As World Beverage staff started to develop this site, we encountered thru the internet and other sources interesting facts about whiskey. We would like to share those with you!!
WHAT IS MEANT BY THE 'AGE' OF THE WHISKY'? The age of a single malt refers specifically to the period of time it spent maturing in its cask. The spirit could have been ‘in bottle’ for far longer, but as no further change takes place to the character of the spirit once it has been sealed and safely stored, its age then becomes something of interest to those interested in rare and unusually old spirits.
Did You Know?
Whisky in Gaelic reads ‘uisge beathe’, which means ‘water of life’.
Did you know that all scotch whiskeys (including single malts) must be distilled and matured in Scotland?
There are more than 5000 types of Single Malt Whisky?
Whisky is only allowed to be called Whisky when it matured for a minimum of 3 years in oak casks.
Single Malt Whisky comes from a single distillery and a single grain but possibly is kept maturing in multiple casks.
Blended Whisky is called Blended Whisky because of the mixture of Grain Whisky with multiple Single Malt Whisky's.
90 percent of the Single Malt Whisky's comes from Scotland
Did you know why experts always advise drinking Single Malt Whisky pure or with a tiny bit of water at room temperature? This is because of the maturing process that has taken place in oak casks for 10 - 15 years. If you drink it with ice or mix it with another drink, this whole process becomes useless.
A closed bottle of Whisky can be kept for more than 100 years and it's still good to drink. Once it is opened and it's half full or more you can save it for about 5 years. If it's less than half full, then drink it and don't save it.
The world's most expensive whisky is Macallan 1926.
In 2015, a 6 litre crystal decanter of Macallan Imperiale ‘M’ whisky scooped the prestigious title of world’s most expensive whisky when it sold at auction in Hong Kong for $628, 205. This record was smashed in 2018 when a bottle of Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60-year-old fetched a whopping £848,000 at auction in Edinburgh.
Whiskey or Whisky? When discussing whisky the first thing you need to know is that there are two legitimate spellings. The Scotts and Canadians spell whisky without the "e", while the Irish and Americans spell it with an "e" as in whiskey. This should be the first indication that the world of whisky is a very complicated one and has many regional differences in taste and production. This is part of what makes whisky such an interesting and enjoyable spirit.
If you would like to share more interesting facts about Single Malt Whiskies please Contact Us or use the Message Board on the right.
What glass should I use?
When tasting single malts use a cognac snifter or other type of "tulip" shape glass; the aroma of the single malt gets much more concentrated in the top of the glass than with the "tumbler" type of glass on the right. If you have a sensitive nose you'd better choose a relatively small glass; otherwise go for the biggest glasses you can get.
The straight tumbler glass, as shown on the right, was originally designed to disguise the awful smell of the inferior whiskies in the past. But, since a large portion of the single malt tasting is to enjoy its bouquet, these glasses are definitely not suitable for single malts.
