RYE
DAVIN DE KERGOMMEAUX
whisky –
Five myths about
and one truth For as long as there have been bars,
there have been bar bets. Knowing a bit of whisky trivia might just win you a free round. And to make it easier, many of the things most people think they know about whisky are not really true. So study this page carefully, then tuck
it in your wallet. Next time some know-it- all starts talking about whisky, challenge him. He could end up buying your drinks.
Myth number one: The spelling of whisky depends on the country where it is made. How many times have you heard, “if
there is an “e” in the country name, there’s an “e” in how they spell whisky?” That sure sounds logical, but it just isn’t so. In the United States, for example,
some brands call it whiskey while others, such as Maker’s Mark, call it whisky. And even in Scotland, the legislation covering whisky spells it both ways. Then there’s all that whisky made in Sweden, France, Germany, Turkey, Denmark, New Zealand, England, and other “e”-bearing countries where they spell “whisky” without an “e.” Nope, it’s whisky everywhere except the U.S. sometimes, and Ireland most (but not all) of the time.
Myth number two: Single malt is better than blended whisky. In reality, even experienced
54 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
connoisseurs are often unable to distinguish blends from single malts. More
than that, tasted blind, they often can’t tell aged single malt whisky from rums, cognacs or brandies of similar age. Still unconvinced? Well here’s a
revelation. Almost all single malts are actually blends anyway. The recipe for a batch of single malt whisky will specify so many barrels of bourbon-matured whisky; a certain number of barrels of sherry matured whisky; so many older barrels; and so many that meet the exact age statement on the label. It is only when these different whiskies are blended together that the “single malt” flavour we love is created. Believe it or not, almost all single malts
are really skillfully made blends of many whisky types, and the real art in making single malt whisky is in the blending.
Myth number three: Scotch whisky is double distilled, Irish whisky is triple distilled. Straight malarkey! Just as distillers
everywhere else do, Irish whisky makers use both double and triple distillation. In fact some Irish whiskies are blends of double- and triple-distilled whiskies. Cooley distillery, for example, uses double distillation for its Connemara and Tyrconnell whiskies ($54.95 and $99.95, respectively, at LCBO). Meanwhile some Scottish distilleries, Auchentoshen for example, ($50.00 and up at LCBO) insist on triple distilling their Scotch.
Myth number four: Peat is the defining flavour of Scotch whisky.
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