Whiskey is one of the most popular types of distilled alcoholic beverages that can be found. Made from various grains, sometimes malted, sometimes not, there’s a large room for variance and creativity in this type of alcohol.
If you’re new to it and don’t know much more than how much you love the flavor, there’s a lot you can learn from taking on the unique flavors and getting to know why it tastes this way.
What Should You Know About Whiskey?
The most important thing to know about whiskey is that it’s always made from grain mash. These grains will vary, from barley to corn, rye, and wheat, and it’s more often than not aged in wooden casks, usually old sherry or white oak. These give it a unique and deep flavor that can’t be replicated otherwise.
There’s a lot of debate on whether to have it in or out of ice and what type of glass to serve it best in, but the consensus is that it should be around 86 proof and in a medium honey color.
Why Is American Whiskey Unique
The main difference between whiskey made in and outside America is that American whiskey usually uses corn, wheat, or rye. It’s also often made with a blend of barley. This gives it a flavor unlike any other whiskey and sets it apart.
There are many popular brands of American whiskey, but it can change from state to state. The most popular whiskey in the USA is Bourbon, which has to be made of at least 51% corn, which gives it a sweet and unique flavor.
How To Tell if Whiskey is Good
The line between good and bad whiskey is in taste and smell. Although whiskey may smell incredible, it may taste bad. With this type of alcohol, if the drink’s flavor is strong and bites, that means it’s a young whiskey that hasn’t had time to develop taste over time.
Through fermentation and time, it will increase in delicious flavor and create a unique drink. Skipping this time will make it so that all you taste is the alcohol itself, which ruins the point of whiskey.
What’s the Most Expensive Whiskey
The most expensive whiskey on Earth is the Macallan Red Collection. This collection, when brought to auction, was able to bring in $975,756. This was because of the smooth flavor and popular branding, but it will more than likely never be consumed.
The average bottle of whiskey shouldn’t cost more than a hundred dollars, or you’re paying more than you need to. Although many assume that cost means things are better, consider if you had to pay more for Knoxville real estate when the only difference between the two properties was wall color. It’s not worth it most of the time.
Difference Between Single Malt and Straight Malt
If you’re new to whiskey and know that the flavor matters the most to you, some of the phrasings on the bottles can be confusing.
The inclusion makes single malt whiskey of 100% malted barley. This is mostly an American phrase that is only occasionally used internationally.
