Blending your own
If you’ve read part one of this post, or even if you haven’t, you might be thinking it would be fun to try blending your own whisky.
Well, if you think you have what it takes to create a unique and delicious blend, there are a few options available to you. There are a very small number of distilleries around the world that offer a whisky blending experience, where you can sample several different whiskies, and then try blending them with the help of an expert.
If a trip to one of these is not an option, you could buy several different bottles with different flavor profiles, or grab what you have on hand, and start blending.
Here’s another fun option, which I just tried. In November of 2018, Chivas Regal, one of the world’s leading whisky blenders, released a whisky blending kit. For about $35 U.S., you get 50 ml bottles (“airline” bottles) of 5 different whiskies identified only as smoky, fruity, floral, citrus, and creamy, as well as a 50 ml bottle of Chivas Regal 12 (as an example of a good, well balanced blend), a pipette to measure and dispense the whisky, and a beaker to do your blending. It also includes an empty 50 ml bottle labeled “My Blend”. All of this comes in a nice box, which would be perfect for gifting.
The idea here is to work in small batches, adding anywhere from .5 to 3 or 4 ml of each, to build a small tasting sample. You then taste, and adjust your recipe if you want more or less of a certain flavor. Once you have a blend you’re happy with, you can scale up your recipe and make enough to fill the 50 ml bottle.
If you’re going to give this a try, either with this kit or with your own whiskies, I have a few suggestions:
⦁ Before mixing anything, taste 2-3 ml of each whisky. Like making a cocktail, or cooking, it’s important to appreciate the taste of each component on its own, so you know what it’s contributing to the finished product.
⦁ A little smoke goes a long way. Even if you like a smoky whisky, you don’t want to drown out all of the other flavors. The purpose here is to learn about balance. I would recommend no more than about 5% of the “smoky” if you want to be able to appreciate the other flavors.
⦁ The main idea of the “creamy” is to add body and mouthfeel, not flavor. Use it accordingly.
⦁ Measure carefully, and keep track of what you do in each batch, so you can make informed adjustments, and reproduce the results once you find something you’re proud of.
If you look at this as $35 for 300 ml of whisky, it may not seem like a great bargain. I choose to look at it as $35 for a unique learning experience, and for that, it’s a great value.
I do wish they had an option to submit your recipe online and order a full sized bottle of your custom blend. There are sources that offer that, but you’re working from descriptions only, and don’t get to experiment first, so a mistake can leave you with a full bottle of something you don’t like.
Working with bottles of single malt that are available retail gives you better options for buying more, and making larger batches, but then it’s up to you to determine what to use for various flavor characteristics. With the kit, Chivas Regal has done that work for you.
Overall, if you have an interest in making your own custom blends, I think the new Chivas Regal kit is an excellent place to start.