Gold Magazine February - March 2013, Issue 23 | Page 97

whisky

W

What’s in a name? When Romeo’s
young love, Juliet, grappled with this
question in Shakespeare’s famous play,
she concluded resolutely that “that
which we call a rose by any other name
would smell as sweet”. Whisky venerators are otherwise adamant: everything
is in the name.
Whilst the difference between whisky
and whiskey may be ever so slight in
letters, in numbers it seems to constitute
a chasm separating priceless from price
less; the difference between investing in
a bottle for an intoxicatingly pleasing
return and investing in a bottle for pure
intoxication.
The Editor of the Oxford English
Dictionary, Jesse Sheidlower, explains
the geographical resonance: “As an
aficionado of whisky and whiskey, I do
have deep feelings on the usage. It is not
a case where a small group of fanatics
are insisting on some highly personal
interpretation of an issue that is not
adhered to by anyone outside their cult.
It is almost universally the case that the

word is spelled ‘whisky’ in Scotland and
come the culmination of its time in the
Canada, and ‘whiskey’ elsewhere.”
cask; once bottled, changes to chemical
Transcending geography, a hierarchy
make-up and, thus, taste desist. Therebursts forth: despite others’ best efforts
fore, whisky that has been bottled for
and worthy production emanating from
many years may have a rarity value, but
various alternative locations, it is Scotch it is not necessarily ‘older’ or of higher
whisky – born and bred in Scotland –
quality than a whisky any number of
that is enduring as the pulsating epicenyears its junior, should the latter have
tre of whisky life in the connoisseurs’
been retained in its cask for longer.
estimation.
Having phonetically evolved from the
Single malts in particular, produced
Gaelic uisge beatha meaning ‘water of
from malted barley – which have long
life’, whisky was traditionally utilised
been viewed as the exclusive province
for medicinal purposes, being prescribed
of Scottish whisky, compared, for
for the
example, to American whiskeys
WHISKY IS CONSIDERED preservathat are traditionally distilled from
tion of
THE MARK OF A FINE
corn and rye – are glowing atop the
health
LIFE, A LUXURIOUS
pedestal of coveted whisky.
and the
EXPRESSION OF GOOD prolonPoint of reference? Blends of
foreign whiskey dating back to the
gation
TASTE AND STATUS
early 1900s are currently circulating
of life.
in the market for low- to midContemhundreds; examples of single malt
porarily, it is considered the mark of a
Scotch whisky, bottled in the
fine life, a luxurious expression of good
same era, are orchestrating the
taste and status.
giving of thousands for their
And, indeed, it is precisely this characquisition: alas, whiskey does
acterisation that is innovating whisky
not seem to smell as sweet as whisky.
into an investment.
In essence, whisky is a distillate made
Members of the new wealth belongfrom fermented grain mash. Scottish
ing to developing BRIC powerhouses
whisky law commands that copper pot
– Brazil, Russia, India and China – are
stills, as opposed to column stills, be
nurturing their appetite for the finest
used for the distillation process; it is
examples of whisky. So much so, that
thought that the former retain more
Brazil’s whisky market was the fastof the character, texture and flavour of
est growing worldwide in 2011, with
the original mash. Thereafter, ageing
imports from Scotland up by 48%
takes place in oak casks. Unlike wine,
compared with the figures that the year
whisky’s full maturation is reached
2000 accrued.
China, likewise, has been creating
staggering whisky waves, with Barclays’
2012 Wealth Insights Report revealing
that collectibles (whisky, most notably)
make up 16.6% of Chinese high-net
worth individuals’ wealth; a considerable amount more than the 10% global
whisky lover’s and
those who wished
average.
young enthusiast’s
to further refine
tasting pleasure.
their knowledge.
Still, on a worldwide scale, the Scotch
Specialists were on
Whilst hailed as
Whisky Association indicates that
hand to guide in this having been a great
whisky exports from Scotland were up
luxury exploration
success, no official
23% in 2011, whilst Whisky Highland
and celebration of
confirmation has yet
conjectures F