De-mystifying Whiskey
History of alcohol is as old as civilization. The wine was created almost 8 thousand years ago managed to infuse itself into many religions and customs over the world. But the whiskey managed to became synonym of a Scottish history and one of the most popular modern alcoholic beverages. It is the national drink of the Scots and probably their first love. It gained worldwide popularity after 15th century.
The first records of that process of making alcohol via distillation was found in the archeological digs of millennia BC Babylon and Mesopotamia. Initially used for creation of perfumes and aromas, distillation slowly spread across the ancient civilizations where it received numerous adaptations and improvements, finally finding its home behind the walls of the European Christian monasteries. Stability of their order and the need to produce several types of alcoholic beverages that were used is several of their religious ceremonies preserved the process of fermentation and distillation during the harsh times of dark and middle ages.
There are claims and counter claims about the origin of grain distillation. Asia, the middle East, Valhalla… nobody can say for sure but the fact remains that most cultures have used the similar technology and the natural ingredients from the land to flavor.
It is believed that distillation came to the areas of Scotland and Ireland between 11th and 13th century with Christian monks, but some records show that Ancient Celts practiced distillation during the production of their "uisge beatha" (water of life). Low access to grapes was one of the deciding factors in the popularization of beer and whiskey in northern Europe. Through the decades of perfecting the process of distillation, Scotts soon become the world leaders in production of quality whiskey. By the time the first written record of whiskey appeared in 1494, production and consumption of whisky in Scotland have already reached mass appeal. In that historic record, Friar John Cor received "eight bolls of malt to make aqua vitae", which was enough for the production of around 1500 bottles of whiskey.
Popularity of whiskey continued to grow during the early years of 16th century, until 1541 when English King Henry VIII dissolved monasteries in Scotland. This event forced newly unemployed monks to start private production of whiskey, and they soon spread their knowledge across entire Scotland. In the beginning of the 18th century, Scottish love toward the whiskey put to test again when English crown merged with the Scotland and imposed new harsh taxes on any unlicensed alcohol brewery. To combat the taxes Scottish brewers started producing their beverage illegally. Thousands secret distilleries started making whiskey all across the northern England, often working only during night when low visibility hid the smokes from their fires, during this period whiskey received his famous nickname "moonshine". Smuggling of whiskey soon became an art form, and numerous fights between smugglers and Scottish and English government officials fought daily for over 150 years. I was traveling in the highlands of Scotland in 2015, there the guide showed us a lake where during a raid at the time of prohibition distillers dumped the stock of his whiskey !
During the years of Scott's heavy taxation, shortages of whiskey around the world had great felt. Most notably, during American Revolution whiskey became very scarce and was often used as a currency. Few years after end of the war, US Government repeated the same mistake as in Scotland and introduced heavy taxes on the ingredients, production and sales of whiskey. This brought great dissatisfaction among US farm workers, who promptly started famous "Whiskey Rebellion".
End of the struggles for whiskey makers in Scotland finally came in 1823, when English government introduced a law that enabled legalization of whiskey production. This event rejuvenated whiskey manufacturing across entire Scotland and Ireland, and drove new wave of technical innovation. One of the greatest inventions of that time was "continuous still" that was brought by Robert Stein it was later patented by Aeneas Coffey. It enabled brewers to produce whisky much faster, and to improve the quality.
Second half of 19th century was marked by two important events. Scott Andrew ushered successfully perfected blended whiskey, and managed to market it to the rest of the world making it one of the most successful alcoholic beverages. Another factor was the sudden spreading of the pest Phylloxera which managed to decimate worldwide production of wine. Faced with greatly reduced output of new wines, worldwide drinking population turned their attention to the whiskey.
The last big hit on the worldwide production of whiskey happened during first half of 20th century. After few centuries of making whiskey in North America. The started calling it Bourbon from the year 1823.
