Appreciating Malt Whisky
May 26, 2008
Single malt whisky is a whisky which is distilled at a single distillery, and which is made completely from a single type of malted grain, traditionally barley. Most single malt whiskies are distilled using a pot still. Single malts are produced all over the world, but the best known single malts come from Scotland, Ireland and Japan. Barley, yeast and water are the only ingredients required in the production of single malt whisky.
An understanding of the Scotch Single Malt Whisky has been proven to enhance not only the gastronomical experience, but also the self-discipline and respect for the qualities of this unique spirit. Knowledge begets appreciation, which begets respect, which begets a natural temperance.
The cliche, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” could correspondingly be modified to apply to the Scotch single malt aficionado to state that, “taste is in the palate of the beholder.”The physical sensory condition of the taster, comfort of the taster, innate character strength and temperature of the whisky, volume and dilution of the whisky being evaluated and the time allotted to experience the whisky will strongly influence the “taste” of the Scotch single malt.
Given below is the procedure to appreciate malt whiskey by a novice:
- Pour about one and a half ounces of Scotch single malt into a twelve-ounce brandy snifter. The brandy snifter is very important to the tasting experience. Have a small water glass with room temperature water and a tablespoon close by. Swirl the contents of the undiluted Scotch single malt quite vigorously around in the snifter.
- Raise the glass under your nose until it is about even with your chin or mouth and gently sniff the aroma. Adjust the glass-to-mouth distance to suit your palate and single malt.Repeat and adjust the distance of the glass to the nose. Tilt your head, or the glass, from side-to-side to give maximum exposure of the aroma to each nostril.
- Depending on the quantity and strength of character of the whisky, add some good quality water that is at room temperature, to the glass and repeat the preceding step. For a typical bottling of eighty or eighty-six proof single malt, I begin with a tablespoonful of water in an ounce-and-a-half of single malt. Some tasting experts, especially Britons, recommend up to forty percent by volume of water. The “correct” amount of water will be what the taster decides and will vary with each malt and taster. One can always add MORE water. You should notice an increase in the intensity of the aromas with the addition of water.
- Take a small amount of the malt that is sufficient to “coat” and expose as much of the inside of your mouth and taste sensors as possible into the mouth. Move it around in the mouth slowly and let the vapors penetrate the sinuses as you slowly swallow. After swallowing, breathe minimally in through the mouth slowly with the mouth opening as small as possible. Then breathe out slowly through the nose in order to expose as much of the sinuses to the aromatics of the whisky. Keep the mouth partially closed with as small an opening as possible. Breathe minimally, as it will retain the aromas in the mouth and sinuses and you will note the increase of the flavors and aromatics of the malt.
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