Classic Scotch Whiskey: A True Manifestation of the Aristocrat Taste

Posted by AmandaTom on August 28th, 2013

 Scotland is famous for bagpipes, haggis, tartan cloths, historic cities like Edinburgh, Scottish music and Scotch whiskey. The denizens of Scotland have been distilling malt whiskey through centuries and the beverage tops the favourite list of many alcohol connoisseurs around the world. The popularity of original malt whiskey from Scotland has never dropped as all the distilleries (there are only about 100 of them in Scotland) religiously adhere to the quality standards set forth by the regulatory body. Through bourbon barrels are mostly used for storing and distilling the beverage, many distilleries also make use of wine, old sherry and rum casks. The barley used in hogsheads is dried after malting. This makes the malt whiskey smoky flavoured. You can always try a cocktail like tequila sunrise but this liquor from Scotland has a different class altogether.

Categories of malt whiskey

Scotch comes in two prominent categories: single mat and blended. Single malt whiskey is produced in one distillery. This is what liquor aficionados unanimously tag as ‘100% malted barley’. A blended whiskey is nothing but a mixture of different single malts. Blended liquor is usually an aged grain whiskey. Contrary to single malt liquor, blended beverages are made of almost every type of grain and not only malted barley. In the US liquor market, only blended whiskeys were available until a few years ago. During late 70’s, drinking habit of Americans started largely with vodka sales outstripping blended whiskey sales. It was a time when Americans started to drink tequila sunrise more than ever before. Single malt whiskey producers addressed this issue and started exporting only single malt to the USA. Whiskey retrieved its popularity in the mainland USA.

Drinking classic whiskey the true aristocrat way

Scotch should be consumed in a classic way, which is taking it neat. If you fear that you cannot take it straight, do not hesitate to add water to take the burn off. Many people do not know that adding water actually enhances the aroma of the whiskey. If the whiskey you are drinking is younger and single malt, you should add ice/club soda to it. Some of the most popular cocktails that are made with first-class whiskey are Blood & Sand, Rob Roy and Rusty Nail.

Some of the most sought-after blended whiskeys are Cutty Sark, Dewar’s, Chivas Regal, Ballentine’s etc. Single malt whiskeys, generally priced much higher are Aberlour, Bladnoch, Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenmorangie, Speyburn and Talisker just to name a few. The high class of Scotland born whiskey is absolutely unmatched and you should not just place the above-mentioned brands with some relatively younger cocktail like tequila sunrise in the same row.

Know your whiskey first

Learn that ‘whiskey’ is a misspelling according to Scottish lexicon. The true Scotch ‘whiskey’ should be spelled as ‘whisky’ (sans the ‘e’). If you want to stock your home bar with the best ‘whiskies’ from Scotland, you should develop a habit of reading reviews written by industry insiders and famous bartenders. Whether tequila sunrise is your type or you prefer pure ‘single malt’ whisky from Scotland, be a drinker who knows his brand like no other does.

Are you on a lookout for the best scotch whisky? Liquor.com sources unbiased reviews on cocktails and spirits from industry experts and you can compare tequila sunrise with any other cocktail you like.

Like it? Share it!


AmandaTom

About the Author

AmandaTom
Joined: August 8th, 2012
Articles Posted: 1,545

More by this author