Whisky, you have to enjoy it slowly like the great wines. It takes a gentleman with panache to appreciate the variety of the spirit. The way he selects the kind and conducts with the glass of whisky tells a lot about him.
There are many ways to enjoy a good whisky and the best way is to take time appreciating the color, aroma and texture as it courses through the palate. I will take you through some of the classic ways to recognize the quality of the whisky served.
There are four main kinds of whisky that you can choose from like single malt, vatted or pure malt, single grain, and blended.
Single Malt Whisky
This hundred percent malted whisky is the original stuff, the most complex and flavorful of all whiskies. You take a barley mash into copper stills and heat to boil off the alcohol. The spirit vapor is collected in a condenser and the liquid is redistilled to get the pure, unaged spirit that the Highlanders used. This is not all, but this goes to spend 3 years in the oak barrel and it’s classified as single malt as it comes from a single distillery.
Vatted Malt Whisky
A vatted malt (or pure or blended malt) is simply a blend of single malts, usually from different distilleries.
Single Grain Whisky
In single grain distillation, the grain mash (usually wheat) is fed into column stills and drips down, while steam rises and captures some of the alcohol.
Blended Whisky
Most blends contain two or three grain whiskies and as many as 40 malts. Blends are generally smoother than single malts.
The Glass
There is much importance to the type of vessel you use. You have it in a glass that is traditionally called the Whisky Glass with a wide opening and thick bottom. This type is mainly used for On the Rocks.
Experts lament the use of ice or water as it subdues the fragrance and the cold numbs the taste buds, but for some high proof whiskies you would prefer to add some water to take the punch off unless it’s a very smooth, high-end whiskey.
The use of ice balls instead of the common cubes has somewhat lessen the divide between neat and on the rocks. I personally prefer to have it chilled with ice spheres as the spheres water down less than the cubes.
The experts are also against using this glass as the aroma escapes rapidly from it. The best glass for those who prefer it neat will be the tulip-shaped glass or the Cognac glass.
It’s better to have it in a clear glass to recognize the color but colored glasses are sometimes used in Blind Tasting so as not to be influenced by the appearance. The color tells you about the type of maturing casks and the age of the whisky.
You have to now swirl the glass and look for the traces called as legs, left on the glass surface. This is due to the viscosity of the whisky and helps in the determination of the age of whisky and the nature of cask used for maturation. This will be seen clearly only if it is a clear glass.
Taste and Aroma
How it feels in your mouth is the most important factor that distinguishes a quality whisky. I take a small quantity of whisky and keep it in for 10 seconds with gentle swirl making sure it has touched the various parts of the tongue and palate. The Scotsmen say Tongue Feel for this.
Now is the time to add the ice. The usual ice cubes water down pretty quick and dilute more than you would prefer. I thought of the Whisky pebbles to chill my glass of Bourbon, but it turned out to be useless. My friend, a bartender gave me a set of Whiskey Baller and introduced me to the ice balls.
The sphere has less surface area and melts down slowly and evenly than the cubes. This is exactly what is needed. For people who are used to consuming strong alcohol, the slow dilution from the ice balls will cause subtle chemical reactions that enable the whisky to open up and release the aroma.
The cask strength is generally about 60% and addition of water gives the drinker the ability to have different alcohol rates and find the best alcohol rate suitable for him.
Now you repeat the swirl, nose dive and tongue feel to get the difference. I recommend Elmer T. Lee Bourbon Whiskey and Four Roses Bourbon for this.
On The Rocks with Ice Spheres.
For the ice balls I found the Whiskey Baller silicone mold to be more durable than the plastic ones. The molds were easy to fill and did not leak. One cool thing with silicone is that I can wriggle the excess ice that happens to be attached to it, besides the spheres came out pretty quickly. The plastic cube tray cracked when I did that with it. They looked great with my glass of Scotch and Bourbon.
Water expands when frozen, so I don't advise filling the whiskey ball all the way to the top. I have found that slow freezing is better than fast freezing and the former generally yields quartz spheres. In rapid chill, cracks can appear and your ball may look messy. Otherwise what you can do is that you have to do a directional freezing. Cover the mold with a cloth along the bottom and sides or take a Tupperware container and keep in it. This prevents the outside from freezing and the water inside will not expand rapidly. Use boiled filter water and pour into the mold while still hot. The silicone can withstand considerable heat.
There is also another way to get rid of the cracks. You have to first freeze it and then take the mold out for half an hour and then keep it back in the freezer. This will allow the melted water to get into the cracks and fill. Place the completed ice balls in a freezer bag. Don't add them to the rest of your ice chest or they will crack.
As a shot
It’s a tilted back straight pour. I would never consider whisky to be done in as a shot but people do as in celebrations. I would like to spend time with my chilled whisky, sipping it and enjoying the glide of taste. There are especially sipping whiskies that are quite expensive. They are meant to be appreciated taking time and when one treats you with that, taking all at once will be considered ill mannered.
The Experience
A good whisky renders a profound pleasure that encourages looking for more such whiskies. Some have found great satisfaction in collecting items from every corner of the world and they have indeed developed sensors that detect very subtle flavors. They revel in the intellectual effort to try to distinguish them and to remember the impressions felt by taking notes. It is always a personal feeling expressed in the notes that can change from day to day.
There are people who do the crime of spoiling the whisky by cocktails. While I would mostly prefer whisky in its pristine form, once I get the hang of it I experiment with herbs and spices. Ultimately the drink is your personal experience and how to have it is your decision. So relax and have your favorite whisky and enjoy.
