General Information – Page 2

What is Scotch?

What are the requirements for a whisky to be called Scotch? What are the different types and regions?

Scotch whisky, like Bourbon, is a specific type of whisky. Because it is commonly just called “Scotch”, it is sometimes thought of as a separate category, also like Bourbon. More than once, I’ve heard or read “I don’t drink whisky, I drink Scotch. Sorry to tell you, but if you’re drinking Scotch, you ARE drinking whisky.

However, although all Scotch is whisky, not all whisky is Scotch. In order to be called Scotch whisky, the following requirements must be met:
⦁ Must be distilled in Scotland from water, malted barley, and other whole cereal grains (the ingredients themselves do not need to come from Scotland).
⦁ Distilled to no higher than 94.8% ABV (alcohol by volume). ⦁ Aged in Scotland for a minimum of 3 years.
⦁ Can contain caramel coloring E150, but no other added colors or flavors. ⦁ Must be bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV.
⦁ If labeled with an age statement, it must indicate the youngest whisky included.
⦁ Labeling without an age statement is permitted. These are referred to as NAS (non age statement) whiskies.

It is a popular myth that all Scotch is smoky. I have even read that Scotch “must” be smoky, as if it were a requirement. This notion comes from the fact that traditionally, the heat to dry barley during the malting process was provided by burning peat, which is an abundant fuel source in Scotland. The smoke from this burning peat flavored the grain, and that flavor was still present in the finished product. Many distilleries still use peat smoke to impart that distinctive flavor, but many others use alternative heat sources to dry the grain and produce a whisky with no smoky taste.

In addition to these requirements, there are various sub-categories of Scotch. The most commonly known are single malt and blended, but there are actually 5 categories.
⦁ Single Malt Scotch must only contain malted barley (no other grains) and be produced at a single distillery. It can be, and usually is, a “blend” of multiple casks of various ages. Do not confuse Single Malt with Single Barrel, which is, as the name implies, from a single barrel.
⦁ Single Grain Scotch must come from a single distillery, but can contain other grains besides malted barley.
⦁ Blended Malt Scotch is a blend of different single malts from different distilleries.
⦁ Blended Grain Scotch is a blend of different single grains from different distilleries.
⦁ Blended Scotch is a blend of single malts and single grains from different distilleries.

As if that isn’t enough to remember, there are five official whisky producing regions within Scotland. These regions are mostly associated with single malt whiskies. Most blends contain whiskies from multiple regions, although occasionally you will see a blend from a single region.

Speyside – The largest whisky region in terms of number of distilleries and total production, and home to many of the best known single malt distilleries. Speyside whiskies are known for being full bodied and full flavored. Many are aged or “finished” in sherry casks, leading to a distinctive flavor profile. More on cask “finishes” in a later post. Speyside is located entirely within the highlands, and whisky produced in Speyside can legally be labelled as Highland whisky.

For a long time, I was under the misconception (as I think many are) that the Speyside region was defined as distilleries drawing their water from the River Spey and its tributaries. I learned recently that it is actually a geographical tax designation, defined by specific boundary lines and counties.

Highlands – The largest region geographically. Highland whiskies can vary widely in flavor profile, largely due to the size and diverse terrain of the region. Several smaller islands off the coast of Scotland’s mainland are home to distilleries. While some think these “island” distilleries should be a separate region, due to their unique characteristics, they are officially part of the Highlands – with one notable exception.

Islay – This single island is home to 8 active distilleries, and is considered its own region. Most Islay distilleries have continued the traditional use of peat. The region is known for its smoky whiskies, although there are some unpeated Islay whiskies as well. The S in Islay is silent, just like the S in island.

Lowlands – Most distilleries in the lowlands produce grain whisky, and much of that ends up in blends. The small number of lowland single malts are known for being light bodied and “approachable”.

Campbeltown – Ask many “experts” how many whisky regions Scotland has, and they will proudly say “four”, and proceed to list those above. There is a fifth official region, however. Campbeltown is located on the Kintyre peninsula in the southwest of Scotland, near Ireland. Legend holds that St. Patrick introduced distillation to Scotland by way of the Kintyre peninsula in the 5th century. At one time, Campbeltown was home to over 30 distilleries, and was known as the whisky capital of the world.

The few remaining single malts produced in Campbeltown are known for being full bodied and often “oily”. Like many coastal distilleries, they can have some salinity to them as well, as the salty air penetrates the casks over the many years that they spend aging in warehouses near the sea.

I know, that’s a lot of information. If you’ve made it this far, thank you! The truth is, this only scratches the surface, but it does cover the basics, and should help you get started. If you’d like to learn more, please be sure to subscribe!

Craft Distilleries

Why you should consider visiting a local craft distillery near you.

For a long time, if you wanted to create alcoholic beverages on a small scale in the United States, you were limited to beer or wine. Microbreweries were popping up and gaining popularity everywhere, and small, local wineries were a great way to spend a pleasant afternoon.

Distilled spirits, however, remained the province of large operations. The minimum licensing fee for distillery operations was prohibitively high for a small start-up.

Then, about a decade or so ago, many states began paving the way for the entrepreneur to enter the distilling business. Soon, craft distilleries began showing up around the country.

I’ve visited and toured over 20 of these operations, and spoken to many owners. The typical time from the first planning stages to opening the doors as a licensed operation tends to be 2-3 years, at least in my home state and surrounding states.

After that kind of time and investment, there is a need to put product on the shelves and start generating some revenue. The last thing you want to do is make your first product something that won’t be ready for another year or more.

Because of that, most of them begin operations with clear spirits, such as vodka, gin, and white rum. There’s a saying among craft distillers, “Vodka pays the bills.” If they succeed, and get a steady cash flow going, a lot of them will eventually branch out into “brown” or aged spirits such as aged rum and whiskey.

