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AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!
(Quoting Charlie Brown as he tries in
vain to get a bead on Lucy’s (American)
football seems as apt a metaphor as any
to describe my “discovery” of whisk(e)y.)
I mean, it used to be so easy! My first
single malt, a Cragganmore 12, was
simple enough. Grassy, a little fruit,
dry. Too thin on the finish. Maybe
singles weren’t for me? “This is a
Speyside”, I was told.
A couple of Classic Malts later, I found
the whisky that suckered me in –
Lagavulin 16. Again, though, simple
enough. Peat, smoke, sweet, yet bitter.
Amazing finish. “This is an Islay”, they
said. OK, I thought. I get it.
No I don’t.
See, here’s the deal: Regions of
Scotland can no longer be classified.
Scottish distilleries are putting out
different expressions of their whisky
that defy their own taste profiles.
American whiskeys are experimenting with
different grains. Japanese and other
world whiskies are a virtually untapped
palate. Independent bottlers offer even
more confusion and excitement. And I
only have one glass.
First off, don’t believe the regional
classifications. Don’t assume that all
Speysides are sweet, “islands” are fiery
or rugged, or Islays are harsh or
medicinal. If I gave you a blind tasting
of Bunnahabhain 25 (Islay), Scapa 14
(island), and a Macallan Fine Oak 12 (Speyside),
I think that you’d be hard pressed to
classify them correctly.
In addition, distillers are adding wine
finishes to their portfolios – for
better and worse. I never much cared for
Glenkinchie. Too light, not enough body.
But throw it in an amontillado cask for
a little while, and wow, one of the best
“Distillers Editions” that I’ve ever
tasted! Conversely, I can’t figure out
what Edradour even is anymore. The
smallest distillery in Scotland, yet at
the time of this writing, they have
approximately 8 billion different wine
finishes, and counting. I’d like to
review some, but I’m a simple man, and I
get all confused.
Bottom line, though – the distilleries
can’t be pigeonholed anymore. You have
to taste their products, not just assume
their flavor profile.
Secondly, American distillers are really
branching-out. We now have four-grain
bourbon (Woodford Reserve), wheat
whiskey (Bernheim), smooth ryes (Sazerac),
incredible small batch bourbons from
Beam, and the list goes on. And let’s
not forget Oregon and California. Yes,
whiskey isn’t just made in Kentucky and
Tennessee, anymore. It’s a thirsty
country, you know!
The third reason to keep rinsing your
glass is Japanese whisky, a class by
itself because of its potential. Right
now, you can only get a few expressions
of Suntory Yamazaki in the US, but you
would think that would have to change,
wouldn’t you? Yoichi, Hakushu, Sendai,
Karuizawa – they’re getting great press.
I want to taste them. If you get a
chance, pick yourself up a bottle of
Yamazaki 18, the best Japanese whisky
available in the US. And I haven’t even
mentioned Mackmyra (Sweden), Penderyn
(Wales), Irish, Australian, etc, etc…
And then there are the independents. Oy!
A one-off cask may not be consistent
with what the distillery may want, but
hey, if it’s yummy enough, it’s going to
find itself bottled by one of many
independent bottlers on the scene. Don’t
shy away from independent bottlings –
many are incredible! If you can, try
them at a Scotch tasting. Then, if you
like it, buy it – remember, unlike
distillery bottlings, these independent
bottlings will never be repeated.
So, that’s my dilemma. I’ve got a
cornucopia of flavors to experience, and
I’m only one guy. But I am open to
suggestions. In the meantime, I have to
go do some, um, research…
Questions or comments are welcome, I can be reached at
brett@whiskyguild.com
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