If a whisky doesn't have an age declaration on it, this most likely indicates the fluid is anywhere in between 3 to 9 years old. While I have actually tried numerous superb young whiskies with no age declaration on the bottle (these are called No Age Declaration, or NAS whiskies), I also find a great deal of NAS bottles are still plain and/or overpriced. Unless you are quite certain that the bottle of young whisky before you is great, I would certainly often tend towards something that's ten years or older.
There's 5 different categories of Scottish whisky, and also each group boasts some remarkable choices. Nonetheless, some are extra consistent in top quality than others. Below's the various types as well as what that suggests:
Single Malt: This is whisky made from 100% malted barley from one solitary distillery. Single malts are wined and dine (with reason) as being the finest quality Scotch whisky contrasted to the various other types.
Mixed malt: This is whisky made from 100% malted barley generated in two or even more distilleries.
Solitary Grain: Under scotch whisky law, if a whisky isn't made from malted barley, it legally is specified as 'grain', which 99% of the time suggests corn (maize) or wheat. I additionally think this is an underrated category, as grain is typically seen as 'inferior'.
Combined Grain: Like with the mixed malt, this is whisky made from wheat or corn that has actually been produced at two or even more distilleries.
Blended: A mix of malt whisky and grain whisky from two or more distilleries, this is probably one of the most typical type of whisky on the planet. Where grain whisky is very easy to create in commercial quantities, the top quality isn't always excellent so including a little malt whisky softens the horrible anger as well as makes it an much easier beverage, in theory.
99% of Scotch whisky is grown in casks that originated from other drinks industries, and often a container will certainly consist of some information regarding its maturation background. A lot of Scotch whisky containers include tasting notes defining its materials ( generally split into 'nose' and 'taste'), and also acts as a satisfactory guide for what to anticipate. The even more detail on the tasting keeps in mind the much better in my point of view. Likewise, if a whisky is great smoky, you'll often see the words 'peat', or 'smoke' on the bottle highlighting this quality. The whisky will possibly have a meatier, larger profile, as well as will consist of numerous meat as well as fish words in the tasting notes, or the word 'bonfire'.
If a whisky is between 40-50% alcohol by volume (ABV) this implies that water was included before the whisky was bottled. 51%+, typically means that the whisky is 'cask strength', that it was bottled without adding additional water. Remember that numerous older cask stamina whiskies (25 years+) could still be cask strength even if the ABV dips listed below 50%. A greater alcohol stamina isn't an indicator of top quality, however I do discover that barrel toughness whisky often tends to be regularly great, though I suggest adding water to your glass to respond to the solid alcohol web content!
The majority of Scotch whiskies, also the very best stuff, is unnaturally colored, as well as a lot of it is likewise cool filtered (chill filtering system puts on whiskies below 46% ABV). Adding caramel coloring (e150) to the whisky makes it look darker, and also as a result much more attractive. Nonetheless, it's not a excellent quality indication (one of my preferred go-to whiskies, Lagavulin 16, is artificially coloured).