Whisky or whiskey? It’s “whiskey,” if it is produced in the country spelled with an “e” in it. So it’s “whiskey” from Ireland and America and “whisky” from Scotland, Japan and Canada. The spelling tip began the Whisky 101 session with Matthew Fergusson-Stewart, whisky educator and Southeast Asia brand ambassador for William Grant & Sons, the maker of the single malt Scotch, Glenfiddich. That set the tone for how Fergusson-Stewart would conduct the class—casually and peppered with humor.
Regardless of spelling, whisky/whiskey is a type of spirit distilled from fermented grain. Examples include bourbon, rye, Scotch, Irish-, Japanese- and Canadian-style whiskies/whiskeys.
The government of the country of origin regulates how the spirit is produced. What whiskies/whiskeys do you know? We attendees rattled off the likes of Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels, Macallan, Glenmorangie, Laphroaig, Ben Riach, Suntory, Yamazaki.
Jack Daniels is whiskey from America; the rest (excluding Suntory and Yamazaki) is whisky from Scotland. Still, there are different types of Scotch whisky: single grain, single malt, blended whisky, blended malt. Our class would focus on single malt Scotch (like Glenfiddich), that special category of Scotch whisky produced by a single distillery from 100-percent malted barley. Isn’t beer also made from barley? Absolutely. Whisky begins as beer. It was getting really interesting. The video on whisky production was running while Fergusson-Stewart was running his own commentary on the video and taking questions from us curious attendees. How long can you keep a bottle of whisky? (Whisky is considered to be as old as the stated age on the label. It matures only through contact with the cask it is matured in.
Therefore, whisky does not age in the bottle and as long as the bottle is unopened, its contents maintain the character until it is consumed. Once opened, and then stoppered, minimal changes occur due to evaporation. How is Scotch best taken—neat or on the rocks? (Drink it any which way you want. But a dash of water does open up aromas and flavors. Stewart-Fergusson sometimes dips a finger in water, and then lets what drips from the finger go into his shot of whisky.)
But we all took our whisky neat during the tasting session of the Glenfiddich 12, 15 and 18 Years Old, the staples of the Glenfiddich range that includes the 21, 30 and the rare 50 Years Old. William Grant & Sons Ltd. was founded in 1886 and today is run by fifth-generation family members who produce, apart from Glenfiddich, the handcrafted single malt The Balvenie, Grant’s, a blended Scotch, and the spirits brands Hendrick’s, Sailor Jerry, Milagro Tequila and, recently, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey. William Grant is also credited for advancing the appreciation of single malt when he began exporting Glenfiddich in 1963 (other distillers followed afterward), in those days when blended Scotch was the only whisky most of the world knew. (Blended Scotch like Johnnie Walker, J&B, Cutty Sark still accounts for 90 percent of Scotch whisky sales.)
Did you recognize the pear notes in the 12 Years Old? The tasting mats indicated aroma and flavor profiles. Pear and oak for the 12 Years Old. Honey and raisins for the 15 Years Old. Baked apple and cinnamon for the 18 Years Old. Which one did you like best, Fergusson-Stewart was curious to know.
“Discover your favorite Glenfiddich,” the tasting mat urged. There was spice, definitely—cinnamon and ginger in the 15 Years Old—and was that licorice in the 18 Years Old? That spiciness was there in the finish of the 15 Years Old. I found toastiness, more than spice in the 18 Years Old. But I was getting distracted. The 15 years Old was rocking with the seared tuna in my Salade Niçoise. I had a second refill of the 15 Years Old that, explained Fergusson-Stewart, was aged in sherry, bourbon and new oak casks and then spent further time in a solera vat.
Is it true that the older the whisky, the better it is? Not necessarily. Perhaps what is more true is that the older the whisky, the more expensive it is.
And then our whisky teacher reminds us: a single malt is barley, yeast and water fermented, distilled, aged in casks and then released when mature—by a single distillery. The best way to learn about single malts (and wine too) is to taste them.
I had a third refill of the gorgeous Glenfiddich 15 Years Old.