Distilleries overnight become illegal when public pressure forced US government to ban sale, manufacturing, and transportation of alcohol between 1920 to 1933. During the period of Prohibition distilleries all around the US received crippling blow, and only very limited production of religious wines and medicinal whiskey was allowed to remain. As with the 150 year long alcohol ban in Scotland, United States public soon began its own underground movement for production and transportation of alcohol. Rise of small crimes, formation of very organized criminal organization and public pressure brought the end of Prohibition in 1933, but the consumption of alcohol remained in pre-prohibition levels for the next three decades. Advancements within the alcohol industry were also severely crippled, and vast majority of pre-prohibition breweries were forced to shut down their businesses, which led to the closure of many taverns, mass loss of jobs and overall economic reversal. The effects of Prohibition had great impact on the culture of the US - heavy drinks rose in popularity of the expense on previously popular beer and wine, and appearance of women drinkers in saloons and bars became socially acceptable.
Popularity of whiskey continues to grow with each passing year, and in 2009 Scottish brewers managed to export record breaking 1.1 billion bottles of whisky to the customers around the world.
What is so unique and special about Single Malt ?
It is made solely from malted barley in copper pot still, this is the original whiskey of the Scottish Highlands. The single malt is the product of an individual distillery. In Scotland, it must be matured for atleast three years.
All single malt goes through a similar batch production process, as outlined below. There are several types of single malts available from distilleries including single barrel single malts which are the product of a single batch that was stored for three or more years in a single oak barrel. These single barrel variants afford the opportunity for the consumer to see the influence of different types of storage on the same whiskey (e.g., first use bourbon whiskey barrels, port pipes, etc.). The more common form of Single Malt is a marrying at bottling time of various batches that are mixed or vatted to achieve consistent flavors from one bottling run to the next.
Process
Water is first added to the barley to promote germination. At a later stage, prior to fermentation, it is mixed with ground barley grist to create a mash. Water is also used later in the production process to dilute most whisky before maturation, and added once again before bottling.
Most distilleries use different water sources in the various steps, and this becomes a crucial part of the character of the end product.
Most new-make malt whisky is diluted to about 62.5% before it is placed in casks to mature. These days, many distilleries are using distilled water for diluting whisky before it is casked as well as for diluting the whisky to bottling strength (40-46% Alcohol by Volume (ABV)) after maturation. Others, like Jura or Bruichladdich use water from local burns or springs to dilute new-make before it is casked. Much new-make whisky is shipped in tanker trucks to central warehouses where local tap water is used to dilute it before casking, and again at bottling time Since large amounts of water are used during the process of whisky production, water supplies are a key factor for the location of any distillery.
The germination is halted (by heating) after three to five days, when the optimum amount of starch has been converted to fermentable sugars. The method for drying the germinated barley is by heating it with hot air produced by an oil, coal or even electric heat source.
In most cases, some level of smoke from a peat -heated fire is introduced to the kiln to add phenols, a smoky aroma and flavor to the whisky. Some of the more intensely smoky malts have phenol levels between 25 and 50 parts per million (ppm). Islay malts have a reputation for being the most peaty. More subtle malts can have phenol levels of around 2–3 ppm. Entirely non-smoked (non-peated, unpeated) malts are made by the Glengoyne Distillery, which only uses hot air for drying.
The malt is milled into a coarse flour (grist) which is made of three substances: (1) Husks (70%); (2) Grits (20%); and Flour (10%); to which three courses of hot water are added to extract the sugars,
The extraction is done in a large kettle (usually made of stainless steel) called a mash tun. At first, the hot water dissolves the sugars (maltose) and enzymes (diastase) in the grist. Then the enzymes act on the starch left over from the malting stage, continuing the conversion to sugar, and producing a sugary liquid called wort. Typically, each batch of grist is mashed three times or so to extract all the fermentable sugars. The first water is injected at approximately 60 °C, the second portion at approximately 72 °C and the third and final portion at approximately 88 °C. The wort from the first two water courses is drained into "washback" vessels for further processing, whereas the third course is retained as the first charge in the next batch.
