SCOTCH WHISKY
According to the Scottish whisky regulations of 2009, there are five categories that define what a Scotch whisky is. Whether you are a connoisseur, casual Scotch whisky drinker or a first-timer, these definitions have been designed to help you understand Scotch Whisky. Furthermore you will see that we have categorised the whiskies that we sell to make it easier to find your preferred tipple. You will also find that our product descriptions tell you the type of whisky, the region its from, its strength and of course it's age.
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Single malt Scotch whisky is probably Scotland's finest produce and is the product of a distillery that has not been mixed with whisky from other distilleries. It is made from water and malted barley without the addition of any other cereals. Major distilleries are found in the Speyside region (north-east Scotland), Highland, Lowland and Islay. Every region produces its own distinct malt whisky with no two regions producing the same. Whisky connoisseurs are usually able to distinguish the region in which the whisky was made by it's characteristics.
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Blended malt Scotch whisky, also known as vatted or pure malt whisky, is made from malted barely and requires the skilled process of blending together a number of malt whiskies to create a distinct whisky with its own characteristics. . This type of whisky is dependent on a blender's skill that produces a blend with varying characteristics. Some vatted malt whiskies are the product of a whisky from the same distillery of various ages. However more commonly a vatted malt whisky is a blend of whisky from different distilleries. Where you may see 'pure malt', 'malt' or 'blended malt' on a bottle, it most certainly will be a vatted whisky.
Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Single grain whisky is the produce of a single distillery. It is made from water and malted or un-malted barley with or without the addition of whole grains of other malted or un-malted cereals such as corn and wheat. Distilleries can be found in central, north and south Scotland.
Blended Grain Scotch Whisky
A blended grain Scotch whisky is the produce of marrying several single grain whiskies from several distilleries. Similar to the production of a blended malt, the art lies within the blender's skill. A blender may also add flavourings such as caramel and other neutral spirits to give the whisky unique characteristics. These whiskies tend to be associated brands rather than the distilleries themselves hence on the bottle labels, the associated distillery is not noted.
Blended Scotch Whisky
Blended malt Scotch whisky is simply the blend of one or more single malt Scotch whiskies with one or more single Grain malt whiskies. The amount of grain to malt that is used varies, but typically it's a ratio of 60/40 respectively. The amount of malt used tends to determine the taste and character by the means of quality and smoothness. Good blended Scotch whisky will typically be aged for 5 years, however there are a number of matured whiskies available on drinksupermarket.com
Fact: whisky does not mature in the bottle, once bottled the older it gets the taste does not alter. However, the cost value can alter, because it becomes a rarity. The age on the bottle is the amount of time it has spent in a cask between the process of distillation and bottling. It is the cask that influences the taste and chemical make-up of the whisky.
IRISH WHISKEY
Unlike Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey does not have defined categories, however they are commonly referred to as single malt, single grain, blended and pure/single pot stills. The key difference between Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky is that most Irish whiskey is distilled three times whereas Scotch whisky is distilled twice. Also peat is rarely used in the malting process and it is this that gives the Irish whiskey a smoother finish in comparison to Scotch whisky. The major distilleries in Ireland are Irishman, New Midleton, Bushmills, Old Locke's in Kilbeggan, Cooley and Clontarf.
Fact: Kilbeggan is believed to be the first licensed distiller in the world.
AMERICAN WHISKEY
American whiskey constitutes the largest number of defined whiskies many of which are recoginised worldwide. Widely recognised types are:
Rye whiskey - made from atleast 51% rye, with the other ingredients being corn and/or malted barley, it is distilled no more than 160 (U.S.) proof, and aged in charred, new oak barrels. The whiskey must be put into such barrels at not more than 125 (U.S.) proof. Distinct spicy or fruity flavours separate it from bourbon. Canada also produces a version of rye, although it may contain rye, it is does not necessarily need to be constituted of more than 51% of rye. Jim Beam is a good example of a rye whiskey.
Bourbon whiskey - consists of at least 51% corn (maize). Tennessee whiskey is straight bourbon whiskey meaning it has been through an ageing process and of course it is produced only in Tennessee. The other cereals that make up bourbon can be wheat, barley and rye.
Tennessee Whiskey - a straight bourbon whiskey that is and can only be produced in the state of Tennessee. Some Tennessee whiskey before being put into the charred oak barrels for aging go through the Lincoln County Process filtering. This involves the whiskey being filtered through maple charcoal thus giving it distinctive flavour characteristics. There are only three brands of Tennessee whiskey - Jack Daniel's, George Dickel and Benjamin Prichard's.
There are several commonalities in the production process of American whiskies. For example a 'straight' whiskey must be aged for no less than 2 years and may not contain any additives such as flavouring, colouring or other spirits. Unless a whiskey is labelled 'blended' it must not be distilled more than 80% percent alcohol by volume. Except for corn whiskey, all whiskies must be aged in charred new oak containers.
Other types of American whiskies include Rye Malt, Malt, Wheat, Corn, Blended, Light and Spirit.
Fact: Bourbon whiskey mash must consist of at least 51% corn whereas Corn whiskey mash must consist of at least 80% corn.
JAPANESE WHISKEY
Japanese whisky is closely linked to Scotch whisky over any other kind. The Japanese have made a conscious effort to produce whisky similarly to that of the Scotch whisky. There are two main types of whisky that is produced in Japan - single malt and more commonly blended. The demand for blended whisky has been so high and this is seen as the key factor that drives the diversity of Scotch malt distilleries.
However unlike Scotch whiskies, generally brands own the distilleries. In turn they reluctantly trade with their competitors meaning blended whiskies only contain malt whisky produced by companies who own both the distillery and the brand. Well-known brands of Japanese whisky are Suntory and Nikka.
Fact: Some Japanese single malts have scored higher than Scotch single malt in blind tastings carried out by Whisky Magazine.
INTERNATIONAL WHISKY/WHISKEY
There are several countries that produce a vast range of whiskies catering for local and international tastes. Countries such as Canada, Denmark, Germany, England, Wales, Finland, Sweden and India all produce an array of malt, blended and molasses based whiskies any of these countries have gained popularity as whisky producing nations through awards, independent reviews and of course the Internet.
To learn more about the different types of whiskies and to understand the history of whisky, we recommend you visit www.whiskywhiskywhisky.com/forum/ or planetwhiskies.com