Master of Scotch

Where do “Masters of Scotch” really come from? Are they monastic characters pried from quiet nosing rooms far away in the Highlands of Scotland? Life-long devotees of spirits, who think of little more than the age and condition of their precious barrels of golden brown liquids? Speaking from experience, I can say, none of the above. As anticlimactic as it may sound, I actually hail from bucolic Paxton, Massachusetts. Was I at least born and bred to be a Master of Scotch? The most accurate answer would be yes, but indirectly. As a veteran in the food and restaurant field, I’m proud to report that I’m a school trained chef, former restaurant owner, and son and brother to avid “foodies.” In fact, it would be fair to say that my nose and pallet have been in training for more than three decades. So, when the makers of Johnnie Walker® and the Classic Malts of Scotland™ came calling – literally – a perfectly symbiotic relationship was born. Of course, I should probably come clean and admit that my roots are Celtic, but there’s no doubt that three years of travel to Scotland, entertaining with Johnnie Walker and the Classic Malts and training in some of the finest distilleries in Scotland have made me feel like a Scot at heart. (Yes, I’m quite comfortable wearing a kilt!) In all seriousness though, I take great pride in my role as “Master of Scotch,” and have been lucky enough to have educated thousands of consumers, welcoming them warmly into the world of Scotch whisky. For the faithful followers of TheManRoom, consider me your guide each month through the wonders of whisky. Slainte! (Pronounced Slahn-cha -- which is Scottish for “here’s to you!”).

One Singular Sensation – the low down on Single Malt Scotch

So what, then, is Scotch and how do you drink it knowledgably? Most of you have likely tried your hand at a blended Scotch whisky or two – Johnnie Walker® Red Label® or Black Label® might ring a bell – but the journey really begins with the single malts. By definition, a single malt Scotch whisky is a whisky that has been produced at an individual distillery in Scotland using malted barley, water and yeast. Interestingly enough, beer is produced using an almost identical process; Scotch whisky just distinguishes itself by being twice distilled after it becomes beer… but more on that later. Now, before we get any further into your scotch primer, it is important to point out that in order to be called SCOTCH whisky, by law, the whisky must be produced and matured in Scotland, in oak casks, for a minimum of three years. For you history buffs, the first recorded mention of scotch whisky was in the year 1494. The exchequer rolls for that year state, “eight bolls of malt to Friar John Corr, by order of the king James, to make aqua vitae.” In case you’ve let your Latin get rusty, that means “water of life.” Aqua vitae, in the vernacular of the time Gaelic, would become “Uisga Betha,” which would then become, over the years, simply “whisky.” Water of life, what an appropriate name!

What follows now will, hopefully, not only broaden your whisky horizons, but will also give you a little more to work with when next you order a Scotch….

Four Simple Ingredients:

• Malted Barley
• Water
• Yeast
• Time

The Five Steps of Production:

Malting
Malting is the controlled germination of barley, which yields a high content of starch that is converted into a fermentable sugar. The barley is steeped in water to promote germination. As it steeps, it is turned and saturated to stop the grain from drying out. Next, the malt will be dried over a peat-fired kiln until it is needed for mashing. The peat smoke saturates the malt, and it is that “peaty” flavor that is noticeable in the final character of many single malts.

Mashing
Mashing is the process by which the ground malt “grist” is infused with hot water, which turns the starch into a sugary liquid. The same grist may be infused with hot water two to three times to make sure all the sugar is extracted. The sugary liquid is ultimately extracted and prepared for fermentation. What’s left of the grist, now called “draft,” is used to feed livestock.

Fermenting
Once the sugary liquid is removed during the mashing process, it is called “wort” and can now be turned into alcohol. Yeast is added to the wort in large wooden drums called “wash backs.” The yeast is allowed to ferment for at least 48 hours. This process produces alcohol and a small amount of carbon dioxide. When all the sugar has been exhausted, the yeast will die. The alcohol content of the liquid, now called “wash” reaches about 8% of alcohol by volume. For my beer lovers, “wash” is very similar to beer.

Distilling
In Scotland, distillation takes place twice in large onion shaped copper vessels with long swan necks called pot stills. In these stills, the alcohol is separated from the wash by turning the wash into vapor. During the first distillation, the vapor then travels through a condenser, taking with it the complex flavors of the still, resulting in a liquid called “low wines” (which is about twenty percent alcohol by volume). The “low wines” is divided into three parts: The “fore shots” or head of the first distillation and the “feints” or the tail of the low wines are separated out. The “middle cut” of the first distillation is then distilled again; the resulting liquid is called “new make spirit.” Eliminating the head and the tail of the low wines is a critical step, as it keeps the “new make spirit” from being too harsh.

Maturing
The “new make spirit” cannot be called Single Malt Scotch Whisky, yet because it has not been aged for three years. At this point the spirit is approximately 65 to 73 percent alcohol by volume and is ready to be transferred into casks. Depending on the desired finish, oak casks which previously held either Sherry (Spanish) or Bourbon (American) are used. The casks are first re-charred before the new make spirit is added. This removes any undesirable flavors and aids in adding color to the finished Single Malt Scotch.

The casks are filled and warehoused for their maturation. During this time, the Scotch will inherit characteristics from the oak cask, such as flavors like vanilla, fruity accents and sweet or dry qualities. It is interesting to note that two to three percent of the aging cask’s volume is lost annually to evaporation. This is known as “the angels share.” There must be a lot of happy angels flying over Scotland.

Before I leave you to test your newly gained knowledge on your next Single Malt, I’ll share a note about regionality – which has a lot more to do with the final product than merely where the Single Malt hails from. Scotland features six Single Malt regions. The first would be the Highlands, home to medium-bodied whiskies that are rather sweet and floral. A good example of this style is Dalwhinnie™ 15 year old. The next region is the Lowland and these whiskies are herbaceous, light and dry -- an overlooked region in my opinion! A good one to try is Glenkinchie™ 10 year old. Next we have Speyside, which is very important region because forty percent of the whisky making in Scotland takes place here. Speyside whiskies are complex, and they all feature a touch of fruit ranging from dried dark fruit notes to hints of fresh fruit like green apple. To get a sense of what this region has to offer, try the Cragganmore™ 12 year old. Next would be the West Highlands, the perfect marriage of Island smoke and Highland sweetness. A tremendous West Highlander is Oban™ 14 year old. Islay (pronounced eye-lah), an island off of the South West Coast of Scotland, features big, meaty Scotches with maritime notes and occasionaly smoky flavors. A nice example of this style is Caol Ila™ 12 year old. Lastly about 100 miles North of Islay is the Isle of Skye. The only Single Malt on Skye is Talisker™, which in my opinion, is in a class of its own, with a wonderful dry smoke, a meaty sweetness and a unique chili pepper finish. Try the Talisker 18 year old with a half dozen oysters on the half shell – you won’t be disappointed.

Bradley Jarvis