Whisky 101 for dummies: Single malt v/s single grain, peated v/s unpeated, and many more questions answered

Bourbon can only be made in the US due to the strict federal standards that govern its identity. Bourbon is intricately linked to the ‘Bluegrass State’, as Kentucky is known. While 95 percent of bourbons are made in Kentucky, some other states have begun producing their version. In a good bourbon, you would look for a hint of sweetness, vanilla flavours and smoothness.

Jim Beam leads the bourbon pack, but there is also Evan Williams, Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek, and not to forget Maker’s Mark or Angel’s Envy Bourbon, considered to be the smoothest of the lot, besides the classics — Buffalo Trace (that draws its name from ancient buffalo carved paths in Kentucky, which was followed by American explorers to discover the region) and Blanton’s.

Single malt distillery.

Single Malt Scotch: A Single Malt Scotch whisky is made in Scotland. The 'single' in 'single malt' denotes a whisky that is a product of a single distillery. It could contain whisky from several different casks, but all produced in one distillery. In the case of single malt, the grain is exclusively barley, generally malted barley. Again, this is different from single grain whiskies.

Single Grain Whiskies: These do not have to be produced from malted barley. Other malted or unmalted cereals such as wheat, corn or rye can be used. Single grain whiskies also differ from single malts in how they are distilled. Single malts are distilled using traditional pot stills, while single grains are distilled in column stills.

A distillery with columns.

A thing to note: Single Malt Whiskies do not have to be made in Scotland. Countries such as India and Japan are doing a great job of producing world-class single malts. But Single Malt Scotch or Scotch Whisky is necessarily made in Scotland.

Aberlour 16 Year Old.

Some fabulous single malts include Aberlour 16 year old, GlenDronach Original 12 year old, Ardbeg, an Islay cult favourite for its smoky flavours, Lagavulin 16 Year Old, Glen Grant’s 18YO Rare Edition, or Mithuna from the home-grown Paul John brand, which just been judged as the third best whisky in the world by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible for 2021.

Paul John Mithuna.

Among the top single grain whiskies are Port Dundas 1978, Lochside 1964, and the Japanese whisky, Suntory’s The Chita Single Grain.

Blended Whisky: An artful blend of different whiskies and other neutral grain spirits. There is also the Blended Scotch Whisky, a marriage of either one or several single malts and grain whisky that have been aged for at least three years in oak barrels.

“History tells us that whiskies were once blended. Way back in the 1600s, single malt scotch had a very strong and raw flavour that not everyone enjoyed. Through blending, a scotch that had a milder flavour and appealed to a wider market was made,” says Colin Scott, the former master blender of Chivas Regal. The iconic blended scotch whiskies: Chivas Regal 12 YO, Ballantine’s Finest, Johnnie Walker Black Label 12YO, and Dewar’s 25 years Old.

Ballantine's Finest.

What is the difference between Highlands and Lowlands?

The difference between the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands is not just reflected in the scotch whiskies but is also rooted in a rather complex history, geography and cultural parameters.

Scott says that the fine line dividing the two runs diagonally through the middle of Scotland, from the Isle of Arran in the southwest to Inverness in the north. The Highlands are rugged, isolated, secluded mountain areas with ancient whisky-producing clans. Lowlands are far less rugged, with stretches of agricultural land and rolling pastures.

Scottish Highlands.

Highland distilleries primarily produce bold single malt made from 100% malted barley at a single distillery, brewed in pot stills that preserve the flavourful congeners produced during the fermentation process. Lowland whiskies could also be made with wheat and/or corn. Many Lowland distilleries also boast of huge continuous column stills, many stories high, to produce enormous quantities of grain whisky that is light and grassy in flavour.

Scottish lowlands.

If the starkly beautiful Highlands are home to distilleries such as Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich, Chivas, Dalmore, Aberlour, Balblair, Macallan and many more, Lowlands are defined by Glenkinchie, Auchentoshan and Bladnoch.

Which are the other whisky-producing regions that have given us amazing whiskies?

There is an old favourite, of course, Irish Whiskies, made in Ireland using barley, malt and water. While the Irish, much like Americans, spell their whisky with an ‘e’, their ingredients are similar to those used in Scotch. The latter are dried over peat, the smoke from which transforms its aromas and flavours. While Bourbon and Scotch are usually distilled twice, Irish whiskey is generally distilled three times for a lighter spirit. In Ireland, a spirit must spend a minimum of three years maturing on the island of Ireland, to be able to call itself Irish.

Jameson.

Jameson Irish Whisky is an icon. Founded by John Jameson in Dublin in 1780, this smooth blended Irish whiskey has been produced through two world wars, an Irish civil war and American prohibition. Among other Irish whiskies: The strangely named The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey, Tullamore D.E.W Original, Redbreast and Teeling are the other famous Irish whiskies.

John Jameson.

Japanese whisky rose to the top of the whisky ladder almost a decade ago, though its whisky story began in the early 20th century. To be more precise in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru journeyed from Japan to Scotland to learn the art of whisky-making. In 1923, he joined hands with Shinjiro Torii to establish the country’s first distillery, Yamazaki, outside Kyoto, thus laying the foundation of the House of Suntory.

Nikka distillery.

In 1834, Taketsuru broke away to set up his distillery, Yoichi on the northern island of Hokkaido, which is home to Nikka Whisky. Between the two, the brands dominate the worldwide Japanese whisky market.

