Manducation: A Beginners Guide to Single Malt Scotch Whiskey
July 31, 2008 | THETRUBELIEVER | 24 CommentsOn the continuum of alcoholic drinks, with girly drinks1 on one side and manly drinks on the other, single malt scotch is without question the manliest alcoholic beverage of them all.While once a linchpin of every man’s collection, occupying prime real estate in liquor cabinets across America, the popularity of scotch declined during the ‘80s and ‘90s as men got in touch with their sensitive sides.
Thankfully, those days are over; men are rediscovering their manly sides and the popularity of scotch is on the rise once again.
Considering the innate manliness of scotch, and Ploomy’s never-ending quest to bring men what they need to know, please read the following primer carefully. Not only will it help you achieve your full man potential, but it will also keep you from looking like an idiot when all your buddies go through their inevitable “scotch phase.”
The Basics: What is Scotch, Exactly?
In its most basic form, scotch is whiskey that is made in Scotland. However, this tells only about 1% of the story. When most knowledgeable people speak of scotch, they typically are speaking about a specific kind of scotch known as single malt. Single malt scotches have to adhere to special rules in order to be able to call themselves that. And these rules aren’t just some flimsy industry guidelines or best practices – these rules are actual laws that were brought into being by legislative acts of British Parliament, i.e. the Scotch Whisky Act of 1988. To name but a few:
- Single malt scotch must be made from only water and malted barley. It may not include any other grains, outside of yeast for the purpose of fermenting.
- The mash must be processed in Scotland, distilled in Scotland and matured in a warehouse in Scotland.
- Single Malt Scotch must be matured in oak casks, which cannot exceed 700 litres of capacity, for at least 3 years.
- The maturation process must ensure that scotch retains the color, aroma and taste derived from the raw materials.
- Scotch whisky must be bottled at a minimum strength of 40% alcohol by volume.
Also common is “blended” scotch whiskey, which is typically a combination of single malt and grain whiskey from different distilleries. While often looked down upon by snobby single malt drinkers, many blended whiskeys are very good, and blended whiskey has also done a lot to generate revenue for the single malt industry. As much as 90% of single malts produced are used for the more accessible blended scotch market, rather than bottled as pure single malt.
How to Drink and Enjoy Single Malt Scotch
There are some definite do’s and don’ts when it comes to tasting single malt. Not wanting to risk leading you astray, we took the bull by the horns and interviewed scotch expert Kevin Erskine. Kevin is the author of The Instant Expert’s Guide to Single Malt Scotch and the man behind the popular whiskey industry weblog The Scotch Blog.
We asked Erskine to share his whiskey wisdom in an effort to help us beginners get the most from our $60 bottle of 15-year-old Glenfiddich (for those you who read this word as glen-fid-ich, you are wrong. The correct pronunciation is glen-fid-ick).
Erskine’s attitude is that it’s your scotch and you’re free to drink it however you like. However, if you are interested in developing your whiskey palate and gaining a true appreciation for the Uisge Beatha (pronounced Ooshki Baah, which means water of life in Gaelic) there are some key guidelines to follow.
First and foremost, Erskine preaches that the first step to “tasting” single malt scotch is to drink it from the right glass.
“Drink it out of something that has a wide a base as possible and as narrow a tip as possible,” Erskine says. “Ideally, a whiskey glass, like a glencairn, or if you don’t have that, a brandy snifter, a sherry copita or even a champagne flute will do.”
The reason for that is because a narrow tip helps catch the aroma that rises from the whiskey, and the aroma is a big part of the tasting process, which leads us to his second tip: follow your nose.
“Take a good whiff of it first,” Erskine says. “We can sense hundreds of different smells, but only five tastes.”
“As strange as it may sound, a whiskey is tasted primarily with the nose. The aroma indicates the character and strength, and even an untrained nose should be able to identify some very specific scents.”
“Don’t immediately put a mixer in it,” either, he adds. “That’s not a good way to develop your palette. Try it straight.” The only thing he suggests you add is plain old water. Just a few drops can “open it up” and heighten the taste.
Also, despite the classic image of a scotch on the rocks, Erskine also warns against using ice, as it “numbs your senses – not a good way to develop your palate.”
When you actually work up the nerve to taste your whiskey, “take enough to swish around and coat the tongue,” Erskine says.
Take care to note the texture of the whiskey and identify one of its four primary tastes – sweet, sour, salty or bitter. Then see if you detect any other flavors, such as honey, wood, chocolate, vanilla, nuts, etc.
While all these rules and guidelines may seem overbearing at first, Erskine urges that you don’t let yourself get stressed about it.
“If you are trying to develop your palate, have it one way, but if you’re having cocktails with friends, have it how you want.”
Whiskey Terminology Beginners Should Know to Avoid Looking Like an Idiot
- Dram – a non specific amount of Scotch that you pour as a single serving. It could be a shot, it could be two shots, it’s whatever you feel like pouring into your glass.
- Cask – for scotch purposes, a cask is a big oak barrel that’s used to mature the whiskey. Some experts say that the oak provides 60-70% of its character and taste.
- Peat – Peat is basically earth – decaying vegetation matter. Peat fires are used to dry malted barley for use in Scotch whisky distillation. This gives Scotch whisky its distinctive smoky flavour, often called “peatiness” by aficionados.
- Malt – Barley that has been soaked in water, allowed to begin to germinate, and then dried. This promotes the conversion of starches to fermentable sugars.
