Sip & Enjoy: Whisk(e)y For Beginners
Mad Men Season 7-Don Making an Old Fashioned
You douse a sugar cube in two dashes of Angostura bitters and grab the muddler in your other hand. You carefully bash the cube, making sure that the specks of sugar don’t fly everywhere. Time for the jigger, you like that word too—jigger. Always rolls off the tongue for some reason. You grab that jigger and pour out 2 ounces of bourbon. One large rounded ice cube goes in and you stir. Stir. Stir. Stir. You want the water of the cube to melt slowly into the whiskey, changing its chemistry from a harsh, burning shot, to a silky-smooth liquid, nuanced by the aromatics of the bitters and the flavour notes from the barrel that bourbon rested in. Sometimes vanilla or butterscotch, other times smoky or citrus. Finally, you garnish with the fresh peel of an orange, its oils expressed over the top. First sip and you know, this is where it’s at.
I got myself into whiskey in a weird way: Mad Men. The show centred around those 1960s marketing executives who were predominantly all male and drank most of the day. Weird because the entire show was basically an ad about alcoholism—which is no joke. However, the look of that cocktail, its sophistication, and its amber gold appearance were so alluring. I loved the alchemy of it all. Four ingredients (ice included) transformed into a seductive elixir. So, when it came time for me to try my first old fashioned, I was at a loss for words when it basically burned straight down my throat, made me choke slightly, and ended in chest pains. Let’s just say it took me well over a year to give it another go.
After a few trials, figuring out flavours I liked, and getting someone to actually make me a good old fashioned (the stirring is the key) I finally changed my mind on it. I figured out that a well stirred old fashioned, which had a bit more of the ice melted into it, allowed the whiskey to mellow out enough for me to sip on it. Now a days, whiskey is a true fascination of mine. I wouldn’t count myself as a connoisseur by any means, but I have learnt a few things on my journey to understanding and loving this liquor. So, if you’re a first timer and want to give it a go or perhaps don’t like the stuff but are wondering why I’ve just written three paragraphs about one cocktail—then stick with me.
Whisk(e)y 101
Some Terms Which At First I Was Like ‘WTF’ & Now I’m Like ‘Ahhh...yess’
Proof: Proof is just twice the amount of alcohol in a whiskey. So, 100 proof is 50% ABV
ABV: Alcohol by volume.
Distilling: The process in which liquid is made from the heating and then condensation of materials (i.e. grains + water). This is how whiskey is made.
Peated: Peat is just organic matter (turf they say, like a mossy material) used only in the production of Scotch. Scottish distillers use peat to light the fires that heat the stills (the heated pot) that hold the mixture which then becomes whisky. This tends to add a smokiness to scotch whiskys.
Mash: The mixture of grains that water is added to. This then boils in the still through the distillation process which will then ferment into alcohol. This mixture is usually malt barley, corn, rye, or wheat.
Neat: Whisky served with no ice or water
Dram: There is a complex way to explain this and the Scottish way. The complex way is that it originated as a Greek term for a measure of weight known as a drachm. Modern days in the UK it now equates to about 25 or 35ml of a drink. Let’s make it easy and just use the Scottish definition which is ‘A Drink Of Whiksy’—usually in a cool glass. Order by saying ‘I’d like a wee dram of…’.
Whiskey vs Whisky: American and Irish whiskey is spelt with an ‘e’ whereas the Scots spell it without the ‘e’, ‘Whisky’. This comes from the translation from of the word from its Gaelic origins and the Americans adopted it when the Irish immigrants shipped over. That’s literally the only difference.
Cool Stuff
Popular whiskeys hail from Scotland, Canada, America, Japan, and Ireland. However, there are whiskeys made all over the world. India, Wales, Germany, Taiwan, Australia, and even Mexico. So, feel free to branch out once you get a hang of some of the ‘classics’.
Japanese whisky exploded on the Western scene thanks to Sofia Coppola’s movie, Lost in Translation. Something I learnt when I was on my Japanese whiskey tasting experience at Map Maison (find them on the app). You might remember the classic line ‘Make it Suntory Times’. Suntory is an actual distillery in Japan that makes some really exquisite whisky. However, due to its popularisation post movie, a lot of their small batch stock is now totally gone. That’s why when you look up Japanese whisky, some are REALLY expensive. There are two bottles out there going for £13,000+! I wouldn’t even drink it, I’d hire it a bodyguard. However, don’t worry you can get some other lovely bottles for around £30-40.
Styles of whiskey. There are quite a few. You can get single malts, blended, the American ones, the Scottish ones, the Irish ones etc. In this guide I’ll go through just a few to get you started. Bourbons, Scotch, Rye, but will throw in some get Japanese cocktail places for you to try out too.