Yeast is added to the wort in a large vessel (often tens of thousands of litre called a washback. Washbacks are commonly made of Oregon Pine or stainless steel. The yeast feeds on the sugars and as a by-product produces both carbon dioxide and alcohol. This process is called fermentation and can take up to three days to complete. When complete, the liquid has an alcohol content of 5 to 7% by volume, and is now known as wash Up until this point the process has been quite similar to the production of beer.
Yeast is added to the wort in a large vessel (often tens of thousands of litres called a washback. Washbacks are commonly made of Oregon Pine or stainless steel. The yeast feeds on the sugars and as a by-product produces both carbon dioxide and alcohol l. This process is called fermentation and can take up to three days to complete. When complete, the liquid has an alcohol content of 5 to 7% by volume, and is now known as wash. Up until this point the process has been quite similar to the production of beer.
To be called a single malt whisky in Scotland, a bottle may only contain whisky distilled from malted barley and produced at a single distillery. The regulations of other countries may allow malted rye.
If the bottle is the product of malt whiskies produced at more than one distillery, the whisky is called a blended malt or vatted malt, or pure malt. If a single malt is mixed with grain whiskey, the result is a blended whiskey. Single malts can be bottled by the distillery that produced them or by an independent bottler.
The age statement on a bottle of single malt whisky is the age of the youngest malt in the mix, as commonly the whiskies of several years are mixed in a vat to create a more consistent house style. On occasion, the product of a single cask of whisky is bottled without being vatted with other casks, and released as a ‘Single cask’ offering. However, it is not always clear what the term "single cask" refers to. At least some producers release vattings of multiple barrels that have been matured together for one final period in a larger single cask as "single cask" whisky.
While cask strength, or undiluted, whisky (sometimes having an alcohol content upwards of 60%) has recently become popular, the vast majority of whisky is diluted to its "bottling strength" - between 40% and 46% ABV - and bottled for sale.
Whiskey can be ‘chill filtered’ : chilled to precipitate out fatty acid esters and then filtered to remove them. Most whiskies are bottled this way, unless specified as unchillfiltered or non chill filtered. Unchillfiltered whisky will often turn cloudy when stored at cool temperatures or when cool water is added to them, and this is perfectly normal. Unchillfiltered, cask-strength whisky is generally regarded as whisky in its purest form.
Unlike wine, whiskey does not continue to mature in the bottle.
Oak Cask Magic
Single malt Whiskey is stored and matured in Oak Casks. The experts believe that the magic of Whiskey comes from these casks.
Whiskey spirit enters the wooden Oak Cask as the clear liquid but once in wood, four reactions take place.
Top Scott Single Malt Brands
One of the joys in scotch is its variety, the great breadth of flavor sitting in the soils and water and barley across Scotland. The gentle drams from the rolling hills of Speyside are no less delicious, and no less worthwhile, than the peaty beasts from Islay. If you have a preference – wonderful. If not – why worry? There is nothing but wasted breath in arguing over which is better.
Finally, drink it however you like. Why shouldn’t you put ice in it, if you fancy? What’s wrong with a little water? Getting fussy about these things isn’t going to cheer anyone up. Nor is getting scientific: anyone with a pipet adding water by the drop is kidding themselves. Lighten up: that’s what whisky is for.
1. Glen Grant 10 Year Old, 40%
If you’re ever in Rothes, stay at the Station Hotel and walk down the road to the Glen Grant distillery. It’s a beautiful spot – roe deer sometimes run in the gardens – but until you get there, try this dram. It’s an elegant, typically smooth Speyside, and very easy to drink. The packaging has changed but the stuff inside is as good as ever, fruity and floral and excellent for the money. A drop of water doesn’t hurt it, but if you like adding water to whisky, the 12-year-old is the best for that.
