Odds are, the first time you drank whisky you were a teenager, you had it with lashings of Coke, and it tasted awful. Comparing a fine Scottish single malt to one of these cheap blends is something like comparing the performance of a Porsche to the rusty old Datsun Sunny in which you used to do burnouts when you were about the same age.
It was sometime after I had downed about six drams in a 45-minute intensive tasting session that I started to understand I’d too long overlooked the fantastic qualities of Scottish whisky. And I really don’t think it was just the booze talking as I declared my love of the drink. It becomes obvious in a good tasting session that single malt whisky is rich, varied and exciting in its complexity, not just a strong, burny liquid tolerated only by old men who’ve already drunk too much.
As much as single malt whisky is now appreciated around the world as a spirit with all the art, subtlety and variety of wine, this purer version of scotch has only been around for about 50 years. Historically, malt whisky was blended with grain whisky, mainly because the Scots found nancy-boy foreigners couldn’t handle the intensity of the flavours.
Records show serious production kicked off in the 1600s, particularly because of a growing appreciation by the English. After Scotland surrendered to English rule in 1707, however, distillers went underground when the southerners slapped heavy taxes on production.
The fast-moving fresh waters of the Spey River and the valley’s remote location (Speyside village Tomintoul is Scotland’s highest at 2000ft) proved popular with those trying to stay at arm’s length from the excise collectors. A change in the law saw many moonshine producers go legit in 1823, although thanks to their links with this illegal past, many of today’s major distilleries are located well off the main roads. The rugged Spey Valley, about an hour’s drive north-west of Aberdeen, is now home to a concentration of about 40 distilleries, more than half of Scotland’s total. An official Malt Whisky Trail takes in a good selection of these, as well as the Glenlivet National Park, a rugged reserve land popular with hikers and campers.
Most distilleries give visitors a tour for a few pounds, which is the best way to come to grips with the production process. Stick your head into one of the massive fermentation vats and you can fully appreciate the violent chemical change that occurs by, as I did, almost passing out.
Whisky making starts off much like the brew- ing of beer. Malted (roasted) barley is soaked in water, which starts germination, and then is allowed to dry. This dried malt is ground and mixed with hot water to form a wort. Yeast is added for fermentation, leaving an alcoholic, beer-like drink, which is then distilled in large copper pot stills, leaving a clear liquid of about 65% alcohol. As I discovered in a whisky tasting session at Aberlour Distillery, you can drink this stuff, though it is a bit dull and harsh and must be aged for three years to be officially called ‘whisky’. Ideally, it is barrelled for 10-25 years, during which time it turns the familiar golden to light brown colour and is mixed down to 40%.
In addition to giving colour, the barrels and what may have previously been stored in them have a fundamental influence on the drink’s taste. Scottish law requires whisky be matured in oak barrels and many distilleries reuse barrels discarded by liquor makers from other parts of the world, in particular, old bourbon barrels from the US and old sherry barrels from Spain.
At the Speyside Cooperage you can watch the highly skilled craftsmen take apart and reconstruct the barrels by hand at breakneck speed. No glue or nails are used – the only components are fire-charred oak, freshwater reed and a pair of metal rings around the outside. US bourbon makers use the oak for just three years, but these barrels will now hold Scotch whisky for 20 to 50 years.
Because the whisky is stored for such a long time before consumption, total stocks are enormous. It is currently estimated that somewhere in the region of 3 billion litres, with a value of more than £30bn, await consumption. If you’re happy to oblige, there are plenty of places you can do a tasting. Many distilleries will offer you a range of their different ages and styles, or visit specialists such as The Whisky Shop in Dufftown or Gordon & MacPhail in Elgin, who have hundreds of varieties.
But ultimately, whether you taste their hints of Christmas cake, liquorice, nutmeg, chocolate, cream and plums, it is indeed a pleasure to enjoy a wee dram of the spirit of a nation along with the locals. But then again, maybe that’s just the booze talking.
How to taste whisky
The first rule of whisky tasting is that you don’t spit out your dram. Throw away that shot glass and find a good tumbler or, even better, a tulip-shaped glass. Once you’ve poured your drink, neat and at room temperature, don’t just scull it down like bad tequila. Give it a good ‘nose’ and appreciate the variety of flavours. Take a little sip and see what you think. Most single malts will benefit from a drop or two of water, and I’m not kidding when I say a drop – a tiny amount will take away the harsher edge of the whisky and reveal the complex flavours. It’s not macho to drink it straight, the alcohol will simply anaesthetise your palate. Adding too much water or ice will dull the flavour. Enjoy your dram, repeat.
Single malt or blend?
Single malt is made from malted barley at a single distillery. Blends mix in grain whisky, which requires less ageing, is cheaper to produce and has a milder taste. Blenders (eg Johnny Walker, Chivas Regal) will mix spirit from up to 40 different distilleries to create a consistent product. Blends make up 90% of worldwide whisky consumption, although the distinct flavour of single malts has seen them grow in popularity in recent years.
Scottish, Irish and American whiskies
There are two major concentrations of production in Scotland – at Speyside in the north-east (eg Glenfiddich, The Glenlivet) and the Islay islands in the west (eg Bowmore, Laphroaig). Islay whiskies use more peat when drying their barley, giving them a more dominant smoky flavour. Speysides tend to be lighter and more fragrant.
The two other major producers are the Irish and the Americans, who both tend to spell their drink as ‘whiskey’. Irish whiskey includes unmalted grains and is distilled three times, while the Scottish say their malt spirit only needs to be put through the process twice. Irish blends taste smoother, but Scots argue it doesn’t have the same character.
American bourbon is usually produced in Kentucky and Tennessee and uses mostly maize (corn) and unmalted grain. Bourbon is aged exclusively in new American oak casks. Rye whisky such as Jack Daniel’s uses mostly rye grains.
The Speyside Whisky Festival runs from April 28-May 2. See www.spiritofspeyside.com. For more information on the region, call VisitScotland on 0845-2255121, see www.visitscotland.com or call into the VisitScotland Centre at 19 Cockspur Street, SW1Y 5BL.
