I love sipping whiskies. I love the complexity, the different origins and history behind it. I appreciate its uniqueness and that its not everyone’s cup of drink (more for me to sip). However, I used to hate it. During my university days, I would go bar hopping or attend college parties with friends. We would drink the usual Jack Daniel & Coke or when I went Karaoke with friends, we would take whisky shots. That was the extend of my whisky experience. I never knew how to enjoy nor taste it. That is, until my friend, Soc introduced me to the world of whiskies.

Soc and I used to live together in Hong Kong several years back (more like I was living with him). We were, as his then fiancé, puts it, the perfect drinking partners. I remember one night, he came home from a business trip where he purchased many different whiskies for us to try. In his business trip to Paris, Soc received an invitation to eat at a friend’s house for dinner. After dinner, Soc’s friend brought out a whisky for him to try. The whisky was Nikka from the Barrel, a cask strength Japanese whisky from the brand Nikka.

One of my favorite whiskies. Nikka from the barrel.

According to Nikka’s website, Nikka from the Barrel is: “a blend of multiple types of malt and grain that Nikka reserves. Nikka From the Barrel was created to deliver full flavors and richness of whisky ‘from barrels’ which only blenders can sniff and taste. As the whisky contains so many characteristic components at a higher alcohol of 51.4%, it is essential to let the liquid ‘marriage’ in used casks for 3-6 months for it to stabilize and harmonize. The concept of the unique short squared bottle is ‘a small lump of whisky’, which perfectly visualizes the rich and strong taste of the whisky inside.”

Unavailable in the US and at a strong ABV of 51.4%, I became intrigued. After finishing his story, Soc went over to his bag and pulled out a bottle of Nikka from the Barrel. He also purchased few other whiskies to compare their taste. “Whisky time!” he exclaimed and so began, our whisky tasting. Nikka from the Barrel is a cask strength blended whisky bottled straight from the barrel (and thus no water dilution). Its ABV is higher than the norm of 40% (cask strength are usually more expensive to buy since it requires more concentrated whisky per bottle).

The Nikka was a shocker to my then-untrained palette and nose. I immediately smelled it after Soc poured me a glass. It was strong, like smelling an incoming punch to the gut (except without the pain). It felt like going on a journey the wild west. With fear, I began to slowly sip it. What came next was the sensation of being blown away by the sheer taste of the Nikka from the barrel. It’s one of those whiskies where you have to sip or it will massacre your taste-buds. With each sip of this concentrated whisky, you start to realize the magic of this spirit. You taste the ferocious blend of different whiskies, the tartness of different fruits which leaves the mouth wanting more and an aftertaste of bitter caramel oak. Soc then suggested we try it with a drop of water. Why a drop of water, I asked? We were already drinking it neat (without ice) and wouldn’t the water ruin the taste?

By adding a drop or two of room temperature water, you break apart the molecules and dilute the whisky. This chemical reaction results in an increase of aroma and taste. This works especially well with cask strength whiskies. Normal whiskies are already diluted to bring down the ABV and make it more palatable for regular consumption). I proceeded to add several drops of water, which immediately transformed the Nikka from the Barrel. The sensation felt like a wise and fiery dragon suddenly became a tame yet powerful stallion. Few water drops changed the whisky into an elegant drink with hints of vanilla, nuts and oranges.

It was then, that I understood what makes whiskies special. This transformative liquid was unlike anything I’ve tried in my short lifespan! Its characteristics and subtle elegance vibrated my drive that sophistication and enjoyment can be found here. We proceed to try out Soc’s other purchases; The Nikka Pure Malt 21 years, the Nikka Single Malt Yoichi 10 years, the Johnnie Walker Double Black, and the Chivas Regal 18 years (we had this at home) for comparison. Needless to say, neither of us went to bed sober.

Tasting note:

• Johnnie Walker Double Black: blended scotch and a deeper twist from their black label. We liked this one. A very deep smoky taste. Would be great with BBQ food.
• Chivas Regal 18 years: it wasn’t my cup of whisky but Soc really likes it.
• Nikka Yoichi 10 years: not very memorable in my humble opinion. Its a single malt but doesn’t hold up to the Nikka from the Barrel.
• Nikka Pure Malt 21 years: I enjoyed this whisky. Not too sweet with a hint of coffee and dark chocolate (my two favorite taste).

What is Whisky or Whiskey?

Whisky or Whiskey is a distilled alcoholic beverage produced from fermented grain mash often made up for barley, rye, wheat and corn. Whisky is produced worldwide and typically in: Ireland, Scotland, USA, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, India and many others.

The spelling Whisky and Whiskey is used to describe the same spirit but each of different origin. If the spirit is produced in Scotland, Japan or Canada, it is written as whisky. Its its made in the US or Ireland, it is written as whiskey. For simplicity, we will be using whisky in this article.

Why Drink Whisky?

Whisky is the perfect drink. Its made with care and time, it brings out your inner self and like life, should be each with each sip.

How is Whisky Made?