- Alcohol By Volume (ABV) – This one is pretty basic; it’s the amount of alcohol in an alcoholic beverage represented as a percentage of the overall volume. Scotch whiskey typically comes in 40%, 43% and 46% ABV.
- Proof - is an old fashioned British way of measuring alcohol in a drink. It is twice the ABV, i.e. 40% ABV = 80 Proof.
1 For example: Wine Coolers, Daiquiris, Zima, Michelob ULTRA Fruit Infused Beer and anything with an umbrella in it.
Comments
24 Responses to “Manducation: A Beginners Guide to Single Malt Scotch Whiskey”
I’ve never been a scotch or whisky drinker, but this article definitely piqued my interest. Great intro to scotch! I’d love to see more articles like this.
Nice start.
How about a geographical map of Scotland with the various varieties of single malt. A description of the various waters used in the making of Scotch.
You could list the many places around the world the oak barrels come from.
A map of the more than 200 registered single malt distilleries in Scotland.
I await chapter two with baited breath (walleye for breakfast)
“There’s whiskey, and then there’s ‘whiskey,’ and then there’s ‘Irish Whiskey.’”
Great to see some posting on Whisky.
The more the merrier!
/ The man in the grotto
a few good scotches…
Laphroig- good scotch with a smoky after taste
Oban-smooth…and good for you diabetics…
Lagavulin- another smoky scotch but with less bite.
10 years is good…15 years is better.
Kevin is the whisky master. He knows all. Great article!
Glenfddich, Glenlivet and Macallan are great “starter” single malts. They won’t bite and they give you a hint of the adventure to come.
After that, try Balvenie, Highland Park, Glenmorangie. Now it gets interesting. Depending on which you like more, there are directions to try. Balvenie: try Glenfarclas or Aberlour. Highland Park, try Talisker or Oban. Glenmorangie, try Knockando or Dalmore.
Now you’re REALLY getting started.
All single malts have a 10 or 12 year. These are usually really good. The older malts are experiences to be savored. If you can go to a whiskey tasting, do so. A bar or pub is not a great place to explore the complex flavors of a great single malt.
Geoff Mark, you are my new hero. You have named so many great scotches… You’re right, though, people need to go to a tasting to really get to know the good stuff.
Anyone in the SF area needs to stop by NIHON. http://www.nihon-sf.com/
I highly recommend it. It has an impressive list of more than 120 bottles of whiskey, with more than 80 single malts. All the ones Celticdawg and Geoff Mark listed are there. You can buy a bottle and have it stored there in your own personal locker. Really pimp.
Everyone hit on some great points in the comment section. For you first timers don’t be afraid to dive right in and don’t feel intimidated at all. Scotch is a complex and very enjoyable drink no matter the situation. Once you have truly developed your palette for it there’s no turning back it’s great. I will admit a bar isn’t a great place to start off drinking scotch because as the article says you first taste the scotch with your nose. A lot of smoke in the air among other things may hamper your ability to capture all the scents and flavors of what your drinking. Good Luck everyone!
Please note, Scotch “Whisky” is not spelled with an “e.” While whiskey refers to Irish, Canadian, Bourbon, etc. the Scotts do not spell it that way.
As Bruce says, it is Whisky without the ‘e’ that is the way that we Scots (single t) spell the generic name for ‘uisge beathe’ or ‘the water of life’.
@ All, thanks for the schooling on the Whisky with an “e” or no e.
Kevin explains it well here: http://www.thescotchblog.com/2007/11/to-e-or-not-to-.html
Thanks all for the comments on this article. We’ve got a lot of drinking to do here now.
Any web sites with brands and descriptions?
I’m feeling a little left out. I love “manly” single malts, served neat. My husband and I will often share a glass. We’ve tried many of the good ones — so many that we forget what our favorite is. Some that come to mind are Balvenie Doublewood and Glenmorangie — any of the wood finishes.
I’d like to add that it doesn’t take a man to know that ‘girly’ drinks are relative shit- and I say this as I sip my Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year.
Girly drinks are for getting drunk. Scotch is for living.
As a woman of Scottish lineage I maintain a variety of 6-7 single malts for my guests and many times I am alone with my glass as the ladies and gentlemen have girly drinks.
Please remember to include us women in the Uisge Beatha
I favour the taste of Irish whiskey and so far the best whiskey I have had to date is Bushmills 16yr (single malt). I am wiling to try some single malt scotch that has non-smokey/chocolate/vanilla/fruity flavours. Do you recommend any? Thanks.
I knew Kevin Erskine growing up in the Bronx, and I think that he’s nothing but a pompous blowhard and a “know-it-all”.
He may have all of you whiskey connoisseurs fooled with his scotch expert “schtick”, but he’s not fooling me!
Believe me… If any of you REALLY knew this guy, you would loathe him!
Gee, Toney you are among friends here. Don’t hold back, tell us how you REALLY feel…
After this many years of drinking scotch, I still get the occasional surprise of finding one that is different than the rest. What I like about single malt is the personality each one and style
Excellent article about Scotch for the newbie, I was looking for a write up such as this to compliment my readers with their learning education of cigars.
Great Blog site overall – Great theme!
[...] to Single Malt Scotch Whiskey November 25, 2009 yasoobahmed Leave a comment Go to comments http://www.ploomy.com/2008/07/31/manducation-a-beginners-guide-to-single-malt-scotch-whiskey/ Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Dalmore Sirius Single Malt Whiskey Categories: [...]
Nice article…!. I`m learning more about Single Malt Scotch Whiskey & this article is the best i`ve found…!. Congratulations…!
Zac, a year and half later you get a reply: try an Auchentoshan scotch.