Exploring the World of Whiskey
Whiskey is for real men. If that drink has always intrigued you, you might find it daunting to try. Too many brands and varieties, terms and ways to drink, not to mention strong opinions about how-to’s and all – the world can get complicated out there. First off, whiskey is a generic word for distilled spirits produced from grain mash. Scotch, Bourbon and Rye are all types of whiskey, which means they will more or less taste and look similar. But they do have differences – four, to be exact – and they are location of distillation, type of grain used, type of cask used, and length of aging.
Subtypes of Whiskey
If you’re thinking of trying whiskey, your first question will likely be which type of whiskey to start with.
Whiskey has three subtypes. Single malt whiskey is made by combining whiskey produced from the same distillery, where the age of the combined drink is the age of the youngest whiskey in the mix. This is the most popular whiskey you’ll encounter.
Single cask whiskey is another subtype, bottled completely from one cask. This is normally made by small distilleries or sometimes by big distilleries as part of a high-end or novelty line.
Finally, blended whiskey is a blend of whiskey of the same type, although sometimes, people do combine different types, like Bourbon and Rye.
Drinking Your Whiskey
Now we’re in the most exciting part – drinking your whiskey.
There are four ways:
Neat
Whiskey neat, or whiskey in a glass in room temperature – is believed to be the only pure way you can drink good whiskey. The idea is to taste the spirit in the form it was distilled, instead of diluting it as the distiller didn’t intend to.
Combined with Water
For some people, water should be added to whiskey. Just a capful should do, and only clear distilled water must be used as chlorine can alter the drink. The reason for adding water is actually functional. It gives you the chance to enjoy the drink without it melting your tongue.
On the rocks or with ice is a third way of drinking whiskey. Although this is quite popular, many people oppose it, thinking ice melts the drink away past the point of just mixing water. And if tap water was used to make the ice, we go back to the problem with chlorine. If you really like your drink ice-cold, just be sure the ice was made using high quality water.
Cocktail
Of course, you can always enjoy whiskey in a mixed drink or cocktail, but don’t use high-end whiskey for this. That would be a huge waste.
Then again, when everything is said and done, you will decide how you’d like to drink your whiskey.It’s all yours.