Fine Liquors
Unique Tastes to Savor
With such a wide array of liquors on the market, it can be hard to choose which one to enjoy. If you like scotch, the single malt variety is considered to be the most popular of liquors.
Liquor is actually a distilled beverage that is also referred to as a spirit. Many of the finer varieties not only contain ethyl alcohol, but are also purified through a distillation process using a fermenting substance like malt, grain, or wine.
Fine liquors have actually been in existence for quite some time – for centuries, in fact. In the United States, some of the most popular types are vodka, gin, scotch whiskey, rye whiskey, tequila, bourbon, drambuie, etc.
One of the best liquors is fine scotch whiskey. Scotch whiskey or scotch is produced in Scotland. When looking to purchase scotch, you will see that it comes in three varieties including single malt, blended, and vatted. In order to be labeled as scotch whiskey, it conforms to the rules laid out by the Scotch Whiskey Act of 1998. It is a very specific and tedious process, but the results are wonderful!
Single malt is actually a malt whiskey that has been completely distilled in one location, and has not been mixed with grain whiskey. It is referred to as single cask when only one cask is used. Inside that cask, the whiskey can go over 60 percent alcohol per volume, but most varieties available are usually bottled when they reach the minimum legal limit of 40 to 46 percent. Any whiskey that has not been watered down is labeled by cask strength.
In order to be considered a malt whiskey, it can only contain malted barley. Pot stills should also be used during the distillation process.
Grain whiskey can contain unmalted or malted grains such as maize and wheat, or even unmalted barley. Distillation usually occurs inside of a continuous column still. In Scotland, you'll find several malt whiskey distilleries; however, there are only a handful that grain distilleries.
Any liquor that has been distilled must age for no less than three years in order to be considered scotch whiskey. In the case of single malts, they are usually aged for at least eight years. Many believe that older varieties taste better, although some feel that the length of time needed depends on the distillery used. You will find, though, that older whiskies are harder to find, so they will be quite a bit more expensive.