2. Jura Tastival 51%
Like any hobby, sometimes the story is as important as the product itself. Besides, if you’re gifting it, there’s something to talk about. The Tastival series is a limited edition run, and this year it’s a 51 per cent, triple-sherry finished, non-chill filtered dram. Consequently, it’s all maple and raisins, sultanas and hazelnuts – or, to be plain, it’s very Christmassy. The youngest whisky in the blend is 14 years old. Elsewhere in the range,the 30 year old Jurais the best of the bunch by some distance, but you’ll need to really splash out.
3. Royal Brackla 16 Year Old, 40%
We handed a glass of this to a close friend who took a sip and went: “That’s the best whiskey I’ve ever had, hands down”. It’s that sort of drink: it’ll grab you from the off. Add to that the fact it’s a gorgeous colour, comes in an impressive package and has a cork that makes that perfect ‘pop’ sound (the sound that says: “Let’s toast!”). It’s sherried, so a little sweet, but there’s some smoke and spice in there, a bit of cinnamon and ginger. It’s clean, but the kind of drink to celebrate with. Fun fact: Brackla was the first distillery allowed to use the "Royal" title, and it was only last year it got started producing its own single malts, so chances are your giftee probably won’t have had one.
4. Old Pulteney Pentland Skerries, 46%
The Old Pulteney 17 and 21 remain some of our favorite ever drams and are both definitely worth splashing out on – and if you really want the best from the brand, these broad-shouldered whiskies are the ones to go for. But this one here is for those who like their whiskies sweeter. It tastes of toffee and caramel, and finishes long. It’s what you’d drink if you were just having one to see off the night. If you’re up for something unusual, try the Navigator. It’s not for everyone – even among friends the notes varied from “beautiful” to “foul” – but it’s worth picking up a sample of. It’s a little oily, a little fruity and (oddly) a little salty.
5. Ailsa Bay, 48.9%:
There are lots of nice touches here that give this a premium feel: the bottle feels modern, the stopper is made from Ailsa Craig granite (which can be seen from the distillery), and it comes in at 48.9 per cent, which suggests it’s been thought about. Some new whiskies feel like a cynical distillery cashing in on the drink’s rising popularity, or trying to turn out something while coping with rapidly depleting stocks, but this feels like a deliberate attempt to create something new, exciting and eminently drinkable. It’s smoky, but it’s sweet smoke, with plenty of fresh citrus flavors too. It’s nice to see Grant’s doing something new, and pulling it off. Shame there’s no age statement, but you can’t have it all.
6. Glenfiddich IPA, 43%
This one is about trying something different. The rather harsh truth of it is that distilleries put their whiskies in funny casks to drive sales. Some work, some don’t. This one mostly does. It sees ‘Fiddich aged in casks finished with India Pale Ale and, straight up: it doesn’t taste much of beer and the packaging – beautiful in person – suggests a dark, wintery dram. It’s not, it’s light, with lemon in there, a hint of nutmeg, a touch of chocolate. No whiff of smoke. Really quite lovely, and the 43 per cent will wake your tongue up. If you’re really feeling brave, try the Project XX too. From the regular range,the 21 year old is better, but it’s also a lot more expensive.
7. Scapa Glansa, 40%
Peaty, but not too peaty, this works for those who want a little more going on than one might find with a light, Speyside style, but who find the fiery smoke of some other scotches unpalatable. It’s almost a one-size-fits-all of flavour: besides the smoke, there is fruit, vanilla, a certain creaminess – if you’re playing buzzword bingo, Scapa wins the card. It’s brand new launched in 2016.
8. AnCnoc 22 Year Old, 46%
If age is your thing, this is a bargain. There’s no chill filtration, no coloring and it’s bottled at 46 per cent, meaning it should tick the boxes for the whisky purist in your life. It’s beautifully rich, all Christmas spices and fruit, with a fair amount of beautiful leather and pepper in there. It’s a little different for a Speyside, but like many of its nearby cousins, it works best with a little water in it. The mix of bourbon and sherry casks it’s aged in come through strongly in the flavor. Another option is the Cardhu 18 , another Speyside, which is a little cheaper and completely gorgeous.
