W L FOOD & DRINK
WHISKY - ‘ UNDERSTANDING THE LABEL ’ BY DAVID GREEN , THE RED FOX
A bottle of whisky displays a number of different terms from single-malt to blended , cask strength to non-chill filtered and what does PPM mean ?
Whisky is produced all over the world and every county has its own terms , regulations and laws , I am looking here specifically at Scottish whisky terms although most of them are similar worldwide .
Let ’ s start with the spelling - producers in Scotland prefer to spell whisky without the ‘ e ’ whereas American and Ireland tend to spell it Whiskey .
Legend has it that during the 1800 ’ s , Scotch whisky was considered low quality so American and Irish distillers began adding the “ e ” in order to show a point of distinction and that the quality of their whiskey was higher . Today , it ’ s little more than a regional tradition .
‘ Scotch ’ means simply that the whisky was distilled and matured in Scotland .
‘ Malt whisky ’ is simply a whisky containing only malted barley and water . No other cereal grains are used in its production .
‘ Grain whisky ’ is a whisky made of cereal grains such as corn , wheat , or rye . It may contain some barley malt . Grain whisky is seldom sold on its own in Scotland ; it ’ s used primarily to be mixed with malt whisky , for use in blended whiskies .
There is a massive misconception that because a certain whisky is labelled “ single malt ” that it must be the product of just a single batch or barrel , however this is not true and most single malts are in fact a blend , but it ’ s a very specific type of blend in that they are a mixture of whiskies distilled at different times , in different batches , and even of different ages .
A single malt whisky is made of 100 % malted barley and the important feature is that it is from just one single distillery location . Not the product of a single batch or a single barrel , but a single distillery . For example , a single-malt Bruichladdich may contain whiskies from many barrels and different ages , but it will contain only whisky produced at Bruichladdich .
A blended whisky is made by blending together any number of single malt whiskies and grain whiskies to create the required flavour and characteristics . These whiskies can be from different distilleries and be of different ages and legally , a blended Scotch is a mixture of malt and grain whiskies . Think Chivas Regal , Dewar ’ s and Johnnie Walker .
Under the Scotch whisky regulations “ Blended Malt Scotch Whisky ” means a blend of two or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies that have been distilled at more than one distillery ; “ Blended Scotch Whisky ” means a blend of one or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies with one or more Single Grain Scotch Whiskies .
Single Cask whisky is where each bottle comes from an individual ageing barrel , instead of being created by blending together the contents of various barrels , this is where you get limited edition small number bottling ’ s .
Cask Strength relates to the strength of whisky as it comes from the cask and it can be anything between 40 % and 65 % ABV , depending on age . Most whiskies are brought down to a standard ABV of around 40 %, by adding water before bottling so that each batch is consistent . However , a cask strength whisky is bottled at the strength at which it ’ s drawn from the cask .
You may see the term ‘ Non Chill filtered ’ on a bottle , non chill filtered whisky that is 46 % ABV or lower will go cloudy when chilled with water or ice .
Chill-filtration is a method of filtering whisky to remove this residue and cloudiness . The process involves the whisky being chilled , the natural substances coagulate and are then removed by being passed through a series of metal meshes . This method is highly controversial for it is said to remove flavour and body from the whisky .
PPM is the abbreviation of Parts Per Million – the scientific measurement for showing the amount of phenols present in a whisky . It ’ s basically a measurement to tell us how peaty a whisky is going to be .
A whisky picks up its peaty flavours and medicinal smells from the grain , which has been dried out over burning peat , the grain takes on the taste and smell and this transfers to the finished whisky . For peaty whisky , look for Islay whisky and especially Bruchladdich who produce the ‘ Octomore range ’ which has a PPM up to 200 compared to laphroaig at around 45ppm .
The age statement on the bottle gives the age of the youngest component of the whisky ; this stops at bottling so a 12-yearold whisky bottled 4 years ago is still a 12-year-old . More distilleries are opting away from age statements these days , as a good whisky doesn ’ t have to be an old whisky .
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