• Developing a Taste for Single Malt Whisky
• The Subtle Art of Whisky Tasting
• Making Whisky from Malt to Maturity
• Linking Aromas to Creation
• A Guide to the Whisky Guides

Developing a Taste for Single Malt Whisky

The bewildering array of different single malt whiskies -- and their top-drawer prices -- tend to daunt many budding enthusiasts. An Comunn Uisge Beatha helps its members to nurture a taste for the fine whiskies through regular tastings. These social and educational events help separate a Laphroaig from an Isle of Jura and a Poit Dhubh from a Loch Dhu. Beyond these "taste-test drives," a whiskiphile is left to play an expensive game of roulette with the few feet of single malt shelf space. The decision is always whether to go with the tried-and-true -- or plunk down $30 to $60 on an interesting-looking label.

As in life, expensive does not necessarily mean good -- and everyone has different tastes and moods. That's why this guide to developing a taste for single malt whisky was conceived. Not only will you be able to judge a whisky by its label, so to speak, but also to understand the complex interaction of the region, distillation process and length, and alcohol content -- and how it affects the smell, taste and ultimate enjoyment of whisky.

Moderation sir, aye, moderation is my rule. Nine or ten is reasonable refreshment, but after that it's apt to degenerate into drinking. -- Old Scottish Highland Saying

Nosing vs. Tasting

The true master blenders "nose" or smell the whisky rather than sipping it. This preserves the ability to "taste" after the first few samples. Obviously, unlike wine or other less alcoholic beverages, a distilled spirit anaesthetizes the taste buds. Moreover, smell is an intrinsic part of taste -- which discerns only the four basic flavors of bitter, salt, sweet and sour. In comparison, the human nose has over one thousand different smell-receptors and can discriminate between millions of subtle combinations.

While some people have more sensitive noses than others, everyone can learn to detect the basic aromas associated with single malt whisky. However, nosing is only a small part of the full enjoyment of fine whisky -- and An Comunn Uisge Beatha's social gatherings will undoubtedly remain "whisky tastings" rather than merely "whisky sniffings."

A Neat Dilemma

Whisky purists prefer their "wee drams" neat, without water. However, the full impact of the whisky is more fully appreciated when diluted with water. This releases the esters and aldehydes, making the aroma more pronounced. The amount of water to be added depends on the alcoholic strength of the whisky.

Experts suggest that the overall alcoholic content be reduced to about 20%. For example, whisky 40% to 43% alcohol by volume (abv) should be cut with one third to one half water. A higher strength of 60% abv or more should be diluted with twice its volume of water for sampling.

The water should be soft (without a high mineral content), tasteless, still (as opposed to sparkling), and, of course, drawn from natural Scottish springs. If you don't have immediate access to a Scottish spring, you may have to settle for Scottish bottled water such as Findlays or Highland Spring. Avoid highly chlorinated tap water unless you have a good water filer.

Even though whisky-tasters disagree as to whether to add water, everyone agrees that the best thing to add to whisky is more whisky!

Step One: Examining the Color

Immediately tossing back a wee dram may be some folks' idea of whisky tasting. But let's take a couple of preliminary steps. First, roll the whisky around in your glass and take a good hard look at the color. The color will depend on the length of time it was matured in the cask, the type of cask used, and on whether the barrel is on its first, second or third filling. For example, the Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish is matured in bourbon casks and then "finished" for a few years in port casks. This gives the whisky a distinctive pink tinge, resulting in the overall color of antique copper. The deep brown of the Loch Dhu (also marketed as the "Black Whisky") is derived from the use of charred casks. One whisky guide asserts that since dark whiskies appeal more to the eye, professional tasters often use cobalt blue glasses and red lighting to disguise the color of the whisky!

Step Two: Nosing the Aroma

First, the scientific reason for why we can usually smell better than we can taste. We sense aromatics or "volatiles" through the olfactory epithelium, which is located at the back of the nasal passage and is directly connected to the brain. That's why the nose provides a more immediate sensation than through the tongue or back of the throat. In general, malt whisky nosing is enhanced by using a small tulip-shaped or similar glass, such as a brandy snifter. The wide base provides a relatively larger area for the whisky to release its aromatics and the narrow rim concentrates them at the rim. (While the Society provides plastic shot glasses with a narrow base and wide brim, this may be the reason why members turn them upside-down so quickly.) The sense of smell is very subjective. Within the Society, different members have compared the aroma of the same whisky to "bananas," "licorice," and "rubber." However, attempts have been made to create a common language to describe the flavors and aromas of single malt whisky. For example, one whisky guides proposes seven main scent groups:

Esters:	fruit, flowers, peardrops, fragrant
Phenols:	medicinal, peaty, smoky
Aldehydes:	hay, grass, leather
Sweet associated:	vanilla, toffee, honey
Wood notes:	new wood, resin, old wood
Cereals:	malt, bread, wheat, toast
Oils:	butter, hazels, walnuts

Step Three: Determining the Body

Swirling the whisky in the glass helps to determine its viscosity. Then sipping and rolling it over and around your tongue to determine it's body and texture -- or "mouthfeel." Experts have divided malts into three textures:

• 'mouth coating' means it is viscous
• 'mouth warming' means it is spirity
• 'mouth furring' means it is astringent and dry

Step Four: Tasting the Palate and the Finish

Rolling the whisky in the mouth will release more aromatics for the olfactory epithelium -- and create a more complex flavor than the basics of bitter, salt, sweet and sour. The following tasting terms have been compiled from various sources and may be used alone or in conjunction with each other when attempting to describe the taste and aroma of a whisky.

Apricot	Custard	Leather	Pears
Amontillado	Cut-grass	Lemon	Peat
Apples	Dates	Lime	Peppermint
Bourbon	Dry	Licorice	Peppery
Bitter Chocolate	Figs	Mahogany	Raisins
Bananas	Flowery	Marshmallow	Roses
Brine	Fruity	Medicinal	Salty
Chocolate	Ginger	Nutty	Seaweedy
Cinnamon	Hay	Oak	Smoky
Citrus	Heather	Oily	Spearmint
Coconut	Herbal	Oloroso	Spicy
Coffee	Honey	Oranges	Vanilla
Creamy	Iodine	Peaches	Woody

The first impression of taste is called the "palate." The "finish" is the after-taste of the whisky. Determine whether the whisky taste fades rapidly or whether the flavor lingers, with echoes of earlier scents -- or completely different ones. As whisky connoisseur Michael Jackson notes, "When I leave the bottle, I like to be whistling the tune." Here's to many more "good shows" in whisky tasting!

Bibliography:

• Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch, by Michael Jackson, Running Press, 1989, 1994 edition
• Collins Gem: Whisky, by Carol P. Shaw, HarperCollins, 1993
• The Single Malt Whisky Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide, by Helen Arthur, MacMillan, 1997
• The Malt Whisky Almanac, by Wallace Milroy, Neil Wilson Publishing
• Whiskyweb: http://www.whiskyweb.com/maltfile/regions.html
• The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, http://www.interlog.com/~contech/tasting.html

A bit more complex than changing water into wine, transforming lumpy barley porridge into fine single malt whiskey is at least within our mortal hands. And many use the result to reach their own private heaven! Even with modern techniques available, today's malt whisky distillers still continue to use a basic process which has spanned generations.

1) Malting: Barley to steeps to malted barley

Good Scottish barley is soaked in fresh local water for two to four days to become barley steeps. For twelve days or more, the steeped barley is then spread on a malting floor, turned daily either by hand in the traditional way or by machine. This allows the steeped barley to sprout, a process which releases some of its sugars. At the appropriate time, this germination is stopped by drying the barley a malt kiln over a peat or coal furnace. Most distilleries use peat, a ready source of fuel. Traditional malt kilns have a distinctive pagoda-style roof. Most distilleries acquire barley already malted, although some (including Laphroaig, Bowmore, Springbank, and Highland Park) malt their own barley.

2) Mashing: Malted barley to Grist to Wort

The dried malted barley is ground to grist in a malt mill. In a large vat or mash tun, the grist is mixed with hot water. This dissolves the sugar and produces wort, a sweet non-alcoholic liquid. This process is repeated to ensure that all the sugars have been collected. The solid remains of the barley are removed at this point and used as cattle feed.

3) Fermentation: Wort to Wash

The wort is cooled to about 70o C (168o F) and transferred to covered vats, or washbacks, where yeast is added and the process of fermentation begins. The yeast creates a chemical reaction which converts the sugars in the wort to alcohol. The process also releases carbon dioxide and a great deal of foam. This takes about two days and results in wash, a warm peaty beer with an alcoholic content of about 7.5%.

4) Distillation: Wash to Low Wines to Spirits to Main Run

The wash is then heated in a wash still, traditionally made of copper. Since alcohol has a lower boiling temperature than water, the alcoholic steam rises up the still through its long spout to the worm, a condensing coil running through cold water. Each whisky distillery has a distinctively-shaped still which affects the final taste and body of the whisky produced. The distillate, now called low wines, is passed into the second still, the spirit still, where the process is repeated, with the liquid running off- into the glass-fronted spirit safe.