Whisky is made using various grains that are malted (germination process to bring out soluble sugar from the grains to make alcohol), mashed (mixing of the malted grains with pure water), fermented, distilled, and matured (aged in wood barrel). The Malting process activates the enzymes present in the cereal grains to convert complex starches already present in the grains into simpler sugars that can be fermented by yeast. Barley contains a large amount of these enzymes compared to other grains.  Malted barley is often combined with other grains when creating a wort (the liquid extracted from mash), because the enzymes produced by the barley will break down the starches in the other grains more efficiently than if those other grains had been malted on their own.

The History Channel in its series, Modern Marvel, has a documentary about Whisky worth watching.

The Whisky remedy for the common cold: a Hot Toddy is a drink made using whisky believed to help fight the common cold back in the days. You can make it with hot water, whisky, herbal tea, honey, lemon juice and sometime spice such as cinnamon.

Different type of Whisky

Fundamentally, whisky has two main distinction; malt and grain whisky. Malt whisky is made from malted barley, while grain whisky is made from different types of grains, typically rye, corn, or wheat. The two are very different in taste, especially by which distillery produced it, and I encourage you to try them both.

Malt Whisky

Malt Whisky is the first type of whisky, mainly produced in Scotland, it is the traditional and popular type of whisky. It is made entirely from malted barley with usually multiple distillation and aged in matured oak casks. It contains only malted barley as the only grain in the mash bill (which is why enthusiasts consider malt whiskies the purest form of whiskies). Malt whiskies can be blended or single. Single Malt means the bottle is made using malts made in one distillery whereas Blended Malts are a mixture of malted whiskies from different distilleries. While Scotland is the predominant producer of malt whiskies (by law, Scotch whisky needs to be made 100% from Barley), numerous American Whisky distilleries have been coming out with great Single Malt whiskies such as Corsair’s Triple Smoke malt whisky.

An example of a single malt scotch whisky

Grain Whisky

Grain whisky is everything else. Usually containing wheat, corn, rye and in addition barley. American whiskies (Bourbon, Rye, Tennessee whisky are grain whiskies). Single Grain whisky is grain whisky made in one distillery. Grain whiskies in general are produced for blending purposes at distilleries. It is matured for a short time and cheaper to produce than malt whiskies. A single distillery can produce both Single Malt and Grain whiskies.

Grain whisky from Nikka’s Miyagikyo distillery made using their coffey stills.

Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey

Bourbon is a type of whiskey produced throughout the United States (it must be produced in the US to be called bourbon). Bourbon whiskies are made of at least 51% corn and a mixture of other grains. Kentucky is predominant producer of bourbon home to numerous distilleries such as Angel’s Envy (one of my favorite), Heaven’s Hill, Maker’s Mark, Corsair, Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, Wild Turkey, Woodford Reserve etc.

By U.S. law, a no age bourbon must be aged for at least 4 years in fresh, toasted casks made from American white oak. A finish or extra maturation similar to Scotch whisky is not allowed. If the whiskey is not blended, it may be called ‘straight bourbon’.

Note: we are using the word “whiskey” as we are talking about American Whiskies.

Tennessee Whiskey is American whiskey produced in the state of Tennessee. It has the same mixture and ingredients as bourbon (51%+ corn) but adds a filtration process after the spirit is distilled. The whiskey spirit is filtered through a sugar maple charcoal before it is filled into a cask. This filtering is known as the Lincoln County Process and distinguishes Tennessee Whiskey from Bourbon.

I’m sipping on this bourbon as I write this article. Four roses… as sweet as my heart.

Rye Whiskey

What does the whisky age mean? Is the label 10 years mean the bottle has been kept for 10 years?

The age statement in whisky bottles refers to the youngest age of one of the blend of whisky in the bottle. For example, if you have a bottle that says 12 years old, it means the youngest mix is 12 years old mixed with other older blends. Distilleries mix different age blends to reach a particular flavor profile. The exception is when the bottle is labelled single barrel or single cask as it would be not a mix but from the same cask. By law, if there is a age label, every blend in the bottle must be at least that age (that 30 year whisky could contain whiskies older than 30 year old in that bottle).

NAS stands for No Age Statement. Whiskies with NAS have no age labelled on the bottle and getting more popular. The surge in popularity of whiskies has prompted many distilleries to release earlier batches to keep up with rising demand. An example would be the Hibiki Japanese Harmony by Suntory Distillery, the same distillery that makes the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask which in 2015, Jim Murray, author of The Whisky Bible, named the best whisky in the world. After the Yamazaki Sherry Cast was voted as the best in the world, a huge demand for Japanese whiskies took place all over the world. There was not enough aged whiskies to keep up with the demand and the distilleries could not produced any more aged bottles (they can’t go back in time and make more) as there are limited aged supplies. There was no way to predict the sudden rise of demand 10+ years later.

By removing the age statement, whisky distilleries can release more whiskies with more flexibility to meet demand more easily.

I hope this was a good lesson for you all. The next post will be how I got started tasting whisky. Let me know if you have any questions!