A Beginner’s Guide To Whiskey

Introduction

We understand as a young man trying to improve himself, drinking alcohol will never be at the top of the to do list, however, to become truly masculine, one must at some point attempt to educate himself about whiskey. Understanding whiskey communicates the idea of class and ‘put togetherness’ that many will not have. It will also allow you to have conversations with truly intelligent, masculine men, as well as be able to talk about an interesting topic to many others. It is a symbol of wealth and success, and also creates an image of intelligence to some extent. With this in mind, lets discuss whiskey.

What is Whiskey?

Whiskey is a spirt distilled from grains, typically the likes of barley, corn, wheat or rye. Typically, to be classed as whiskey, the time spent in wooden casks is defined (usually 3 years - this is the case in the UK), and the content of alcohol must be at least 40%.

We can further break down whiskey into the place it was made, with whiskeys often being characterised by different styles and flavours depending on where they are from.

Scotch: Scotch is of course Scottish

Irish: Ireland in fact is home of the first whiskey, dating back to the early 15th century.

American: Famous for rye whiskeys and bourbon

Japanese: Relatively new, however is growing fast with whiskey enthusiasts.

These are the main regions, however there are many distilleries across the world in places such as England, Wales, France, and Sweden.

What are the different styles?

The jargon surrounding whiskey can be overwhelming, however typically, whiskey styles are simply made up of grain types.

Single Malt: From one distillery and malted barley only.

Blend: As described in its name, it is a blend - a mix of malted barley and a different grain, sometimes from one distillery, but often multiple. Are also known as pure malt and vatted malt

Bourbon: This style is distilled usually from corn, and in the US, to be classified as bourbon, 51% minimum must be distilled from corn.

Single Pot Still: Irish whiskey that is from one distillery, made of malted and unsalted barley in a traditional pot still.

Increasingly, we see more styles of whiskey, for instance ones made from rye, wheat and so on.

What are the different flavours?

We can usually simplify the different flavours into four distinct categories as follows:

Floral: Tastes usually nutty, barley, biscuit, herbal, fresh

Smoky: Cigar leaf, peppery, peat, camp fire, smokey

Light: citrusy, soft spice, fruity

Rich: dried fruit, dark chocolate, sherry, wood spice

How do I order a Whiskey?

You can drink a whiskey on its own (often said as neat), with a small splash of water, or with ice '(known as on the rocks). We would recommend neat, as ice typically looks a bit amateur, and will also dilute and affect the taste as it melts.

If drinking whiskey neat is too much to start with, try with a drop of water, or a whiskey centred cocktail.

What Whiskey Should I Start With?

There are so many whiskeys you could start with, however we will leave a few below for you to get started. You can always buy tasting sets as well to really discover your own tastes.

Wild Turkey 101: A toffee and vanilla flavoured bourbon (and 50.5%)

Jameson Caskmates: a classic Irish whiskey with a fruity, malty note.

Laphroaig 10: malty, aromatic and sweet Islay Single Malt.

Chivas Regal 12: a blended scotch (with supposedly 85 individual flavours!)

Conclusion

In conclusion, learning to like and discuss whiskey is really a true art form, and can stimulate conversation in a bar, in passing with a distinguished gentleman, or can become a true hobby and passion. In the future, we will discuss individual whiskeys, as well as the best places in the city to try whiskeys.