Some in the whiskey community are concerned that these small operations will rush immature product to market, hoping to make a quick profit, and not counting on repeat business. In my experience, that is not the case.

Most of the craft distillers I have visited that are producing whiskey take pride in their product. They are not about to release a sub-standard offering. They already have a good business going in clear spirits, and have the time and money to wait until the stuff in the barrels is ready before putting it on the shelves.

Some of the best whiskeys that I have had, even bourbons (remember, bourbon doesn’t have to come from Kentucky), have been from small, local distilleries. Touring these facilities can be a very entertaining and educational experience. Most of these people are passionate about their craft, and are happy to discuss it with visitors who show an interest. Tours generally include a tasting (for a modest fee) and many have a bar where you can order a cocktail made with their spirits.

If you’re lucky enough to live near one of these places (or even not-so-near; many are worth a bit of a drive), I encourage you to visit their website and plan a visit.

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What is Bourbon?

There are a lot of misconceptions about what is and is not Bourbon. Let’s try to clear them up.

Most people have heard of bourbon, and have at least an idea of what it is, but there are a lot of misconceptions out there. Let’s try to clear some of them up.

Bourbon is a type of whiskey. I’ve heard people say “I don’t drink whiskey, I drink bourbon” as if it is a completely separate product. Bourbon is a very specific style of whiskey, with exact requirements, but it is still a whiskey.

In short, bourbon must be:
⦁ Made in the United States
⦁ Aged in new charred oak containers
⦁ Made from at least 51% corn
⦁ Distilled no higher than 160 proof (80% alcohol by volume)
⦁ Placed in aging containers at no higher than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume)
⦁ Bottled at no lower than 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume)
⦁ Contain no added colors or flavors

Perhaps the most common misunderstanding is that bourbon has to come from Kentucky. While Kentucky does produce most (over 95%) of the bourbon made, it can actually come from anywhere in the United States. It cannot, however, be made outside the U.S. – In 1964, Congress recognized bourbon as “a distinctive product of the United States”.

Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak containers. The container cannot have been previously used for any purpose, not even aging other bourbon. Because the containers cannot be reused for additional bourbon, there is a steady supply of used bourbon barrels. These can been used for aging other products ranging from other whiskies, to beer, maple syrup, and even coffee beans, all of which pick up some of the flavor from the bourbon that has been absorbed into the wood.

Sometimes the word “American” is mistakenly added to the previous requirement, but officially, the oak can come from anywhere. Also note that “barrel” is not specified, although barrels are almost always what is used.

Another frequent mistake is that bourbon must be aged for a minimum amount of time. Most commonly, it is thought that it must be aged at least two years. The fact is that there is no minumum age requirement. If it is aged at least two years, it can be labeled as “straight” bourbon. If it is aged at least 4 years, it does not need to contain an age statement on the label.

Combining the two previous requirements, Jimmy Russell, head distiller at Wild Turkey, famously said that you can take an oak bucket, char the inside, fill it from the still, walk it over to the bottling line, and call it bourbon. It would have to state that it is aged less than a day, but it would be bourbon. And if you wanted to do it again, you would have to get a new bucket.

The “mash” for bourbon must be at least 51% corn, though 65%-75% is most common. The remainder can be any other cereal grain. A portion of malted barley is almost used, as this grain contains the highest amount of the enzyme responsible for converting starches to fermentable sugars.

A “finishing” or “flavoring” grain is usual added. Rye introduces a hint of the spicy flavor notes found in rye whiskey, while wheat produces a more mild flavor. Adding both, along with barley, results in what is often labeled “Four grain bourbon”. Some craft distillers are experimenting with other grains as well. I’ve seen bourbons with oat, millet, sorghum, and even quinoa, and even a “five grain” bourbon, a classic four grain with oat added to the mix.

Bourbon must be distilled to no higher than 160 proof, which is 80% alcohol by volume. This preserves a great deal of the characteristic of the grains that were used to make the mash. Some other whiskies can be distilled as high as 190 proof. Above that, almost all of the grain character is lost, resulting in what is called “neutral grain spirit”.

It must then be placed in the aging containers at no higher than 125 proof. This further helps to preserve the flavor of the grains used, as well as control what flavors are and are not extracted from the wood.

Like most distilled spirits in the U.S., bourbon must be bottled at a minimum of 80 proof, though it can be higher, sometimes as high as “barrel strength”, or “cask strength” meaning that it is placed in the bottles at the same proof that it came out of the barrels. If it is bottled at exactly 100 proof, and meets certain other requirements, it can be labeled as “Bottled in Bond”, but that’s a story for another day.

And lastly, bourbon can not contain any added color or flavor. This seems straight forward, but there is actually a debate going on in the bourbon world right now around this requirement. We’ll talk about that in a future post, I promise.

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To “E” or not to “E”

To “E” or not to “E” – A look at when to spell it whisky and when to spell it whiskey.

You have probably seen the word spelled “whisky” and also “whiskey”. Which is correct, and what is the difference?

The answer is that both are correct, really. It depends on which country you are in, and where the liquid comes from.

In Ireland and The United States, the more common spelling is whiskey. In Scotland, Canada, and Japan, whisky is the more accepted form. The easy way to remember it is, if there’s an E in the country, there’s an E in the whiskey.

In writing about whisky, the accepted form is to use the appropriate spelling for that country when discussing a specific product, and whichever version you like when speaking in general terms. I’ve seen whisk(e)y, whiskEy, and whisky/whiskey, but I think those can be a bit cumbersome.

For this site, I will use the whisky spelling, unless I am specifically talking about a product from the U.S. or Ireland.

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