Lesson 1: Spirits
The Whiskeys
A couple of interesting facts about the word “whiskey.” The word comes from an old Gaelic word, "uisgebaugh", meaning "water of life”. Spelling can also be confusing. Whiskey with an “e" is usually used for American and Irish whiskeys; whisky without the “e” is used for Canadian and Scotch whiskies.
There are two general categories of whiskeys made in the U.S. or Canada. “Straight” whiskeys are made from mash containing at least 51% of one grain type; the remainder can be other whiskeys, grain neutral spirits and water. “Blended” whiskeys need have only 20% of their final volume from straight whiskey.
Bourbon:
Bourbon, named after Bourbon County, Ky., is a corn based straight whiskey. Its smoky flavor and gold color comes from being aged in charred oak barrels for a minimum of two years, although most are aged for four years. Both Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey (see below) are “sour mashes,” which simply means that a portion of the previous mash batch is used to start the next batch in order to promote consistency in taste. Bourbon used to be all batched, i.e. each bottle was blended from several barrels; however, given the popularity of single malt Scotches, manufacturers are also now marketing premium single barreled bourbons.
The best selling bourbon brand is Jim Beam; try their Jim Beam Black 8 year old for a very smooth drink. Popular and commonly available other brands include Wild Turkey and Maker’s Mark. Some smaller brands that have earned high tasting marks include Old Rip Van Winkle, George T. Stags, Elijah Craig, and Labrot & Graham. For a description of several bourbon manufacturers see The Bourbon Trail of Kentucky.
Tennessee Whiskey:
Tennessee whiskey is a first cousin of Bourbon, but manufacturers add a final step of filtering their whiskey through thick beds of sugar maple charcoal. According to the Jack Daniel’s web site, “The process takes ten days, and during this time the whiskey absorbs the essence of the charcoal, refining the spirit and giving it a unique flavor and aroma.” As with bourbon, Tennessee whiskey is also now being offered in a premium, single barreled form.
Besides whiskey under their own name, Jack Daniels markets whiskey under the Gentleman Jack label. George Dickel is the other significant producer.
Rye Whiskey:
This was the first whiskey historically made in the U.S. It was very popular up to Prohibition, when the word “rye” was used both to mean whiskey made largely from fermented rye, as well as whiskey made from other grains. The Canadians still refer to their whiskey as “rye”, but, as shown below, Canadian whiskey is corn based. Rye never regained its popularity – either as an alcohol or as a descriptive word - after prohibition was repealed and is now largely used as a blending whiskey. Old Rip Van Winkle makes a good brand.
Canadian Whisky:
Canadian whiskies are a blend of a variety of whiskies made from corn, wheat, barley, and a little rye. Lighter in both taste and color than American whiskeys; the Canadian Club web site describes their product “as lighter than Scotch and smoother than Bourbon”. It has to be aged a minimum of three years, usually 4-6.
There are several well-known brands of Canadian whisky, including Seagram’s VO, and two bottled by Hiram Walker - Crown Royal and Canadian Club. Lesser-known brands worth seeking out are Wiser’s and Tangle Ridge.
American Blended Whiskey:
“American Blended Whiskey” was the official category created after Prohibition for the brands that are still known simply as “whiskey” and are what is poured if you don’t specify a brand. These whiskeys are made from at least 20% straight whiskey; with the remainder being other whiskeys as well as unaged neutral spirits and water. Since they are blended, the taste is very consistent from bottle to bottle; they are also usually less expensive than the whiskeys described above.
The brands in this category have been consistently losing popularity; in fact Jack Daniels and Jim Beam now account for more than half of all sales in the American whiskey category. Seagram’s 7, Kressler, and Early Times are the most notable brands in the American Blended Whiskey category.
Scotch Whisky: Both “Single malt” and “Blended”
Single Malt:
Prehistorically, the Scotch made ale out of barley malt, but when Irish monks arrived in the ninth century, they brought along primitive stills. With these, they made the first Scotch whisky, which began with malted barley that was dried over peat fires, distilled in a pot still, and aged in wooden caskets. Today, with some refinement in technique, this is still how the Scotch make “single malt” whiskies. Single malts are characterized by the assertive flavor given by the peat smoke and barley.
Until recently, most Americans knew Scotch Whisky only by the labels which predated prohibition - Johnny Walker, Teachers, etc. These are blends of one or more Scotch malted whiskies with grain neutral spirits. They are milder, more uniform, and less expensive than single malts.
