4 Things to Know Before Buying a Whiskey

There is a world of whiskey out there which may make it a daunting prospect for you to choose the one for your celebrations. If you are new to whiskey, you can start with the Mountain Red Gum Single Malt. However, before you sit down to enjoy a glass of whiskey, it is best to know a few things about the drink which can improve your overall buying and drinking experience. Also, when you become familiar and armed with adequate information, you are likely to experiment with different flavour profiles and become a whiskey connoisseur. Below are some things you need to watch out for before buying a whiskey bottle. 

Type of whiskey

You can find five types of whiskies in the market, and each category has phenomenal choices. Here are the types:

Single malt: Single-malt whiskies are made from 100 per cent malted barley from a single distillery. These are considered to be the highest grade of whiskies. 

Single grain: When whiskey is not made from malted barley, it is called ‘grain’ which means it is produced from either wheat or maize.

Blended malt: Blended malts are produced in two or more distilleries and made from 100 per cent malted barley. 

Blended grain: Similar to blended malt, blended grain whiskies are made from corn or wheat and produced in two or more distilleries. 

Blended: Blended whiskies are produced by combining grain and malt whiskey from two or more distilleries. It is the most common type of whiskies available in the market. 

Check the tasting notes.

You can find tasting notes in whiskey bottles explaining its contents in taste and nose. It can be a guide to help you make a choice. For instance, if you want to start with Mountain Red Gum Single Malt, you may find its detailed description in the bottle. It is herbaceous with a spicy smoked nose and aromas of hedgerow and burnt wood. When you have such detailed tasting notes, you can make a better choice at buying. You must remember that when words like smoke or peat are used to describe a whiskey, the drink has a heavier and meatier profile.

Look at the age statement.

Check the bottle of whiskey for the age statement. If it does not have a mention of it, the age of the whiskey may be anything between 3 and 9 years old. While you may find several young whiskies that taste superb without mentioning their age statement, you may also come across some that taste awesome but maybe a tad bit overpriced. Hence, if you don’t want to take any chances and be pretty sure that the bottle of whiskey is good for you, pick one at least ten years old.  

Know about the alcohol strength

A whiskey with 40 to 50 per cent alcohol content by volume means water was added before bottling the whiskey. However, the alcohol strength of 51 per cent means it is ‘cask strength’, meaning no extra water is added to it. You must also note that cask strength whiskies over 25 years old are still cask strength even if the alcohol content by volume reduces below 50 per cent. 

While buying whiskey, remember that high alcohol strength is not necessarily an indicator of quality. You may find some great whiskies with about 40 per cent alcohol. 

If you want to experiment with different flavour profiles when the choice of drink is concerned, get a nice bottle of whiskey. You can add a splash of water or soda to open up its flavours. You may also sip straight or make an exciting cocktail. Therefore, whiskey can offer you an unparalleled sensory experience and diverse flavour profiles to experiment with.