Scotch whiskey is one of the most complex and nuanced alcoholic beverages you can try. And you don’t have to be an expert or a hobbyist to appreciate it. Visit a distillery in Scotland and the experts there will be happy to show you what to look for in this king of beverages.
That is why the popularity and appreciation of well aged Scottish malt whiskey has grown. According to the Scotch Whiskey Association (SWA), which reports year-over-year export sales, Scotch whiskey accounted for 20 per cent of all UK food and drink exports in 2017. Exports increased 14 per cent in 2017 with 122 million bottles exported from Scottish distilleries.
There are whiskey clubs, whiskey magazines, specialty whiskey glasses, and whiskey connoisseurs willing to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for specialty bottles. And for travelers, there is good news that Scotland’s most exciting distilleries are in areas noted for their beauty, wildlife, and outdoor activities.
You don’t have to be a Scotch fan to enjoy whiskey tourism in Scotland. In fact, as I’ve been discovering, visiting a Scottish distillery or two is the best way to become one. The more you know, the more you will appreciate the complex chemistry it takes to make what the kings of Britain in the 16th century called aquae vitae – living water, Scottish Gaelic speakers called uisge beatha and the rest of us know it as whiskey (no a »and« yes please).
Here are some tips I recently picked up when I visited the Bowmore Distillery in Islay.
Whiskey can be combined with foods such as wine
Red for meat, white for fish? Well, not quite. But did you know that some single malts are great with chocolate? It highlights the notes of caramel, caramel and vanilla that come from toasting the inside of the barrels (yes, the wood has sugar that caramelizes when burned). While in Scotland I recently discovered that:
- a whiskey with light peat smoke and hints of raisins was delicious with mushroom risotto and a poached egg
- a light and fruity whiskey that picked up a lot of bourbon notes in its cask was very interesting with halibut fillet.
If you plan to take a tour of the distillery or a break from the distillery, look for one that makes a whiskey pairing lunch as part of your package. Tourism authorities in the distillery areas can tell you about restaurants that offer whiskey and food pairing experiences.
Special concentrated scents for «noses» glasses
The glass you use for a fine single malt can make a big difference in the amount you get from the experience.
Since 2001, a new style of drinking glass has replaced the sturdy, straight Old Fashioned glasses that people have used for years. It is slightly tulip-shaped, wider at the bottom than the top, and has a thick, knobby stem or base so you can hold it without heating the bowl and the whiskey inside it. The shape of the glass is intended to allow more of the surface of the drink to come into contact with the air. The molecules of the spirit that carry its complex aromas are kept within its bowl shape. The glass won the Queen’s Award for Innovation after its introduction and is now used in whiskey festivals and competitions around the world.
There is a lot of nonsense and snobbery associated with a whiskey nose, but some advice they gave me was helpful. Hold the glass with your arms outstretched and then pass it a few inches under your nose. The action seems to evaporate the pungent alcohol and what you smell is the true character of the whiskey: smoked peat, raisins, toffee, sultanas, walnuts, etc. It really works.
Nose glasses are sold in liquor stores, whiskey specialists and gift shops throughout Scotland. Or you can buy them directly from Glencairn, the company that designed them in the first place.
Rough nose and smart like a pro
I don’t have a fancy specialty glass to “nose” your precious single malt whiskey. Well, if you can bear to waste a few drops, you can try the method used by malt masters when checking whiskey on tap.
Straight from the barrel, the whiskey has such a high alcohol content that if you just smell it, all you get is the effect of fire water. Some distillery professionals pour a few drops onto the palms of their hands and then rub their hands together. The heat evaporates the alcohol and when left is the true character of the whiskey. It is like waiting for the alcohol to evaporate before smelling some perfume that you are thinking of buying.
Water for the water of life?
Many people think that true whiskey connoisseurs should drink plain whiskey and that putting water in a glass of malt is blasphemy.
Whiskey experts disagree and, in most distilleries, adding a few drops, literally two or three drops of water, is recommended to “open” the whiskey. What they mean varies depending on the expert you talk to. Some will tell you that the water reduces the burning effect of the alcohol content so that the real aromas and flavors come through. While others explain that complex chemical reactions occur when water is added, releasing long-chain molecules of oily esters that have a scent. Both explanations are likely to be partially true, and in my own experience adding a little water changes the character of the drink.
The idea of never adding water to whiskey is silly because water is added to balance alcohol levels during maturation and when whiskey is bottled. And, for most people, draft whiskey is disgusting without a little water.
The fact is, whiskey is a drink that you should enjoy and whether you should add water or ice is entirely up to you.
What kind of water? Forget everything you’ve heard about adding distilled water or spring water. Unless your local water is very disgusting, any old water, except carbonated water with single malts, will do.
The angel part?
Even the tightest barrel wood, sherry butts and barrels are porous. As the whiskey ages, some of the alcohol evaporates, concentrating the flavors. In fact, whiskey makers lose about 1.5% of their whiskey for every year it matures. They call that the angel part.
The little white lie
You may think that when you buy a 12, 18 or 24 year old bottle of whiskey, all of its contents are from that era. But in fact, as an elegant woman of a certain age, they are telling you a little white lie.
Individual malts are blended to achieve a particular character or to maintain the distinctive qualities of a brand. The difference between single malt and so-called blended whiskey is that blended whiskeys can be made from the products of several distilleries, while all the whiskey in a single malt bottle comes from the same distillery.
But not everything comes from the same barrel. By law, the age of a Scotch is the age of the youngest whiskey in the blend. But much older whiskeys can also be added.
Scots don’t drink much whiskey
Most Scotch whiskey is exported from the UK to markets throughout Europe, the Far East, North and South America. According to a list of the top 10 whiskey consuming countries compiled by the SWA in 2017, the British don’t even see it.
The top scotch whiskey consuming country in the world, by value, is the US, importing $ 922 million of the stuff in 2017. Seen by volume, the surprising top importer of scotch is France, importing a close second is France , importing 178 million 70cl bottles in 2017.
Interestingly, the largest French champagne market in the world in Great Britain. The French hardly touch things.