9. Glen Scotia 15 Year Old, 46%
This is from one of the three Campbeltown distilleries, and is marked by plenty of pudding fruit. It won’t remind anyone of childhood, exactly, unless you had rather an alcoholic upbringing, but it has a little apple and cinnamon tart in there, a touch of ginger too. There’s no one distinct note, which is completely in its favor – it is beautifully balanced, one to drink down and repeat. Wonderful stuff.
10. Bruichladdich 15 Year Old 2nd Edition, 46%
Islay whiskies have a reputation for being a bit rough-and-tumble, but this ‘Laddie is a softer take on the area, and much more palatable than some of area’s drams which, quite frankly, can taste like a bog on fire. This doesn’t, not in the slightest: it is like drinking a glass of sea spray with a touch of sweetness, and it smells like a storm. Keep it in your mouth a while on that first sip – there’s flavour here that unfolds and unfolds and unfolds.
This list is not ultimate as so many other brands in Scott highlands, Spey area, Islay & The Islands as well as low lands are vying with each other in terms of their quality. In fact many brands of Ireland like Jameson, Bushmills and Jack Daniel, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark of USA are also very popular globally.
India On Single Malt Whiskey Map
Indians are the biggest Whiskey gulpers. But surprise of surprise, most of the Indian ‘Whiskeys’ technically do not fall in the category of Whiskey !
In most cases, some level of smoke from a peat -heated fire is introduced to the kiln to add phenols, a smoky aroma and flavor to the whisky. Some of the more intensely smoky malts have phenol levels between 25 and 50 parts per million (ppm). Islay malts have a reputation for being the most peaty. More subtle malts can have phenol levels of around 2–3 ppm. Entirely non-smoked (non-peated, unpeated) malts are made by the Glengoyne Distillery, which only uses hot air for drying.
The malt is milled into a coarse flour (grist) which is made of three substances: (1) Husks (70%); (2) Grits (20%); and Flour (10%); to which three courses of hot water are added to extract the sugars,
The extraction is done in a large kettle (usually made of stainless steel) called a mash tun. At first, the hot water dissolves the sugars (maltose) and enzymes (diastase) in the grist. Then the enzymes act on the starch left over from the malting stage, continuing the conversion to sugar, and producing a sugary liquid called wort. Typically, each batch of grist is mashed three times or so to extract all the fermentable sugars. The first water is injected at approximately 60 °C, the second portion at approximately 72 °C and the third and final portion at approximately 88 °C. The wort from the first two water courses is drained into "washback" vessels for further processing, whereas the third course is retained as the first charge in the next batch.
Yeast is added to the wort in a large vessel (often tens of thousands of litre called a washback. Washbacks are commonly made of Oregon Pine or stainless steel. The yeast feeds on the sugars and as a by-product produces both carbon dioxide and alcohol. This process is called fermentation and can take up to three days to complete. When complete, the liquid has an alcohol content of 5 to 7% by volume, and is now known as wash Up until this point the process has been quite similar to the production of beer.
Yeast is added to the wort in a large vessel (often tens of thousands of litres called a washback. Washbacks are commonly made of Oregon Pine or stainless steel. The yeast feeds on the sugars and as a by-product produces both carbon dioxide and alcohol l. This process is called fermentation and can take up to three days to complete. When complete, the liquid has an alcohol content of 5 to 7% by volume, and is now known as wash. Up until this point the process has been quite similar to the production of beer.
To be called a single malt whisky in Scotland, a bottle may only contain whisky distilled from malted barley and produced at a single distillery. The regulations of other countries may allow malted rye.
If the bottle is the product of malt whiskies produced at more than one distillery, the whisky is called a blended malt or vatted malt, or pure malt. If a single malt is mixed with grain whiskey, the result is a blended whiskey. Single malts can be bottled by the distillery that produced them or by an independent bottler.