There has been a recent explosion in popularity in single malt scotches, which many drinkers compare to the finest cognacs or brandies – they should be sipped straight and luxuriously. As a result of this popularity, many Scotch distilleries, while continuing to produce Scotch to sell to blenders, have begun to market single malts under their own names.
One of the suggested reference books for this course is Michael Jackson’s Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch. I recommend it for anyone looking to explore the world of single malts, which are very expensive. A book such as Jackson’s can help you choose where to invest.
Single malts are characterized by geographic origin, age, and barrel type used in aging, (sherry casks, bourbon barrels, or plain wood).There are over 100 distilleries marketing Single Malts from Scotland, but they can be grouped into five regions. I’ve included some of the more available names from each region. The descriptions are all according to Jackson:
- The Lowlands: This area tends to produce whiskies in which the softness of the malt is evident, less tempered by Highland peatiness or coastal brine and seaweed. Good labels include: Auchestoshan, Ladyburn, and Glenkinchie.
- The Highlands:
- The Western part produces scotches with rounded, firm, dry characters, with some peatiness. Labels include Ben Nevis, Oban, and Glengoyne.
- Scotches from the far northern section have a notably heathery, spicy character. These include bottles from Highland Park, Glenmorangie, and Talisker.
- The South Highlands produce fruity whiskies, e.g. from Glen Garioch, Aberfled, and Blair Atholy.
- Speyside is the heartland of malt distillation. This area contains over half of Scotland’s distilleries and produces whiskeys noted for elegance, complexity, and often a refined smokiness. These scotches are more easily found and include The Macallan, Glenfarclas, Glenlivet, and Glenfiddich labels.
- Campbeltown produces whiskies with a briny character, e.g. Springban and Longrow.
- Islay, an island in the Hebrides, produces single malts noted for their seaweedy, iodine-like, phenolic character. These are bold, intensely flavored Scotches and include labels from Bowmore, Laphroaig, and Lagavulin.
Blended:
While single malts have recently become popular, during most of the 19th and 20th centuries, consumers shied away from their strong flavors and high costs. In order to maximize their market, in the 19th century companies not connected with distilling started buying and blending whiskies from various distilleries while combining malt whiskies with other less expensive whiskies and with grain neutral spirits. Blended scotches are not as fashionable as single malts are today, but they are premium whiskies, with intricate blends designed to maintain taste consistency. Dewar’s, for example, uses over 40 scotches in their blend.
The blended Scotch market includes a variety of products, in different quality and prices. Notable names include Dewar’s, Cutty Sark, Chivas Regal, Johnnie Walker, J&B, Ballantines, and Teachers. The most popular Scotch sold is Johnnie Walker’s Red label. Most of these are whiskies aged 8 years. However, like most of these companies, Johnnie Walker markets premium brands that are aged longer ,including a Black label (aged 12 years), and a Blue label (made initially for the Japanese market) which sells for over $200. Other lesser known names include Black Bottle, Bell’s Catto’s, Famous Grouce, and Green Plaid.
Irish Whiskey:
Irish Whiskey is made either from malted barley or from a mixture of malted and unmalted barley and other cereals. It does not have Scotch’s characteristic peat and smoky flavor, as the malt is dried in closed kilns, not over open peat fires, (although there is now one exception). Generally, Irish whiskey is considered smoother and sweeter than Scotch.
Irish whiskey has an impressive heritage. Bushmill’s is the oldest licensed distillery in the world, being given a license by King James 1 in 1608. However, modern Irish whiskey history is characterized by an intense consolidation of manufacturers for a variety of economic and political reasons. In 1966, the three remaining distilling companies in the Irish Republic — Powers, Jameson, and Cork Distilleries — merged into a single company, Irish Distillers Company (IDC). In 1972, Bushmills, the only remaining independent Northern Irish distillery, was bought by IDC.
From 1975 until 1989, only two IDC owned distilleries operated in the country, although output is marketed under a variety of names. Besides Bushmill’s and Jameson’s, some labels that have received good ratings include Tellamore, Brennan’s, Knappogue Castle, and John Power. In 1989, a new distillery, Cooley, started operations, releasing its first product in 1992. With the aid of outside backers, including Moet-Hennessey, Cooley stood off the IDC and has expanded acquiring the John Lock and Tyrconnell brand names.
The Irish whiskeys identified above are all blends. Both Cooley and Bushmill’s produce non-peated Irish single malts. Bushmill’s single malt is characterized by having been aged in three different casks (sherry, bourbon, and port).
In 1996, under the Connemara name, Cooley released Ireland’s only peated single malt whiskey.