Nikka whisky.

Japanese whisky, much like single malt in India, employs techniques used to make Scotch whisky. Malted barley—often peated and imported from Scotland—and other grains are used to make both Japanese and Indian whisky. These are either distilled twice in pot stills or, for grain whiskies designated for blends run through continuous column stills.

The Indian single malt story is dominated by three brands: Paul John, Amrut and Rampur. The last of the three comes from the Radico Khaitan Distillery, who has been in the whisky business since 2016. Rampur single malts are aged in the foothills of the Himalayas. Often rich and fruity on the nose, the palate is malty and creamy. There is Amrut, the first of the block set up in 2004 by the Jagdales. Till then, India could only produce molasses-based whisky, which Europe or Scotland would never classify as a ‘whisky’. In August 2004, Amrut Fusion Single Malt was launched in Glasgow, marking Indian whiskies debut on the world stage.

Paul P John.

But the most complex of all Indian whiskies is what comes from the Paul John stable, spearheaded by Paul P John and master distiller Michael D’souza. Their single malts are made from six-row barley sources from across Rajasthan, Haryana and the Himalayan countryside, and produced in Goa. Their copper pot-stills are designed to create fruitier spirits. The brand has produced some excellent limited edition rarities, such as Mars Orbiter and their Christmas Editions, 2018 and 2019, not to mention the Zodiac series.

Maeter distiller Michael D'suza.

So, what does an age statement refer to?

If a bottle of Scotch whisky shows an age statement, such as ‘12 Years Old’ or ’18 Years Old’, it means the youngest single malt whisky in the bottle is at least 12 or 18 years old.

Some of the most expensive whiskies in the world have been matured for 18 or 21 or even 25 years. The wood from the barrels a scotch (or any whisky) is aged intends to break down the rougher flavours in the alcohol.

Generations Mortlach 75 Years Old.

Increasingly, there are also ‘No Age Statement Whisky’. Many distilleries and brands have stopped putting out an age statement because, in the last ten years, aged stocks have depleted. NAS allows distillers and blenders to experiment and innovate much earlier in the maturation cycle. Laphroaig’s Triple Wood focuses on the fact that it has been matured in three different casks, rather than how long has the maturation process been?

GlenDronach Original 12 year old.

So, is whisky matured in casks other than oak?

Bourbon is normally aged in new barrels, giving it a cleaner, smoother taste. Barrels used to age bourbon are reused to age Scotch whisky, which benefits from the bourbon flavours that infuse single malts with a richer, full-bodied taste.

Sherry finish casks.

Increasingly, different casks are being used to experiment with flavour and nose profiles. The wood finish cask is made from virgin American, Irish or Japanese oak and adds a flavour profile of spice, vanilla and sweet oak, such as in Midleton Dair Ghaelach. Wine Finish is a quintessential French oak from a wine region in France, such as Bordeaux. It infuses the whisky with notes of red berry and plum, such as in Glenmorangie Quarter Century or Glenfiddich’s Age of Discovery 19 YO Red Wine Cask Finish.

Balvenie Distillery uses floor maltings for some of its barley.

Sherry finish is whisky aged in European or American oak barrel in which sherry has been the first aged. It infuses the whisky with flavours such as dates, walnuts and sultana, as can be tasted in Blavenie DoubleWood and Lagavulin Distillers Edition.

Madeira finish is a whisky matured in a Portuguese oak barrel in which Madeira wine has been aged before. Laphroaig Cairdeas 2016’s figs and spice flavours are thanks to its maturation in a Madeira finish cask.

What is the difference between peated and unpeated single malts?

A: The accumulation of water in boggy areas slows down the decomposition of plant material such as moss, grass and tree roots, leading to the creation of peat. Peated whiskies are suffused with a smoky flavour by compounds that are released by the peat fires used to dry malted barley. The result is a beautiful smoky flavour and aroma. The malt for unpeated whisky is dried with hot air, without any smoke.

What is an angel’s share?

A: Due to the porousness of an oak barrel, often some amount of spirit inside it evaporates or disappears during the critical ageing process. The master distillers call it the ‘angel’s share’, or spirit that has “evaporated to the angels in heaven”. The “angel’s share” phenomenon helps in the maturation process, leading to a smoother whisky.

Dalmore 64 Trinitas.

Which are the most expensive whiskies in the world?

A: Isabella’s Islay has been auctioned at a price tag of 6 million dollars in the past. The decanter that holds the spirit features 8,500 diamonds, 300 rubies all set in white gold. The Macallan M is priced at $6.28 million, again because of the decanter—crystal handcrafted by 17 artisans. Dalmore 64 Trinitas, priced at $1.6 million, features whiskeys that have been preserved since 1868, 1878 and 1916. Only three bottles of this rare whisky were ever made, and only one is available for sale.

Generations Mortlach 75 Years Old.

There are, of course, whiskeys that are less rare and priced more modestly. The Generations Mortlach 75 Years Old has a lovely auburn colour and flavours of candied plums. It costs Rs 22.7 lakh. Balvenie 50-year-old, sold at Rs 38 lakh, brims with dark fruits and a honey-spice finish.

Glenfiddich’s 1937 Rare Collection, nurtured under the specialist care of generations of malt masters, is priced at Rs 90 lakh. The expression has been matured for 64 years in the cask and only 61 bottles have ever been produced.