Scotch Whisky: the broadest spectrum of styles?

What is feckin whiskey doing on the net's leading independent rum website? There's a reason, read on, but it's not my fault! Honest...
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Capn Jimbo
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Scotch Whisky: the broadest spectrum of styles?

Post by Capn Jimbo »

At one point in the Glaser interviews (link below) when asked if he ever considered using American whisky in his blends, he states...

"There's just so much. When you look across the spectrum of all the grain whiskys produced in Scotland, and all the malt whiskys that are currently produced, let alone with what one could do with all these whiskys (blending) if you took a different approach than the distillers do today...

...when you look at the spectrum of Scotch whiskys, there's more of a spectrum of style than any other spirit type in the world..."
This is a HUGE statement, and I must admit that I agree, and I'm including rum and bourbon (not counting flavored or altered spirits). I think it's safe to say most of us here have a good understanding of rum, though some may disagree.

As for bourbon, I've now had a chance to experiment with enough of them to say that while I can appreciate the genre, and beyond the high rye/low rye content, the spectrum of bourbon style is really rather narrow and thus limited.

Your thoughts?




*******
At about 9:30...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5iIcDIuEAU#t=158
Hassouni
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Post by Hassouni »

I have more to say but am in a rush. I've tried many single malts from every region and I still would say rum is more varied...or at least scotch is NO MORE varied than rum is, maybe at the same level.
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Post by Hassouni »

OK now that I have a second, let's consider the major styles of rum we know so well (unaltered, please) and the major styles of scotch whiskey, namely lowland, highland, Speyside, islands, Islay, and Campbeltown. On first inspection that seems like as much variety as in rum. However, Paul Pacult asserts that there are really only 2 major style of scotch: inland and coastal. I tend to agree with that. Bunnahabhain or Bruichladdich, as unpeated Islays, remind me a LOT of Springbank, a Campbeltown from the mainland but near the coast. So many "inland" malts taste quite similar to each other, although obviously with some variation to make things interesting.

Let's go back to rum.

To me, the difference between Flor de Caña and, say, Smith & Cross, is far greater than the difference between say, Highland Park (a "coastal" whisky, mind you), and Balvenie (a classic inland/highland/Speysider). Then we have all the rhums agricoles, which are wildly different from the rest in yet another way.

If you sat me down and gave me a Spanish-style rum, a super estery Jamaican, and a weird funky cane juice rum, if I didn't know better, I'd be hard pressed to say they were all the "same spirit".

With just about any malt whisky, one could easily identify them as being malt whiskies.

As for bourbon, it seems significantly less varied than either scotch or rum.
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Capn Jimbo
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Hassouni wrote:OK now that I have a second, let's consider the major styles of rum we know so well (unaltered, please) and the major styles of scotch whiskey, namely lowland, highland, Speyside, islands, Islay, and Campbeltown. On first inspection that seems like as much variety as in rum. However, Paul Pacult asserts that there are really only 2 major style of scotch: inland and coastal. I tend to agree with that.
I like the Hass. He clearly reads my blather, comments well, and helps seed worthwhile discussion. A good man, and I'll say it again - his contributions here are not at all trivial, not least his Hookah coverage. I urge all to take the 12 or 14 minutes it takes to view Glaser's interview, linked in the OP, above. Hass, your points are taken, but Glaser is actually referring not to the general styles, but to the literally thousands of different releases, not to mention special barrelings of Scotch whiskys. The number of one-offs produced in Scotland every year is breathtaking.

In comparison, rum is lucky to come up with 10 or 20 new releases per year, and there are very few one-offs. Example: Serge has now reviewed 10,651 different whiskies. Compare to the number of pure and unadulterated rums from whence to choose and well, you get the idea. BTW, Serge's rum reviews number 336, and many are not pure.

Similar is not the same. Glaser's tastes are so refined that it often gets down to not a style, not a distiller, not a brand, not a year, not a run - but right down to a single special barrel necessary to uniquely create the special profile he had in mind. His searches and refinements, plus blending experiments sometimes takes years. Another trivial point: I'll take your Flor de Cana/Smith & Cross and raise you a Laphroig 10/Glenfarclas (which don't even seem to be made on the same planet).

Although I do agree in very general terms that rum too has a number of styles (thank me very much, lol), it lacks Glaser's "spectrum" of many thousands of issues and individual barrels from which to choose and blend. Some of his blends require the inclusion of less than 1% of a certain barrel to succeed.

Marrying is not as simple as jamming together one from each style - a penis and a vagina - and expecting marital bliss (don't ask, I don't know either, lol). Not that an occasional jam isn't rewarding...
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Post by NCyankee »

There might not be as much distinction between most regions of Scotch, but the difference between a heavily peated Islay such as Ardbeg or Laphroaig and an unpeated lowland or Speyside is so large that someone unfamiliar with Scotch might not realize they are the same spirit.
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Post by sleepy »

Scotch comes from a country about the size of Hispaniola, separated but by glens and brays. Rum comes from the Caribbean - dozens of islands with variously French, Spanish and British influences. One would expect far greater variation in rum, BUT it ain't so.

I came to rum from years of sipping malt - and one thing I learned about that odd bird is that no two people can agree on three favorites (probably two). Single malts are remarkably palate-specific - each person who makes the journey will find his/her own sweet spot.

I am inclined to think that rum may be more diverse - e.g. RL Seale 10 v. Pussers (any age) v. Laphroaig 10 v. Highland Park 12. Each chosen because I love them! BUT, I do believe that for palate preference, Scotch malt is far more varied. There are far more malts that I would decline in preference for tap water (ugh), than rums. <shrug> That's just one old stoner's view.
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