Whiskey 101: A Primer for Rum Drinkers

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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Whiskey 101: A Primer for Rum Drinkers

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Unlike almost every other post here, this one will be mercifully short. Keep in mind that my goal is to introduce you (as well as myself) to the world of whisk(e)y as a means to better appreciating pure rum. My goal:

To expose and obliterate rogue rum, the lying, cheating spirit of brigands and bullshitters, and to reveal the real, pure, unadulterated rums that truly are noble. Here goes:


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In the beginning...

1. You will see two different spellings of whisk(e)y: whisky (Scottish English) or whiskey (Irish English). Either way, the word means "water of life", which has been applied since the 14th century. Long before "rumbullion" or any of the other precursors to "rum".

2. There is evidence that the Moorish art of distillation probably began before the birth of Jesus Christ, and was brought to Ireland in the 6th or 7th century. Much, much later it was the indentured servants and prisoners from Ireland and Scotland that found themselves, and their distillation skills in Barbados in the 1600's and applied them to making some of the earliest forms of rum from the waste product of molasses.

3. Like rum, the early whisky was pretty rough, and like rum it was soon discovered that storage in wooden barrels improved the spirit greatly.

4. Whisky is distilled from a variety of grains like malted and unmalted barley, corn, rye and/or various blends of grains. Types include single malt whiskies, malt whisky, rye whisky, wheat whisky, corn whiskey blended whisky, bourbon, Tennessee whiskey, and even Canadian blended whiskies.

5. Except for the legally adulterated Canadian product, most whiskies are very pure, and contain only trace amounts (less than 0.01% of E150a, dark caramel color). A number of purity seeking distillers are even eliminating this trace coloration. Bourbon whisky remains the purest of all and allows no additives whatever, not even caramel coloring. Good on them.

Compare to rum where unlawful and unlabeled additives are commonplace and tend to escape weak or non-existent enforcement.

6. Except for a literal couple of flavored whiskeys, and a few flavored bourbons, whiskey remains almost entirely a pure product. Compare to rogue run wherein most shelf space is dominated by cheaply made flavored and spiced rums, and where even many of the products labeled pure product "rum" contain unlabeled adulterants and flavorings.

Thankfully, there are still a fair number of pure and honest bottling of honestly labeled "rum" on the shelves.

7. The whiskeys to which we need pay the most attention are the single malt whiskies of Scotland. Like the five styles of rum, these single malts have evolved in four basic geographical areas:

From the north - Speyside, the Highlands, the Lowlands and the Islands, particularly the Islay whiskies. Some would also include a fifth source/style: Campbeltown whiskies in the far south on the Kintyre peninsula. There are about 90 distilleries in Scotland, compared to just four in Ireland (New Midleton, Bushmill's, Cooley's, and Kilbegan). These four produce all the Irish whiskeys being sold.

8. The five styles of the Scotch single malts are notably different, like rum, except for one important fact. The variety of aromas, flavors, tastes and finishes are completely the result of a meticulous, purely produced and aged spirit.

Scotch whisky's unique profile is heavily influenced by the use of peat smoke to treat and dry their malts. The preparation and fermentation of the barley is much more complex and challenging than that of rogue rum. All use very old, all copper pot stills of shapes intended to create the hosts preferred profile. As such there are important variations from batch to batch - most very good, but some, almost like great vintages of wine, are truly exceptional.

Compare to rum, almost sloppily produced in comparison, most from huge, industrial column stills that depend on clever blending and/or artificial taste tweaking to achieve manipulated profiles based on cheaper distillations.

9. Single malt whiskies are considered the best of the bunch, and demand our keen attention and consideration. These are truly handmade products that depend on centuries' old pot still designs and methods, followed by considerable and careful aging in extremely expensive coopered barrels, including those from new and used American Oak, French Oak, sherry and port barrels, and others. Cooperage is a high art in the making of single malt whisky.

