Last Saturday, I attended to a BBQ with the Esperanto Group of Toronto. Part of the program
was a Whisky tasting. It was a great opportunity to learn about this Drink that is popular in North America and most of us do not think about this art. Here I write about some things I learned during my experience.
The Whisky tasting started with Vodka,
because vodka is like a blank sample in comparison with whisky, so its flavour
does not have influence over our senses and our mouth gets used to the burn
from Alcohol, and is is possible then to focus on the flavours of Whisky.
In this picture, we can see the brands of whisky used in the same order they were tasted.
1.- Bourbon Whiskey
It is made in the state of Kentucky in the
USA and has at least 51% corn in its composition, but it has also barley and rye.
It is made in a distillation column and always aged in a new charred oak barrel.
It is sweet and the corn gives it its salty butter quality and granary toast to
the nose. Part of the flavours come from the barrel. There is a touch of spice.
It does not contain any additives.
2.- Irish
Whiskey
In this case we tasted Powers, that is made
in Ireland from a mix of Malted and non malted barley that provides its special
flavour with some notes of Pines. Part of the whiskey is made in a pot
distiller in three steps, and part of it is made in a distillation column. It
is aged in old barrels that were earlier used for Bourbon. To the palate it
causes a smooth flavor of Coffee, chocolate and a dry spice and it reminds the smell of a Christmas cookie.
Some of the tools used in the tasting
3.- Blended Scotch Whisky
Most of Scotch Whiskies are blended. They are
a mix of diverse distillations, and also a mix of Whisky from a pot distiller (100%
malted Barley) and neutral spirit grain. The art of mixing consist of achieve
with precision the same taste all the time, task that is very difficult due to
the differences in the grains used, the aging processes, barrels where they
were aged, etc. Malt Scotch whisky is distilled 2 times in a pot-distiller, and
is aged in a bourbon barrel. Malted barley is dried with a fire from a peat that
provides this particular peat flavour to the grain that is famous in scotch
whiskies.
4.- Rye Whisky
Rye is possibly the most used grain in
Whiskies. This is the cause of its spiciness. You can taste the rye as integral
part of it. Even the origine of the rye is relevant to the final taste. Whisky
can be made 100% from rye if it is distilled till the neutral spirit point,
then the flavour disappears and it becomes difficult to spot which rye was
used, even if the whisky is made 100% of Rye. Northern Harvest Rye it’s a new
Canadian whisky that was awarded the Best Whisky in the World in 2016. It is a
mix of different whiskies of different age from Crown Royal, and it is 90% rye.
5.- Canadian Whisky:
Canadian Whisky is traditionally the most
monotonous of the greatest whiskies, because it was originally designed for
massive production to be finally used mixed with other drinks. But the art of
whisky made its way to Canada, producing very popular brands for new Markets.
Like bourbon, it is made mostly produced with Corn with malted barley and rye.
Like other whiskies in the world it is aged in old bourbon barrels. But it is
less sweet than bourbon and rye has a stronger part in its taste. You can find notes
of sweet butter, vanilla and flowery flavours.
6.- Singe Malt Scotch Whisky - Highland
Single malt Scotch whisky is made 100% malted
barley, in one distillery. Traditionally we speak about different regions of
Scotland, which have different styles, but in the last times this situation has
complicated. We tasted Glenmorangie, which has strong notes of fruity flavour, and
quite creamy to the palate.
7.- Single malt Scotch Whisky - Islands
We tasted here Talisker, a whisky that comes
from the Island of “Skye”. It has a flavour influenced by the sea and peat that
influences during the distillation and aging in old bourbon barrels.