The age statement on a bottle of single malt whisky is the age of the youngest malt in the mix, as commonly the whiskies of several years are mixed in a vat to create a more consistent house style. On occasion, the product of a single cask of whisky is bottled without being vatted with other casks, and released as a ‘Single cask’ offering. However, it is not always clear what the term "single cask" refers to. At least some producers release vattings of multiple barrels that have been matured together for one final period in a larger single cask as "single cask" whisky.
While cask strength, or undiluted, whisky (sometimes having an alcohol content upwards of 60%) has recently become popular, the vast majority of whisky is diluted to its "bottling strength" - between 40% and 46% ABV - and bottled for sale.
Whiskey can be ‘chill filtered’ : chilled to precipitate out fatty acid esters and then filtered to remove them. Most whiskies are bottled this way, unless specified as unchillfiltered or non chill filtered. Unchillfiltered whisky will often turn cloudy when stored at cool temperatures or when cool water is added to them, and this is perfectly normal. Unchillfiltered, cask-strength whisky is generally regarded as whisky in its purest form.
Unlike wine, whiskey does not continue to mature in the bottle.
Oak Cask Magic
Single malt Whiskey is stored and matured in Oak Casks. The experts believe that the magic of Whiskey comes from these casks.
Whiskey spirit enters the wooden Oak Cask as the clear liquid but once in wood, four reactions take place.
- As the spirit gently expands and retracts and moves in the cask with the passing of seasons, the spirit is forced into the oak, taking its flavor and color.
- The wood also removes impurities and negative compounds in the spirit the wood and spirit react with each other to produce a myriad of flavors.
- This is the unexplained magic of Whiskey.
- The final part of the maturation is created by oxidization because oak allows air to pass into the cask.
Top Scott Single Malt Brands
One of the joys in scotch is its variety, the great breadth of flavor sitting in the soils and water and barley across Scotland. The gentle drams from the rolling hills of Speyside are no less delicious, and no less worthwhile, than the peaty beasts from Islay. If you have a preference – wonderful. If not – why worry? There is nothing but wasted breath in arguing over which is better.
Finally, drink it however you like. Why shouldn’t you put ice in it, if you fancy? What’s wrong with a little water? Getting fussy about these things isn’t going to cheer anyone up. Nor is getting scientific: anyone with a pipet adding water by the drop is kidding themselves. Lighten up: that’s what whisky is for.
1. Glen Grant 10 Year Old, 40%
If you’re ever in Rothes, stay at the Station Hotel and walk down the road to the Glen Grant distillery. It’s a beautiful spot – roe deer sometimes run in the gardens – but until you get there, try this dram. It’s an elegant, typically smooth Speyside, and very easy to drink. The packaging has changed but the stuff inside is as good as ever, fruity and floral and excellent for the money. A drop of water doesn’t hurt it, but if you like adding water to whisky, the 12-year-old is the best for that.
2. Jura Tastival 51%
Like any hobby, sometimes the story is as important as the product itself. Besides, if you’re gifting it, there’s something to talk about. The Tastival series is a limited edition run, and this year it’s a 51 per cent, triple-sherry finished, non-chill filtered dram. Consequently, it’s all maple and raisins, sultanas and hazelnuts – or, to be plain, it’s very Christmassy. The youngest whisky in the blend is 14 years old. Elsewhere in the range,the 30 year old Jurais the best of the bunch by some distance, but you’ll need to really splash out.
3. Royal Brackla 16 Year Old, 40%
We handed a glass of this to a close friend who took a sip and went: “That’s the best whiskey I’ve ever had, hands down”. It’s that sort of drink: it’ll grab you from the off. Add to that the fact it’s a gorgeous colour, comes in an impressive package and has a cork that makes that perfect ‘pop’ sound (the sound that says: “Let’s toast!”). It’s sherried, so a little sweet, but there’s some smoke and spice in there, a bit of cinnamon and ginger. It’s clean, but the kind of drink to celebrate with. Fun fact: Brackla was the first distillery allowed to use the "Royal" title, and it was only last year it got started producing its own single malts, so chances are your giftee probably won’t have had one.
