With the price of whisky ever increasing, ranging from $50 to $500 or more for a standard bottle to well into the thousands of dollars for rarer offerings, it is becoming more important to be sure that the whisky does not deteriorate after you purchase it.  There are a variety of factors to take into consideration when storing whisky; heat, evaporation and alcoholic content.

Rare collectable whiskies are best stored in a cold storage facility.  However, for most whiskies, storing it in a cool location in your house is often sufficient.  This will help to ensure that no evaporation occurs. 

Unlike wine, whisky bottles should be stored in an upright position. If a bottle is stored on its side, the high alcohol content will weaken the cork, resulting in the whisky leaking out of the bottle.  Be sure to keep an eye on the condition of the cork. Constant contact with the high strength alcohol can degrade the cork, causing it to disintegrate or transfer unpleasant flavours into the whisky. Turn the bottles upside down a couple times a year to help ensure the cork does not dry out or oxidate.

It’s best to keep the whisky in a consistently cool, but not cold location.  If the liquid becomes too cold, it can cause it to become cloudy. Experts recommend storing whisky at a temperature of between 15° and20° Celsius (59° to 68° Fahrenheit). If you’re collecting both whisky and wine, like I do, you may not want to store them together, as the ideal temperature for keeping whisky is higher than for wine, which is 13° to 14° Celsius (55° to 57° Fahrenheit).

Like wine, the bottles should be kept away from sunlight as the sun can affect the delicate flavours and desired colour of the spirit, as well as cause evaporation.   Darkness will also help preserve the labels from fading, maintaining them in mint condition.

It is important to maintain consistent temperature and humidity. Fluctuating temperatures and humidity can cause the liquid to expand and contract, destabilizing it. Excess humidity can cause damage to the labels and degrade the cork.

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Whisky can be enjoyed in many ways, whether it be on the rocks, with a splash of water, soda water, a mixer or in a cocktail. However, there are those of us who, on occasion, feel it’s important to appreciate the spirit in its simplest state. This is particularly true when trying a whisky you have not had before. Here is a simple guide for conducting a whisky tasting.

The process is very similar to the way a wine tasting is conducted.  After all, they are both a savoured, complex drink.  As with a wine tasting, it is fun and beneficial to do this with company.  It is both entertaining and educational to see how your interpretations compare to those of your friends.  The beauty lies in the senses of the beholder and there are no right or wrong interpretations.

There is a set of simple steps to follow that will help ensure you have the best possible whisky tasting experience.  It is recommended to use tasting glassware such as tulip-shaped International Standards Organization (ISO) vessels or Glencairn footed glasses.  Pour half an ounce or less into each glass, just enough for a few sips.

The first step is to examine the whisky in your glass. The colour can indicate what kind of cask the whisky was matured in and how long it aged. The older the whisky, the darker the colour. Also, the newer the cask, the darker the colour.  The more a cask has been used, the lighter the colour of the whisky. However, in many places including Canada and Scotland, it’s legal and common to add artificial colouring. Most whiskies are in a range of gold to amber.

Avoid swirling whisky as you might wine; the higher alcohol content in spirits can prickle your senses, burning your nose and palate.  Bring your nose to the glass slowly.  Many whiskies can be over 50% alcohol by volume (ABV) and thus too intense if your nose isn’t accustomed. Get in close to the glass, take your time, and start sniffing. Some experts recommend frequent, small sniffs, while others say long, soft sniffs are better. People often recognize one or more of floral, fruity, spicy, toasty, nutty, caramel, toffee, butterscotch or vanilla aromas.

Take a small sip and then another. As with the aromas, focus on flavours that immediately pop into your head. Spend a few minutes sipping slowly, moving the whisky around your mouth and identifying the flavours.  Then add a few drops of water to the whisky; this will lower the alcohol percentage, allowing more aromas and flavours to be identified.   Consider how long they linger on the finish.

Also consider the whisky’s texture; whether it is rough and hot, oily and silky or intense and sharp. Note the flavours you taste, and how long they linger on the finish.

All that is left now is to gather a couple of fellow whisky enthusiasts together, along with a favourite bottle, and let the exploration begin.

