blend contains grain whisky. Grain whisky can be made from grains including maize, rye, barley, oats, wheat, and corn. Johnnie Walker Red Label, Black Label, Gold Label, and Blue Label are all made with a portion of grain whisky. A blend can contain single malt whisky, but if even one milliliter of the whisky is grain whisky, it is called a blend.
Each Scotch Whisky is as unique as different personalities. Some are hot tempered and volatile and some are very smooth and gentle. For example, a whisky taken straight from the cask (cask strength whisky) that has not been chill-filtered or diluted with water will be hot, alcoholic, and strong. A few distilleries that have these cask strength whiskies are Bowmore, Glenfarclas, and The Macallan. On the other side of things, a 21 year old whisky will be mellow, creamy, and smooth. Many ranges have 18-year-old whiskies and up into the 25 and 30 year old category. They can also be found at specialist retailers.
Most of the whisky made at a distillery is shipped out for blending, especially in the lowlands. This extra supply is where independent bottlers fit in. The difference between an official bottling and an independent bottling is that Independent whiskies may come from a certain vintage (from just one particular year), are cask strength, may not have been chill-filtered, and may come from just one cask. A broker buys individual casks from the open market or distillery and bottles them under their own label. Gordon & Macphail is one such bottler. They have their own store with a warehouse of over seven thousand casks. Others include William illiam Cadenhead, The Adelphi Distillery Ltd., Hart Brothers, Murray McDavid, Signatory, and Blackadder International. You will see a bottle on the shelf from an independent bottler and it will say for example “distilled at Dalmore.” In the case of Gordon and Macphail, this means that they bought the cask from Dalmore where it was made and distilled, and aged it in their own warehouse.
Scotch Whisky is directly related to its geography and to the atmosphere in which it is made. Each single malt comes from a specific region in Scotland (more on this in the Regional Differences section). For starters, look at the Classic Six Malts put out by United Distillers. Each one comes from a different region in Scotland and each has its own set of characteristics. They are all made in same fashion, but they take shape from the unique location in which they’re made. Glenkinchie is from the Eastern Lowlands, Oban is from the Western Higlands, Talisker is from the Isle of Skye, Dalwhinnie is from the Central Highlands, Cragganmore is from Speyside, and Lagavulin is from Islay. They are all related as Scottish Single Malts, but each tastes different because it comes from a distinct region in Scotland.
The purpose of this manuscript is not to impress upon you a wealth of information I have taken in over the past four years. The information can be useful, but then again, it is a “quick reference to Scotch Whisky.” It is a beginner’s look at history of Scotch, how it’s made, the differences the regions have, and my own personal tasting notes of major whiskies that can be found on the shelves of common and specialist retailers.
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