4. Old Pulteney Pentland Skerries, 46%
The Old Pulteney 17 and 21 remain some of our favorite ever drams and are both definitely worth splashing out on – and if you really want the best from the brand, these broad-shouldered whiskies are the ones to go for. But this one here is for those who like their whiskies sweeter. It tastes of toffee and caramel, and finishes long. It’s what you’d drink if you were just having one to see off the night. If you’re up for something unusual, try the Navigator. It’s not for everyone – even among friends the notes varied from “beautiful” to “foul” – but it’s worth picking up a sample of. It’s a little oily, a little fruity and (oddly) a little salty.
5. Ailsa Bay, 48.9%:
There are lots of nice touches here that give this a premium feel: the bottle feels modern, the stopper is made from Ailsa Craig granite (which can be seen from the distillery), and it comes in at 48.9 per cent, which suggests it’s been thought about. Some new whiskies feel like a cynical distillery cashing in on the drink’s rising popularity, or trying to turn out something while coping with rapidly depleting stocks, but this feels like a deliberate attempt to create something new, exciting and eminently drinkable. It’s smoky, but it’s sweet smoke, with plenty of fresh citrus flavors too. It’s nice to see Grant’s doing something new, and pulling it off. Shame there’s no age statement, but you can’t have it all.
6. Glenfiddich IPA, 43%
This one is about trying something different. The rather harsh truth of it is that distilleries put their whiskies in funny casks to drive sales. Some work, some don’t. This one mostly does. It sees ‘Fiddich aged in casks finished with India Pale Ale and, straight up: it doesn’t taste much of beer and the packaging – beautiful in person – suggests a dark, wintery dram. It’s not, it’s light, with lemon in there, a hint of nutmeg, a touch of chocolate. No whiff of smoke. Really quite lovely, and the 43 per cent will wake your tongue up. If you’re really feeling brave, try the Project XX too. From the regular range,the 21 year old is better, but it’s also a lot more expensive.
7. Scapa Glansa, 40%
Peaty, but not too peaty, this works for those who want a little more going on than one might find with a light, Speyside style, but who find the fiery smoke of some other scotches unpalatable. It’s almost a one-size-fits-all of flavour: besides the smoke, there is fruit, vanilla, a certain creaminess – if you’re playing buzzword bingo, Scapa wins the card. It’s brand new launched in 2016.
8. AnCnoc 22 Year Old, 46%
If age is your thing, this is a bargain. There’s no chill filtration, no coloring and it’s bottled at 46 per cent, meaning it should tick the boxes for the whisky purist in your life. It’s beautifully rich, all Christmas spices and fruit, with a fair amount of beautiful leather and pepper in there. It’s a little different for a Speyside, but like many of its nearby cousins, it works best with a little water in it. The mix of bourbon and sherry casks it’s aged in come through strongly in the flavor. Another option is the Cardhu 18 , another Speyside, which is a little cheaper and completely gorgeous.
9. Glen Scotia 15 Year Old, 46%
This is from one of the three Campbeltown distilleries, and is marked by plenty of pudding fruit. It won’t remind anyone of childhood, exactly, unless you had rather an alcoholic upbringing, but it has a little apple and cinnamon tart in there, a touch of ginger too. There’s no one distinct note, which is completely in its favor – it is beautifully balanced, one to drink down and repeat. Wonderful stuff.
10. Bruichladdich 15 Year Old 2nd Edition, 46%
Islay whiskies have a reputation for being a bit rough-and-tumble, but this ‘Laddie is a softer take on the area, and much more palatable than some of area’s drams which, quite frankly, can taste like a bog on fire. This doesn’t, not in the slightest: it is like drinking a glass of sea spray with a touch of sweetness, and it smells like a storm. Keep it in your mouth a while on that first sip – there’s flavour here that unfolds and unfolds and unfolds.