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Since the 1990’s Irish Whiskey has been gaining ever increasing popularity among liquor drinkers and thus, there are more people than ever trying Irish whiskey.  As a result, there are now more selections on the market than ever before.

Irish Whiskey has a much more silky or smooth finish than other whiskeys, which is one major reason for its increasing popularity.  There is less alcohol burn when drinking than with other types of whiskey.

Each Irish whiskey has its own unique flavour and may be produced in several different ways (see The Styles of Irish Whiskey from March 12^th).  How do you decide which whiskey is best for you?  Below are some suggestions based on my own experiences to help get you started.  In this list are whiskeys that are commonly available in liquor stores with a price point under $100. However, discovering your ultimate favourite will require you trying several different ones in order to find your preference of style and flavour. 

Jameson Irish Whiskey ($42 CDN)

Like many, this was my introduction to Irish Whiskey.

The aroma has floral notes, such as honeyed fruits and cut grass. The taste contains hints of fresh fruit such as pears and apples. The finish has hints of honey and spices.

Jameson may be enjoyed with a few drops of water or mixed with a bit of lemon juice.

Bushmills 10 Year Old ($57 CDN)

Bushmills is one of the most prominent distilleries in the Emerald Isle, specifically Northern Ireland. Bushmills 10 Year Old, uses 100% malted barley.

The nose contains hints of banana skins and butter mint with lots of sugar and vanilla. The palate has a lot of fruity notes.

Writers Tears Copper Pot ($55 CDN)

Writers Tears is a smooth and easy-to-drink whiskey. It is made using a combination of single malt and single pot still which produces a variety of fruity notes.  There are flavours of honey, vanilla, and fruit.

Green Spot ($85 CDN)

Produced by Mitchell & Son, alongside Yellow Spot and Red Spot, this pot still whiskey is my personal favourite. This Irish pot still whiskey is an easy-to-drink spirit, made using both unmalted barley and malted barley.

The nose has hints of apples with tastes of butterscotch, vanilla, and honey on the finish and is aged in a blend of first and second-fill Bourbon casks and sherry casks.

The Sexton Single Malt ($50 CDN)

This whiskey is crafted using 100% Irish malted barley and aged four years in sherry casks for a uniquely smooth finish. There are notes of dried fruit, nuts and honeycomb.

The Sexton is a bright golden spirit with aromas of toffee, marzipan, citrus, allspice and hints of dark chocolate. The taste has notes of dried fruit, a direct result of ageing in Oloroso Sherry casks.  The finish is smooth and supple with a hint of sweetness.

Final Thoughts

Although any of these whiskeys provide a good starting point there are many other great ones out there waiting for you to discover.

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Over the past few years whisky makers have released a variety of very rare and expensive Scotch whiskies to the marketplace.  The price of these rare offerings is determined by what the market will bear, or in other words, the amount the investor is willing to pay.  It appears that the price has little to do with the cost and time required to produce the bottle but more about who is interested in purchasing it. What has been happening is that there are a number of avid whisky enthusiasts who are willing to part with large sums of cash to claim one of these rare items as their own.

The participants in this market consists of collectors, investors and high-end consumers.  Individuals may take on only one or even all three of these roles.  For example, the same person may try to acquire two bottles, one to keep and maybe sell later, and the other to drink.

Ironically, with the recent surge in whisky’s popularity, distillers have been creating and promoting no-age statement whiskies. Older whiskies are more valuable, but the industry is far from claiming that older is necessarily better.  The older the vintage, the fewer bottles there are available, making it more desirable to those who can afford it, as well as more collectible.

Marketing whisky is about the quality of the whisky and the stories it allows the producers to tell about their brand’s legacy and history.

The media seems to have become infatuated by the so-called investment potential of these expensive bottles and casks.  However, whisky producers shy away from considering them as an investment.  There are people collecting simply for the happiness gained from the achievement of getting hold of a particular brand or vintage item.  However, encouraging people to invest for profit is risky business.  A large outlay of cash doesn’t necessarily provide the opportunity for resale for an increased amount later.

In the same way the price of fine wine will fluctuate up and down, so, too will Scotch whisky.  But just like wine, most people don’t consider it an investment vehicle similar to stocks or bonds.

When it comes to distillers setting a price for their rare releases, the only reference point seems to be the auction houses. If the price is set too high they will be accused of having delusions of grandeur. If the price is too low, the whisky will be quickly purchased and resold.