10. Most of us have had some experience drinking a typical bar blended scotch which, however enjoyable, is a far, far cry from the much more expensive and truly exquisite single malts. Where lesser blends can be purchased for well under $20, good single malts start at about $40 to $50 and often sell for prices over $100, to $200 or so.

Our goal will be to identify some excellent single malts at relatively reasonable prices (under or around $40) that will demonstrate what a truly noble and pure spirit is all about.


*******

Special Note:

In closing, let's resolve the whisk(e)y spelling issue. "Whiskey" - with the "e", and the newer spelling - is used in Ireland and the United States. The original older spelling - "whisky" - is used in Scotland, Wales, Canada and Japan (although American Maker's Mark and George Dickel still use this spelling.

I prefer "whisky". Why you ask? Feck if I know. It sounds tougher, more traditional and seems a word of the people. Adding the "e" was seems more of a marketing ploy. But oddly enough in the plural I prefer "whiskies". I like the oddity of the combination and simply revel in the possibilities that I will either (a) please all factions or (b) piss them all off.

You decide.

So "whisky" and "whiskies" it shall be. For now...
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by NCyankee »

One thing I would like to add - as what I would call an intermediate-level Scotch drinker - there are some inexpensive blends that are quite decent, and even have some flavor - though most of the ones you find in bars are in my opinion barely drinkable. These would be a good place for one to start and see if they have a taste for Scotch without diving right into the pricier single malt world.

Ones I have tried and hated - J+B rare, Ballantine's Finest, Dewars white label. All have very cheap grainy finishes and make me gag.

Some decent blends that can be had under $20 - Teacher's highland cream, White Horse, Black Bottle. The last one is a good but not overpowering example of the potent Islay style, being a blend of all seven - and is in my opinion an incredible value for the $19 I paid. They also make a 10 yr old version that is supposed to be excellent but is much more pricey ($40-50), and very hard to find.
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Nice contribution...

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Yank, thanks for your contribution. Although I am far from an expert (yet), I'd like to add another company's malt blends:

Jon, Mark and Robbo: a small company that has put together some very interesting blends for about $20. We particularly like their "The Rich Spicy One" (they also make "The Smooth Sweeter One").

Both include a wheel-graph of the profiles plus an entertaining story of how that blend came to be...
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Post by NCyankee »

I don't have the John Mark and Robbo blends in my area, and there are quite a few inexpensive Scotches I have heard good things about but have not had the opportunity to try.

Here is a good site with useful ratings of all types of whisk(e)y - and they are no-nonsense, down to earth reviews, with no commercial ties whatsoever - so you should appreciate them.

http://www.lawhiskeysociety.com/whiskey_list.php
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Capn Jimbo
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A maniacal suggestion...

Post by Capn Jimbo »

A maniacal suggestion...

Thanks for the link (Los Angeles Whiskey Society), an effort by a couple of guys from the Valley. They put together a group of ten friends who get together regularly to share the expense and joy of otherwise hard to justify single malts. And their handsome site addresses a long list of whiskies of all kinds.

It's noteworth that almost 3/4 of the 3100 reviews are by just three members - Chris, the site founder; Adam, a script writer (it IS L.A., afterall) whose reference whisky is Glenfiddich 12; and Andy, a screenplay reader and collector of whiskies (over 600!). Accordingly, the reviews are very short, and high marks very rare. Think of them as the RnD of whisky. Perhaps a more famous and much more complete independent resource are the Malt Maniacs (link), a huge and widely respected site and fanatically complete resource.

Personally, I've learned that an important part of learning is consulting independent resources, and listening - hard - to the known and respected authorities before I dare express my own opinions. For single malt whisky this would have to be the Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch by Michael Jackson (sadly deceased). This is an incredible resource that covers the history, geography, methods and more - all you need to know to get started and to appreciate single malt Scotch whiskey.

Best of all, this resource covers all of the important distillers and blenders in great detail, including their house profile and copious notes, plus masterful opinions and ratings for any single malt you are likely to encounter. Michael Jackson - a man worthy of deferral and great respect. Compare to Dave Broom.
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