This list is not ultimate as so many other brands in Scott highlands, Spey area, Islay & The Islands as well as low lands are vying with each other in terms of their quality. In fact many brands of Ireland like Jameson, Bushmills and Jack Daniel, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark of USA are also very popular globally.
India On Single Malt Whiskey Map
Indians are the biggest Whiskey gulpers. But surprise of surprise, most of the Indian ‘Whiskeys’ technically do not fall in the category of Whiskey !
In fact majority of them are created from continuous still spirit made with molasses, mixed with whiskey extracts and sometimes Scottish malt or grain.
Amrut is one of the rare brand from India, which qualifies the stringent benchmarks of single malt but most of its production is exported. Based in Banglore, this distillery is having three top of the line single malt :
Amrut Portonova Vol.: 62.1%
Amrut is one of the rare brand from India, which qualifies the stringent benchmarks of single malt but most of its production is exported. Based in Banglore, this distillery is having three top of the line single malt :
Amrut Portonova Vol.: 62.1%
This is Single Malt Whisky aged in Oak Barrels. NOSE : A Thick pudding of a nose; fruit and caramel have merged into one slightly over-oaked soup; burnt apple pie. TASTE : This is essentially a port pipe sandwich.... and it shows. The spicy, jammy fruit is interwoven through any amount of caramel while the oaky saltiness gets the taste buds both salivating and puckering until you run dry. Finish : Long, massive oak with quite evident traces of the virgin barrels now detectable. And more of a cocoa hue as it progresses. At last some muscovado sugars arrive to supplant the berry fruits.
Amrut Two Continents Vol.: 46%
Amrut Two Continents starts its historic journey from the golden barley fields of India's North West Provinces,pastoral lands,irrigated by glacial melt waters from the Himalayas. Following a journey of over 2,500 km to Bangalore, ,the malt is lovingly crafted, distilled and matured. After the Angels of the Orient' have feasted on their sumptuous share from the barrels, they set out on their final journey, being shipped 9,000 km to a location in Europe. Then it undergoes a further maturation in the cooler climes of enchanting Europe, thus combining the exotic with enthralling. NOSE : Suet pudding - spotted dog. Some oils and banana milkshake, too.TASTE : Voluptuous delivery. A stunning meeting of juicy barley, soft fruits and delicate yet persistent spices; a light oiliness helps the more complex notes glide to all parts of the palate and some muscovado sugars make light of any oaky encroachment; the middle ground heads dowards chocolate milkshake. Finish : Long with the slowest build up of oaks on record. The spices continue to flit and fizz and finally vanilla takes hold.
Amrut Peated 46%
Its' nose is unusually dry peat; not dissimilar to peat reek absorbed by an old leather armchair; a hint of citrus, too.Taste : Despite the nose, the immediate sensation is one of being caressed by molassed sugar and then a ratching up of the peat notes. As they get more forceful, so the experience becomes that little bit drier and spicier, though not without the molasses refusing to give way. Finish : You can tell the quality of the distillate and the barrels it has been matured in by the crystalline depth to the finish. Everything is clear on the palate and the butterscotch vanillas wrap the phenols for a comfortable and clean finale
The next one is McDowell’s Single Malt, matured in oak casks, it is young and sappy with cereal and ginger notes, sometimes citrus and a sweet honey taste. It is not very complex but pleasant, easy to drink, and inoffensive. Produced using the same distilling regimen as Scot malt, McDowell’s single malt is bottled young only three four years old, their Distilliery is in Ponda , Goa, due to warm climate and variance in temperature accelerate maturation. Not surprising, it is world’s fourth largest selling whiskey.
Another serious attempt is made by Radico Khaitan, who have launched Rampur Single Malt, it noses thyme honey, dried apricot, cinnamon and vanilla custard. Its palates tropical fruits, more rich vanilla, apple and a touch of pepper. Its finish is Long and quite drying. Very interesting but could not caught the local market well.
images and text pradeep gupta
Observations of write up are based on writer's journey to Scotland
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