If you find yourself in the possession of a bottle of Scotch from one of the distilleries that no longer exists, you may have something of great value without realizing it. This list of distilleries includes Brora, Imperial, Littlemill, Port Ellen and Rosebank.

Revenues from the sale of rare whisky is minuscule in comparison to the profit made from the sale of the distilleries’ standard fare.  That is one reason why every distillery doesn’t take part in this niche market. Another being that any of the newer distilleries haven’t existed long enough to have any casks that have aged long enough to enable them to provide such a rare offering.

A certain amount of snobbery exists in the ultra-rare whisky market.  There are those who believe that distilleries, such as Macallan, should not have luxury status because their whiskies are available through grocery retailers in Britain.  Apparently in the view of some, if a distiller makes their product easily accessible to consumers, it raises doubts about its luxury status.

Thankfully, this is not an opinion shared by everyone and that whisky is judged and valued by its quality and flavour.  Proof in point, a bottle of Macallan’s 1926 sold at Sotheby’s for £1.5 million or $2.325 million dollars CDN!

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The western half of Scotland has its roots based in the Gaelic language and given that many whisky distilleries are situated in Gaelic lands, it should be no surprise that their names are often Gaelic as well.  Even some of us who were raised with a Scottish Gaelic parent have difficulty deciphering and pronouncing the names correctly.

I have come up with a list of the distilleries that sport Gaelic names and export their whisky regularly to the Canadian marketplace.  The list is presented in alphabetical order.

AnCnoc Distillery

AnCnoc Distillery, founded in 1894, is situated in Knock, Aberdeenshire. It was originally known as Knocdu (“nock-doo”) from the Gaelic Cnoc Dubh which means ‘black hill’. It later became AnCnoc which simply means ‘the hill’. And is pronounced “ah-nock”.

Auchentoshan Distillery

Auchentoshan Distillery was established in 1823 and is located at the foot of the Kilpatrick hills, close to Clydebank. In Gaelic its name translates to ‘Achadh an Oisein’ which means ‘corner of the field’. It is pronounced as “ock-un-tosh-un”.  The distillery’s motto is “Challenging to say, easy to drink”.

Bruichladdich Distillery

Bruichladdich is located on the wild Rhinns, located on the west side of the Isle of Islay.  It was originally founded in 1881. The name is derived from the Gaelic words ‘brudhach’ and ‘chalddich’ which together translate to ‘brae by the shore’. The name is pronounced as “broo-ick-laddie”.

Bunnahabhain

Bunnahabhain Distillery, founded in 1881, is located near Port Askaig, on the north side of the Island of Islay. Its name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic for ‘mouth of the river’, Bun na h-Abhainn.  It is pronounced “bu-na-ha-venn”.

Caol Ila Distillery

Caol Ila Distillery is located on the northeastern shore of Islay. It was founded in 1846. The name derives from the Gaelic ‘Caol Ìle’ which means ‘sound of Islay’ and is pronounced as “cull – eela”.

Cragganmore Distillery

Cragganmore is in the Speyside region near the village of Ballindalloch.  It has been in existence since 1869. The Gaelic form of its name is creagan mór, which translates as ‘great rock’. Cragganmore is pronounced as “kra-guhn-more”.

Glenfiddich Distillery

Glenfiddich was founded in 1886, in the Highland community of Dufftown, Banffshire.  Glenfiddich is Gaelic for valley of the deer and is pronounced “glen-fidd- ick”.

Glenmorangie Distillery

Established in 1843, Glenmorangie is located in the Highlands, about 60 kilometres north of Inverness. There is debate as to whether the name was derived from Gleann Mòr na Sìth, which means ‘valley of tranquility’ or Gleann Mór-innse, which refers to ‘valley of big meadows’. In either event, Glenmorangie is pronounced “glen-muh-ran-jee”.

Lagavulin Distillery

Lagavulin, founded in 1816, is located at Laguvulin Bay on Islay. Its name is an anglicization of the Gaelic lag a’mhuilin which means ‘hollow by the mill’. Lagavulin is pronounced “lagga-voolin”.