Bourbon: There a few laws that must be followed for a whiskey to become a bourbon. First it must be made in the US. Second, it must contain at least 51% corn in their mash. Third, it has to ‘rest’ in new, charred oak barrels (this is where the distinct flavours come from). Lastly, you can only add water to the distillation process. So, the famous (infamous) Jack Daniels, for example isn’t actually classified as a bourbon, it’s called Tennessee whiskey because they add a step where they filter it through maple charcoal. Most bourbon (95% of the world’s in fact) comes out of the state of Kentucky—which actually has more barrels of whiskey than it does people! That’s their main export, apart from making 90% of the US’s disco balls. Who’s buying these?!
What To Try: Blanton’s, Four Roses, Wild Turkey, Maker’s Mark, Woodford Reserve, Eagle Rare to whet your palate. These are great neat as well.
Fun Fact: Tabasco is aged in barrels that previously stored Jack Daniels, so part of the sting you get from that classic hot sauce is, whiskey (none of that alcohol stuck around though, don’t’ worry).
Scotch: Made in Scotland and is distilled from malt barley. Scotch is also broken further down by the region it comes from. The flavours change so drastically from the area it’s produced it’s absolutely worth giving each area a go to see what you like:
Speyside: Fruity, sweet, nutty. (Try: Glenfiddich, Macallan, Chivas Regal, Jonnie Walker)
Islay: Intense Smokey, sometimes salty (as it’s near the sea). (Try: Laphroaig, Ardberg, Bowmore)
Islands: Citrusy smoke. Some sweet, some herbaceous. (Try: Jura, Talisker)
Highlands: Smokey, floral, silky: (Try: Oban, Dalmore)
Lowlands: Light bodied, smooth, grassy, ginger, honeysuckle notes. (Try: Auchentoshan) I don’t even know how to say that even though I lived in Scotland for four years but no matter. This guy has notes of lemon and pancakes.
Fun Fact: Whisky is Gaelic for ‘Water of Life’.
Rye: As opposed to having 51% corn for a bourbon, Rye needs, you guessed it, at least 51% rye grain in it’s mash. Many ryes tend to have more savoury flavours as opposed to the butterscotch sweetness of bourbons. Some can be quite spicy—think peppercorn flavours. They also pack a punch with ABV’s of 62.5% or so.
What To Try: Rittenhouse, Bulleit, Van Winkle, WhistlePig
Fun Fact: Don Drapper’s drink of choice was actually Canadian Club Rye, neat.
How Do I Begin My Whiskey Journey?
Start with a cocktail and branch out with the whiskeys.
The two things to consider if you want to get yourself into whiskey are: Drinking Style (Neat, Ice/Water, Cocktail) & Type of Whiskey (Scotch, Bourbon, Rye)
In all honestly I highly recommend you start with a bourbon based cocktail or if you want to deep dive and go neat—I would go for a Japanese whiskey. Here’s why: Bourbon, by the nature of being 51% corn mash, are sweeter and thus a bit more easily drinkable. They pair well in cocktails. Try a Manhattan which has a bit of sweet vermouth mixed in for a short, punchy cocktail. Or something simple like a highball which can be bourbon with ginger ale or soda water with a lemon twist.
Japanese whiskey like the Suntory Toki is very light, subtle, and sweetish. It sits at an easily sip-able 43% ABV and has some really nice cereal notes. It pairs well in a highball or just neat or with an ice cube. This is easy drinking at it’s finest. Pure, unadulterated, artisan whiskey.
When you want to step it up a notch, that’s when I would head to your scotches and ryes. Scotch in itself is so varied, that I would suggest starting Speyside or Lowlands, these are going to taste way different to a bourbon, but it’s a good, light introduction to your scotches. When you’re ready I would jump to an Islay or Highland—but expect a lot of smokiness in your first sip.
Déjà Vu it: I’m not ready to invest in whiskey for my home bar, so where can I go to have an expert make a cocktail for me?
Great question. On Déjà Vu we have a few places you can check out where the mixologists are both skilled and inventive. So if you want a classic cocktail or want to explore something different, we’ve got you covered. Check out the Tipples section under Categories for these and more:
The Zetter Townhouse: Where I learnt what a ‘Don’t’ Forget the Maine’ was. Think old fashioned but substitute the angostura bitters for drops of absinthe. The anise, liquorice-ness from the absinthe works so well with the bourbon.
Hawksmoor: Try the Fuller Old Fashioned that adds in a brown butter ‘wash’ and bay leaves for an herbaceous punchy mix.
Satan’s Whiskers: Where you can try Satan’s Manhattan, or the classic Scotch based Penicillin
Black Rock Bar: Try out the Fragrance High Ball for a Japanese Nikka Days paired with Asian flavours like pandan, plum, and coconut.
Oriole Bar: Give the Skyefall a try which uses the smoky, island region whisky, Talisker as it’s base and pairs it with coffee and caramel flavours.
Map Maison: A true Japanese whisky journey. They do their own bottled cocktails and one of our favourites from their tasting was the Stormzy which uses the Suntory Toki and citrus notes.
Find these and more on the Déjà Vu app. Stay tuned for more guides on setting up your own home bar, other delectable beverages, and interviews with the professionals.