Are you new to the world of whiskey? Or have you decided to just start knowing your drinks? Perhaps you might want to familiarize yourself more with the jargon used in the liquor world! This article welcomes you to explore the different categories of liquor whiskey you will find, and the right occasions to savor them.
What Is Whiskey?
The broad term “whiskey” to a type of distilled spirits. These are made by fermenting grains in wooden barrels. You will find whiskeys with yellowish-orange to brown color. Various blends of grains are fermented to produce whiskey. Do you wonder what makes a hard liquor classify as a whiskey?
Whiskey versus Other Hard Liquors
Whiskey is made by fermenting grains. You can ferment barley or rye. You can also choose corn. Making whiskey also requires maturing in oak barrels. Other distilled alcoholic beverages do not necessarily follow the same path. For example, grains can be used for making vodka. But potatoes and starchy plants are more commonly used for that. Vodka is also clear as it does not undergo aging.
Sugarcane juice is fermented to make rum. Molasses can also be used. Making rum also requires aging. Therefore, you will find clear as well as dark-colored rum. The flavor of rum is sweet. But vodka typically has a clean taste and flavor. Whiskey mainly has a smoky flavor. You will also find whiskeys that are fruitier. Whiskey has alcohol content from 40% to 75%. Vodka’s limit is 48.5%. Rum has the highest alcohol content. It can go up to 95%.
You can further classify whiskey based on production location and process.
How is whiskey categorized
American Whiskeys- Rye and Bourbon
Have you ever tried buying American whiskey? Then you must be familiar with the label “Bourbon”. You must have also seen the “Rye Whiskey” label. So how are these American whiskeys different?
Bourbon: They are known for their sweet taste. Bourbon whiskey also comes labeled as Tennessee whiskey. You may also find it being called Kentucky Bourbon. These whiskeys are filtered using the Lincoln County Process. This involves filtering using charcoal before they are sealed in barrels for aging. You also have to include at least 51% corn in the mixture of grain to be fermented. Wheat, rye, or malted barley can be used for the rest of the mixture.
Rye: These whiskeys are also produced mainly in America. There must be no less than 51% of rye in the mixture of grains. The rye gives these whiskeys a spicier flavor. You may find rye whiskeys less smooth than bourbon.
Both rye and bourbon whiskeys go through a maturing process. The timeframe for maturing in barrels must be no less than 2 years.
Canadian Whiskey
Canadian whiskeys are not very different from American rye and bourbon whiskeys. The heavy use of corn is one similarity you will find between Canadian and American whiskeys. However, you don’t need to age Canadian whiskeys in any specific type of barrel. This is one major difference between the whiskeys made in the two countries.
Canadian whiskeys are also less flavorful than American ones. They are lighter as well. Also, remember that a major part of the grain mixture used for American rye whiskey contains rye. However, Canadian rye whiskey doesn’t contain rye as the majority in the grain mixture.
You need to age Canadian whiskeys in barrels for at least 3 years. But what is special about Canadian whiskeys? There are no production restrictions. It means that there is no need to follow a particular filtering process to qualify the product as Canadian whiskey. Hence, you will find extremely differentiated flavor profiles and styles.
Scotch Whiskey
You must have heard about Scotch multiple times. Scotch is liquor whiskey that is produced online in Scotland. The process of making spirits is tightly regulated in Scotland. Scotch whiskey is made by either using grain or malt. Aging is also done in oak barrels for a minimum of three years.
Scotch is considered one of the finest liquor whiskeys. You will find a statement of aging on every bottle of Scotch. Also, remember that Scotch can be peated as well as unpeated.
Peated Scotch is made by using a peat fire to dry the barley malt. You will enjoy peated Scotch if you have a taste for smoky flavor. Hot air drying is done for unpeated whiskeys. You will enjoy unpeated Scotch if you prefer whiskey with a light fruity flavor. Let’s check out the different compositions of Scotch whiskey.
Blended Scotch: These whiskeys can be a blend from a single or multiple distilleries.
Single-malt Scotch: These are produced at one single distillery. Water and malted barley are used to make them. You can check out Speyside if you enjoy unpeated single-malt Scotch. Lowlands are produced in the lowlands of Scotland. Lowlands are unpeated Scotch with a smoky flavor. Islay is a single-malt and peated Scotch with a smoky flavor.
Single-grain Scotch: These are also made in a single distillery. However, single-grain Scotch is made of several different whole grains.
Irish Whiskey
Scotch is generally made using malted barley. Irish whiskeys can be made of different types of malted or unmalted grains. A two-step distillation process is followed for Scotch. But you will find that Irish whiskeys are triple-distilled. You will enjoy Irish over Scotch whiskey if you prefer a lighter and smoother flavor. The flavor of Irish whiskeys can also come with notes of caramel or vanilla.
Japanese Whiskey
Do you find Canadian and American whiskeys a bit similar? You will also find Scotch and Japanese whiskeys somewhat similar. Japan is still relatively new to whiskey-making. However, Japanese whiskeys are unique in the sense that they are a different craft inspired mainly by Scotch. Japanese whiskeys are smooth and extremely fruity.
You will enjoy Japanese whiskeys if you want something simpler than Scotch or bourbon whiskeys. Japanese whiskeys are very easy to drink. You can order a Japanese whiskey online to understand how similar yet different it is from Scotch.
Indian Whiskey
India is a major whiskey-consuming country. There are no whiskey-production rules in India like in Scotland. Some Indian whiskeys are made by fermenting molasses. Hence, you may find the flavor of Indian whiskeys more similar to that of rum. Go for the Indian whiskeys if you are open to trying out one with unconventional flavors.
White Whiskey
White whiskeys are also labeled “moonshine.” These are whiskeys that do not go through barrel aging. Hence, the whiskeys are clear. These come with the flavor of grains. You will find moonshine less smoky.
Conclusion
You will come across different categories of whiskeys online and in-store. There is no one single category that can be called the best. Whiskeys can be of different tastes and flavors. The strength and alcohol percentage also vary. You should consider if you enjoy the smoky or fruity flavors. This should help you decide between peated and unpeated whiskeys.
You should also consider consistency. Scotch and bourbon whiskeys will give you a predictable flavor and feel. Try Japanese and Indian whiskeys if you are more open to exploring. Do you want something differentiated? Go for Canadian and Irish whiskeys. Want to experience something similar yet different from Scotch? Purchase Japanese whiskey online and give it a try.
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