Wine Categories

Scotland has more distilleries than any country, with close to 100 of them peppered throughout the land. The most distinctive Scotch whiskies are the single malts. In addition to being distilled and matured in Scotland for a minimum of three years in oak barrels (a requirement for all Scotch whisky), single malt scotch is produced at one distillery (“single”), using only malted barley as the grain (“malt”), and distilled in copper pot stills. It is an expensive process but produces a richly flavored whisky and, because it’s not blended with whiskies from other distilleries, very individualistic. This is why single malt scotch is generally more expensive than blended scotch and coveted by aficionados. It’s also the reason why single malts are so much fun to drink and explore. Single malts are diverse in flavor, ranging from the gentle and subtly complex whiskies of the Scottish Lowlands, to the firmer, sometimes spicy whiskies in the Highlands , to the briny and often smoky whiskies from the Scottish coastlines and islands. The heart of Scottish distilling is an area known as Speyside, where nearly half of Scotland’s distilleries are situated on—or near—the Spey River. Some Speyside whiskies, like Balvenie and Macallan, are full-bodied and rich. Others, like the Glenlivet 12 year old, are very elegant. Even with all these great single malts, blended scotch still outsells them by a wide margin. Single malt enthusiasm is a relatively recent phenomenon, gaining popularity over the past two decades. Blended scotches, like Johnnie Walker, Dewar’s, Chivas, and Cutty Sark, are marriages of several, if not dozens of different single malts. The advantage of blending is that it smoothes out the rough edges and fills in the missing gaps of a whisky’s flavor profile. Probably the least known fact about blended scotch is that the majority of the blend is not single malt scotch at all, but rather grain whisky. Grain whisky is made from various cereal grains and distilled in continuous column stills, similar to the way vodka is made. It produces a less expensive, lighter flavored whisky. Some blends are incredible products, but are usually lighter in flavor and less expensive than single malts. Many people think all Scotch whiskies are smoky, but only a handful of them really are. The smoke flavor comes from using malted barley that is dried over a peat fire. Peat was, at one time, the only practical fuel source for many distilleries. These days it’s an optional flavor enhancement that, by the way, is very much in vogue right now.
 

What is Bourbon? While there are many types of whiskey, from Scotland and Ireland, to Canada and the US, bourbon is a special form created, distilled, and aged in the eastern United States, mainly in the state of Kentucky. It is classified as a distilled spirit made from a fermented mash, mainly consisting of corn, and aged in white oak barrels for at least two years. The unique nature of bourbon can be derived from the iron-free water used in the distillation process. Local distillers have used their resources to perfect a world class product with a distinct amber color, and natural flavor. Strict standards and regulations govern production and ensure excellence, but the bourbon story continues to be one of history and the pioneering spirit of early American colonies. For one thing, where did the name bourbon come from, for these and other bourbon facts, continue now on the journey through history, trade, and the environment.
 

SO WHAT IS WHISKEY? Whiskey is made from grain. This is what distinguishes it from other distilled beverages like brandy, which is made from grapes, and calvados, which is made from apples. Simply speaking, whiskey is nothing more than distilled beer. Like beer, malted barley and other grains are the source of the sugars necessary for fermentation. The sugars in the grain are released by steeping it in hot water. This sweet liquid, known as “wort”, is cooled down. Yeast is added and converts the sugars to alcohol, creating beer. The major difference between the “beer” that whiskey-makers produce (often called “wash”) and the beer that brewers create is that the brewers also add hops to their beer. Hops, the flowering cones of a climbing plant, are bitter and help balance a beer’s sweetness. They also act as a preservative to stabilize the beer’s flavor. Distiller’s beer doesn’t need hops. Oak aging balances the whiskey’s flavors, and distilling increases the alcohol level, which preserves the whiskey. To make whiskey from beer, it must be distilled. Distilling captures and concentrates the beer’s more volatile components, which include alcohol. The distillers use either continuously-operating column stills (as with most bourbons) or copper pot stills (as with single malt scotch), one batch at a time. This spirit is then aged in oak barrels, where it matures and becomes whiskey. The types of grain used, the distillation method, and the casks chosen for aging are what make each whiskey taste different.
 

What is Tequila? Tequila is a spirit made from the blue agave plant. It usually contains 38-40% alcoholic content (or 76-80 proof). The blue agave plant is grown, harvested, and distilled into tequila in Mexico, and the Mexican government has strict rules about where the agave must be grown and where spirit can be made. A pure blue agave tequila can only be produced in the state of Jalisco and in limited regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. The agave plants are grown and harvested by hand by "jimadores," skilled farmers who possess an in-depth knowledge of the agave and know when a plant is ready for harvesting. It takes a whopping 8 to 14 years for the agave to grow to a point where it is ready to be harvested.' During harvesting, the leaves of the agave are cut off and the heart of the plant (the piña) is removed and baked. It is then crushed to extract the plant's juices from the fibers. The agave juice - called the wort (or mosto) - is then fermented for several days until it contains about 4 to 7% alcohol. The fermentation process can take as little as two days and as long as twelve days, depending on yeast, sugar content of the harvested piña, and environmental conditions. The fermented wort (or musto) is distilled a first time, producing ordinario (or tequila primero) and then a second time to produce clear, raw tequila that is about 55-60% alcohol. It is then diluted with de-mineralized water to get the tequila to the desired proof. After distillation, the tequila is ready for bottling (blanco), mixing (joven, oro), or aging (reposado, añejo and extra añejo). A joven (oro, or "gold") tequila gets flavor and color by mixing the tequila with caramel coloring or other additives. For reposado and añejo, the distilled tequila is pumped into oak barrels where the tequila begins to take on some of the flavors from the wood.