Some distilleries, such as Auchentoshan and the Irish Bushmills produce a lighter whisky through a third distillation. The "foreshots" or first distillate condensed from spirit still are passed back to the still. The skill of the stillman comes into play to determine when to pass on the "main run" of the distillation process to the maturation process -- and when to cut off the "main run" at the first moment of the "feints," or last of the distillate to be condensed. This judgment call is made more difficult because the distiller cannot smell or taste the liquid. The stillman uses a series of faucets and glass bowls to direct the condensing spirit. Foreshots contain impurities and turn cloudy when in contact with water. Therefore, the stillman tests the spirit by adding water at regular intervals and measures the specific gravity.

5) Maturation: Main Run to Uisge Beatha to Heaven

The main run is stored in a vat and mixed with water to bring it down in strength. The immature whisky is then casked and allowed to mature for an average of eight to fifteen years. The type of barrels used in the maturation process contribute greatly to the final color, flavor, and character of the whisky. The casks are occasionally tapped to ensure that the barrel is intact. The whisky is bottled after the appropriate age -- and only after the distillery "noser" approves it. The highly skilled noser will draw off a sample, carefully smell ("nose") the whisky, and swirl it around in a glass to inspect the viscosity or "body." Then the uisga beatha is off to be bottled -- and to be savored by whisky lovers around the world. Heaven!

REPRINTED FROM "THE GLENMORANGIE TASTING ROOM" WEBSITE

We asked the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, (SWRI), to attempt to link the origin of certain aromas to the steps in Glenmorangie's creation, and thus to the materials or methods used. To accomplish this task, they analyzed samples taken from successive stages of our production process. This involved tests on 'wort', ' fermented wash' and 'new make spirit' - along with samples of the more familiar 10 Year Old and 18 Year Old Glenmorangie. More of the strange-sounding liquids later, but for the meantime what did the eagerly awaited results hold? As we had hoped, SWRI were able to correlate the first appearance of most of the aromas to a particular stage in the manufacturing process. In particular, our unique conditions of fermentation, distillation and maturation appear to contribute successive aromas to Glenmorangie's increasingly complex bouquet. In the table below, we have listed the 20 aromas identified by SWRI, alongside the step of the process where each aroma was first detected. (They may become more pronounced at later stages).

Malting	almond, hazelnut
Fermentation	apple, banana, hay, rose
Distillation	honey, juniper, lemon, geranium
Maturation	cade, cinnamon, clove, coconut, vanilla
Sherry Wood	blackcurrant, brown sugar, orange, plum, raisin

The single malt lovers' bible is undoubtedly Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch: A Connoisseur's Guide to the Single Malt Whiskies of Scotland (Running Press Book Publishers, third edition, 1994, regularly updated, 270 pp, $24.95). As the "complete guide," the book does a good job of covering the whisky distillation process, storing and serving whisky, visiting the distilleries, and the requiste whisky listings. Although touted as "complete," some labels are not included. However, the listings are handily listed by alphabetical order, tasting notes include different versions of a single distilery's whiskies, and the rating system is based on Mr. Jackson's own discerning tastes. Although tastes differ, this is good starting point.

A close competitor to Jackson's guide is The Single Malt Whisky Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide by Helen Arthur and published by Quintet Publishing Ltd., "A Simon & Schuster Macmillan Company" (256 pp, $24.95, 1997). The guide is lush with big, full-bottle pictures (compared to Jackson's guide with labels only), maps, engravings, and full color photos of distilleries and the Scotland countryside. However, Arthur lists about 25 fewer distilleries than Jackson, fewer individual tasting notes, and no rating system

Wallace Milroy's The Malt Whisky Almanac (Neil Wilson Publishing, 160 pp., $14.95, 1995) is handier in size than the two mentioned above -- but far less handier to use. The listing of whisky by region means the user spends unnecessary time flipping between the listings and the index. Information is more limited, with usually one (small) page devoted to each distillery and not all labels are pictured. However, the guide does list more distilleries than do Jackson's and Arthur's books. One good feature is a section on "lost distilleris."

Carol P. Shaw's Collins Gem: Whisky (HarpersCollins Publishers, 236 pp, $13.95, 1995) is definitely for the whisky-lovers on the go. This pocket-sized (3-1/4" X 4-1/2") guide boasts "over 150 Scotch whiskies" but this includes about fifty blends, "de luxe" blends, liquers, vatted malts, and grain whiskies. A lot of information is packed into this "palmtop," including a taste rating system which uses a spectrum from "very mild flavour" and "good for beginners" to "robust; only for the well developed palate."