Tasting Whiskey - Single Malt Scotch

[MichiganCornhusker]

I'm reading a good book called "Tasting Whiskey" by Lew Bryson.
I've seen the discussions before about what qualifies as single malt, and I see it popping up again.
I ran across this in the book yesterday and thought it was an interesting bit of history: (I'm paraphrasing directly from the book)

What most people mean when they say "scotch" is "blended scotch", Johnnie Walker, Ballantine's, Dewar's, Chivas....
The rise of "single malt" scotch whiskies is a recent phenomenon, happening tin the last 30 years.
Faced with a glut of whisky in the early 1980's - because of increased production driven by a growth curve that unexpectedly flattened as vodka exploded in popularity - more and more whisky makers bottled malts from their own distilleries, creating single distillery blendings of malts of varied age, with no grain whiskey. That is 100% malted barley, no unmalted barley. When they did this, they discovered a market of previously unknown proportions.

The success of single malt bottlings changed the industry. It's made drinking scotch whisky a more interesting, intriguing pastime, with heightened demands and rewards, along the lines of getting very involved with drinking fine wine.
Where there may have been 10 blended scotches generally available previously, there are now single malts for sale from around 100 distilleries, each with its own characteristics.

The success of the single malt scotch bottlings didn't only change the scotch whisky industry, the effects were more far reaching. It led to a similar specialization in bourbon, where small-batch and single-barrel bottlings helped turn around a long decline. Some Irish whiskeys made a return to single pot still whiskey. It's led to increased sales of aged rum, and put new emphasis on unique blends of botanicals for gin and a tiny increase in the long-forgotten genever.

The author argues that, though it's not a frequent cocktail ingredient, the connoisseur's acceptance of single malt Scotch has led to openings for high-end spirits in classic cocktails, creating a huge new niche in high-end bars.

He ends the chapter with this:
"It's been nothing short of revolutionary, truly. What makes it even more amazing is that these revolutionary whiskies are the product of solidly traditional concerns that have rejected change as anathema, where "because that's how it's done" is not only carved in stone, it was carved in stone hundreds of years ago, and you'd better not think aboyut touching those stones, lad!"

[pfshine]

Sounds like a good book. I might have to pick up a copy.

[The Butchers Apron]

I've read that as well. I really enjoyed it, almost as much as I love tasting Scotch whisky.

[aceswired]

Search You Tube for "Scotch whiskey" - there's a good documentary that goes into detail about a lot of this.

[MichiganCornhusker]

I'm really enjoying the book. The parts about history of various whiskeys is so good I haven't even gotten to the tasting part yet.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

I'm really enjoying the book. The parts about history of various whiskeys is so good I haven't even gotten to the tasting part yet.

Excerpt! Excerpt! There's a section for that...just saying

[MichiganCornhusker]

From another thread:

Wheat and Rye are noticable in a bourbon if you know what youre looking for, maybe not if you dont.

This whole "if you know what you're looking for" thing is what I'm working on and I think I'm making some progress.
Once you have a clear idea what the flavor components are, it is much easier to find them when tasting spirits.
I got a bottle of straight white rye, and I think I have a much better ability to single out the rye flavors in whiskeys now.

Another thing that I noticed works well is contrasting different spirits.
Last night I was drinking some Booner's all-corn, and then changed to a glass of my corn/barley whiskey. I could definitely taste the barley, and the blended nature of the corn flavors.
Then I switched it up to my corn/barley/rye.
Not only did the rye stand out immediately, but I could also detect the difference in the percentages of corn and barley.
Then going back to the Booner's, it really tasted like pure corn whiskey, more so than when I had tried the first glass.

And then I drank a little more and test results started becoming skewed...

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Damn it man, you're a genius.

MCH for President!

[MichiganCornhusker]

Excerpt! Excerpt!

Yes, I will get around to that. Right now I'm about 600 miles from my book, and still, and malted toasted grains, , and I'm eager to get back to them all.

[Dan P.]

Sounds interesting.
Does it say anything about the historical use of rye and oats in Scottish distilling?

[MichiganCornhusker]

Sounds interesting.
Does it say anything about the historical use of rye and oats in Scottish distilling?

I remember a lot of talk about various grains being used in Irish whiskeys, but I only remember malted barley in the Scotches. But, then the part I was reading was all about single malts, so you would expect that. I'll have to get back into it to see if they mention any other whisky traditional grains from Scotland.

[Dan P.]

I read a couple of books about illicit distilling in the 18th and early 19th century, and it seems a lot of oats were used, on some islands only oats, and some instances of rye being used. Probably wheat too, but I've never seen a reference to it.