Laphroaig Distillery

The name Laphroaig means ‘beautiful hollow by the broad bay’, which makes sense as the distillery, which was founded in 1815, is situated along the south shoreline on Islay.  Laphroaig is pronounced as “la-froyg”

Tamdhu Distillery

Established in 1897, Tamdhu Distillery is located in the Highlands in the village of Knockando. Its Scottish Gaelic name translates to ‘little dark hill’ and is simply pronounced “tam – doo”.

Tomintoul Distillery

Tomintoul Distillery is located in the Speyside whisky region, inside the Glenlivet estate. The distillery is named after the nearby village of Tomintoul, which is the highest village in the Highlands of Scotland.  Tomintoul is by far the youngest distillery in the group, established in 1964. The Gaelic translation of its name means ‘the hill of the barn’ and is pronounce “tom-in-towel”.

In Closing

I think I now have a better understanding as to why my father always drank Glenlivet; it was very easy to pronounce, even for a Scotsman!

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Though popular with many enthusiasts today, peated whisky hasn’t always been. Rich and full of deep, smoky flavours, it is very complex. Admittedly, peated whisky is an acquired taste, but for those of us who enjoy its earthy tone and charred smoky taste, it is divine.

The intensity and flavour vary greatly depending on the region. Generally, the flavour covers a broad range, including intense aromas and flavours of sulfur, saline, diesel, leather, meat, moss, pine and charred wood.

Peat consists of a mixture of decayed vegetation that has developed over thousands of years.  It is commonly found in swamps and bogs.  It has a high carbon content which is why it has historically been used as a fossil fuel.

Scotland has a large, accessible quantity of peat which was used to fuel the nation’s distilleries, which initially used it to fire pot stills.  However, today peat is used less for fuel and more for flavour. The peaty, smokiness infuses the whisky during the malting stage of production. Barley is dried using a peat-fired kiln to end the malting process. Flavours from the peated smoke seep into the grain and then carry through mashing, fermentation and distillation, to maturation and finally into the bottle.

Peated whisky in Scotland varies by region.  In The Highlands, peated whiskies are the minority even though it is the largest whisky region. Some peated variations to try from this region are Oban 14 and several styles from Highland Park.

The Speyside region is home to over half of the active distilleries in Scotland. Whiskies from this area tend to have fruit-forward flavours with only scents of smoke. BenRiach The Smoky Twelve offers a subtle smokiness.

In Campbeltown, peated whiskies tend to have a delicate smoke profile, with subtle mineral notes and robust character.

Islay is where the majority of peated whisky is made. Islay is the largest of the Hebridean Islands. It is home to nine working distilleries and is among the most recognizable locations for peated whisky in the world.  Legacy brands such as Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, and Bowmore are all on Islay. Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg are collectively known as the Kildalton Distilleries because of their adjacent locations. The famed Islay distilleries produce some of the most heavily peated whiskies in the world, including Laphroaig and Octomore by Bruichladdich.

The level of peat in a whisky is measured in phenol parts per million (ppm). Most whiskies will be categorized in one of the following styles: lightly peated, measuring 15 ppm or less; mildly peated, averaging around the 20 ppm range; and heavily peated, a level of 30 ppm and above. Knowing the ppm of your whisky options can help you determine how smoky the flavour may be.

In recent years a couple of distilleries have been experimenting with making even smokier whiskies.  Most notable of these are Bruichladdich and Ardbeg.  They have created whiskies with PPM levels in excess of 100.

The aging process impacts the smokiness of the whisky.  The longer the aging period the more the intensity of the smokiness decreases.

So, in the world of peat, let’s see how the various whiskies compare:

• Talisker (30 PPM)
• Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte (40 PPM)
• Bowmore (40 to 50 PPM)
• Caol Ila (40 to 50 PPM)
• Lagavulin (40 to 50 PPM)
• Laphroaig (40 to 50 PPM)
• Kilchoman (50 PPM)
• Ardbeg (55 PPM)
• Bruichladdich’s Octomore (80+ PPM)
• Ardbeg’s Supernova (100 PPM)

Over the years I have sampled all but Talisker, Port Charlotte, Kilchoman, and the two with PPM in excess of 80.  Bowmore and Lagavulin are my personal favourites but my brother tells me Port Charlotte is also well worth trying.

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