Whisk(e)y has a rich history all over the world, the word being derived from the Scottish Gaelic word uisce beatha (oosh-keh beh-ha), meaning “water of life.” The name came into English as whiskey or whisky.
I’m often asked which is the correct spelling, and the answer is both, depending on where the liquor is made. In Scotland and most of the rest of the world (Japan, Canada, Australia, England, Finland, Germany and India), they use whisky, but in America and Ireland it’s whiskey.
This doesn’t mean that distilleries in America cannot use the designation whisky, it is just that most choose to add the “e.” Not such a romantic answer, but that is the short of it.
Given the vast variations in this spirit globally, I’m closing my four-part series on stocking a home bar with a guide to whiskey.
BOURBON
America’s national spirit is its pride and joy in the whiskey department.
Among common misconceptions about bourbon is the belief that it has to be made in Kentucky. While most of the best are produced in the Bluegrass State, bourbon can legally be made anywhere in the U.S. (Anyone interested in making a local bourbon who’s got the bankroll to start, let’s have a chat.)
The “Build a Better Bar” series began Feb. 28 with bar tools and continued on March 28 with vodka, rum, gin and tequila and on April 25 with cordials, liqueurs, brandy, cognac, vermouth and bitters. To catch up, visit staradvertiser.com.
Bourbon must be made using 51 percent corn, aged at least two years (for straight bourbon) in new, charred oak barrels (Makers Mark, Four Roses, Wild Turkey).
RYE
The two most common types are American and Canadian.
Canadian whisky used to be produced predominantly with rye, but there is no legal requirement that rye be used in its mash bill, or mix of grains. Canadian whisky is most commonly blended (Crown Royal, J.P. Wiser, Pendleton).
American rye, on the other hand, is held to a legal standard of being 51 percent rye. If it is aged at least two years it can also be labeled as “‘straight” rye whiskey.
Typically, because of the mash bill, the spirit is spicier and drier than a bourbon, which is why many classic cocktails call for rye whiskey (High West, Knob Creek, Old Overholt).
JAPANESE WHISKY
Ten years ago if you walked into a bar and ordered a Japanese whisky, the bartender might have thought you were asking about sake. Fast- forward to the present day: Japanese whiskies are the Beanie Babies of the whisky world, highly allocated and much coveted. It seems as though America can’t get enough of this category.
Visionary Masataka Taketsuru, founder of Nikka whisky and former distiller for Suntory, traveled to Scotland to learn the secrets of whisky making, then added Japanese refinement.
Japanese whiskies tend to be balanced and textural, showing the perfect amount of restraint and finesse (Yamazaki, Hakushu, Hibiki, Nikka, Ichiro’s).
IRISH WHISKEY
One of the hottest spirit categories in the nation, Irish whiskey is taking the U.S. by storm.
One reason is that peat is rarely used in the malting process, so the whiskeys are cleaner, without smokiness. Most are triple-distilled and stored in once-used barrels so the heavy vanillins from oak are not present, either.
Irish whiskey is the perfect middle ground between bourbon and scotch (Jameson, Redbreast, Midleton, Green Spot).
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH
To be a single malt, the whisky must be distilled at a single distillery, made from a mash of malted grain, which in Scotland must be barley. Styles depend on where in Scotland the whisky is made:
>> Highlands: The largest region, producing flavor profiles that include fruitcake and oak, mixed with heather and smoke. Single malts from here include Glenmorangie and Dalmore.
>> Lowlands: The southernmost region. Malts tend to be triple-distilled, creating a lighter, more aperitif profile and mellow, citrus-edge malt. Only five distilleries are left in operation, including Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie.
>> Speyside: Part of the Highlands region, Speyside is named for the River Spey, an important water source for many of its distilleries. Whiskies tend to be lower in peat content with more apple, pear, honey and spice notes. Home to the largest number of distilleries, and probably the most iconic, including Aberlour, Glenlivet, Glenrothes, Dalwhinnie and Cardhu.
>> Campbeltown: The whiskeys here are very distinctive, with nuances of earth, salt, smoke and toffee. Only three distilleries remain: Springbank; Glengyle and Glen Scotia. Springbank keeps it interesting by producing three marques, or expressions, with varying levels of peat, from non- to richly peated, double- to triple-distilled.
>> Islands: Versatile single malts, varying in style, from the islands of Islay, Arran, Mull, Jura, Skye and Orkney. The largest distillery is Talisker from the Isle of Skye.
>> Islay: Although included in the Islands category, Islay really deserves to be a region of its own, with its very unique, highly peated (therefore smoky), briny style. Some of its distilleries are Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Bowmore and Ardbeg.
BLENDED
Blending does not indicate an inferior product, as there is an absolute art to creating consistency and complexity of flavors when drawing liquor from different sources.
This type of whisky can be a blend of single malts from various distillers, making it a “blended malt whisky” (Chivas, Johnnie Walker, Dimple Pinch).
It can also be a blend of grain and malt whiskys, referred to as a “blended Scotch whisky” and comprising 90 percent of the scotch category in sales (Dewars, J&B).
Johnnie Walker produces both types of blends.
Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits. Ingredient note: The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.
