How to choose a whiskey to give as a gift
How whiskey is made
Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage obtained from the distillation of fermented wort of barley or other grains, malted or not. Malting it happens to increase fermentable sugars. This phase takes place by immersing the barley in water until it begins germination, which is then stopped by drying the malted barley in some ovens, these can be powered by peat or not.
Peat smoke gives the malt and therefore the whiskey a particular aroma, this gives life to the so-called peaty whiskeys. Once dried, the barley malt is ground and soaked in hot water, so that the process of transforming starches into sugars can be completed.
Selected yeasts are added to this filtered must which are left to "work" for 2-3 days, what is obtained is a kind of beer with a low alcohol content, a product ready for distillation. In Scotland, where the real Scotch Whiskey is born, this phase takes place in two or even three phases, the heart of the distillate obtained after distillation is generally diluted with water and sent toaging in wooden barrels that have previously hosted other spirits or wines, fortified or not.
Single malt e blended
One of the main distinctions to be made about whiskeys is between single malt e i blended. Single malts are whiskeys made from pure barley malt produced and aged by a single distillery. The blended are obtained by mixing different single malts produced by different distilleries with different characteristics, places of origin and aging.
Among connoisseurs it is said that a real whiskey can only be a single malt, however there are some blended whiskeys of exceptional quality, also appreciated by great connoisseurs.
Areas of origin
Whiskeys can be Scottish, Irish, Canadian, American, Japanese or even Italian, but be aware that the most popular whiskeys for connoisseurs are Scottish ones. Scotland thanks to its particular climate and clean air greatly affects the quality of spirits, not surprisingly, here there are a series of regions, each of which gives a distinctive mark to the whiskeys produced.
- Lowlands In the area between Edinburgh and Glasgow, whiskeys are generally sweet and not peaty. Among the most famous distilleries there are The Cally e Glenkinchie.
- Highlands Northern part of Scotland, where the scotches produced are lighter, more delicate and sweeter. We remember the most famous distilleries Dalwhinnie, Clynelish e Oban
- Speyside Here is the largest concentration of distilleries in Scotland thanks to the presence of numerous and abundant waterways. The mild climate contributes to characterize the whiskeys of this region, which are generally very complex and elegant. Among the most relevant products we remember those of the distilleries Glen Elgin, Mannochmore, Linkwood, Cambus e Cragganmore.
- Isle of Islay: An island with an extreme climate where probably Scotland's most extreme whiskeys are produced. Here are produced whiskeys with the strongest flavor, very peaty and marine. One cannot fail to mention the mythical Port Ellen, but also Lagavulin e Caol Ila.
- Isle of Skye: This is the island of Talisker, an island perpetually blown by the humid wind, its products stand out for their marked brackish and peat notes.
Aging
Here we speak exclusively of single malts which almost always report the years of aging of the malts on the label, as blended are generally composed by mixing whiskeys of different aging, although generally the same brands, more expensive blended whiskeys correspond to more aged blends, for example between Johnnie Walker Green (up to 15 years) and Johnnie Walker Platinum (up to 18 years of aging).
In Scotland by law, the minimum aging is 3 years, but usually a whiskey in order to acquire greater aromatic complexity requires a much longer stay in wood. But be careful, as aging increases, a better product does not always correspond.
What are Special Releases
The Special Releases are special annual editions produced in very limited quantities of single malts that have undergone a long aging and are bottled "Natural Cask Strenght", or as they are in the barrel, without undergoing filtration or dilution to reduce the alcohol content, therefore, usually it is whiskey with a higher alcohol content than the others. They are products that, therefore, vary from one year to the next.
What are the Distillers Edition
These are single malts whiskeys that after having passed their natural aging in American oak barrels, are subjected to a further aging of about 1 year in woods that have previously contained liqueur wines, very often sherry, this in order to enrich the distillate. of further aromas that will characterize the taste-olfactory profile. As with the Special Releases, the Distillers Editions also have important differences from one vintage to another.
Now that you have some more information, choose your scotch whiskey in a more conscious way, you just have to deal with the budget available ...
