Most of the folks on my mother’s side drank whiskey. In the summer when our clan met at the House of Lords and the House of Commons near the Cache River, whiskey flowed. I remember the sound of clinking ice in the late afternoon and the voices of the uncles and aunts as they got louder and louder, laughing and crying. Uncle Looney was always the host, making sure glasses never went dry. His choice was the Tennessee whisky George Dickel. I didn’t know there was any other kind.
Now that I am fully grown and can make my own decisions, I still like Dickel every once and a while, just to remember. But I also like to taste other whiskeys. There is so much history in spirits; it just overwhelms. I suggest that you choose a whiskey or a whisky (the spelling with an ‘e’ is generally only used in North America) that you like and find out its origins.
Roy “JR” Gloria, a supervisor and liquor buyer for Colonial Wine & Spirits, was helpful for this article. He gave us some insight into the world of whiskey and some of the best ways to enjoy it. “Whiskey is distilled grain, like barley, rye, wheat or maize, that is turned into a fermented mash, then aged in wood casks. Within that little definition there are a million possibilities,” he explained.
If you’re venturing into the world of whiskey for the first time, he suggests you “start with malt whiskeys, which are made primarily from malted barley.” In an attempt to demystify the liquor lingo, Gloria described the other types of whiskey and how they’re made. “Grain whiskey is made from any type of grain. Blended malt whiskey is a mix of single malt from different distilleries. Single malt is made from a single distillery that uses one particular malted grain. Blended is made of a mix of malt and grain whiskeys, then they add neutral spirits and caramel. These are only a few of the different types of whiskey,” he said.
“Then there is bourbon, which has a lot of rules. These rules make this type of whiskey unique to America,” Gloria said.
“To pick any of these whiskeys, you should sample as much as you can. Sounds like a lot of work, but in this day and age it’s not. The next time you’re out having dinner or just out for drinks, look through their drink menu and try something you haven’t had before. Talk about it with your bartender or waiter; chances are, they have had a drink or two in their time.”
He continued, “Another way is to frequent a liquor store with a tasting bar. The tasting bar is a new thing in Arkansas, but we and a few other stores schedule tastings that sometimes include whiskeys.
“You may come across someone who tells you that you must drink from a special glass for some of the finer scotch or high-end whiskies. I, on the other hand, say drink from what you want, but if you’re drinking anything other than blended whiskey, leave the mix out. A couple of nice ice cubes is all you need to unlock the aroma and layers of the whiskey.”
He left us with an interesting fact about whiskey: “One cool thing about the word whiskey is that it means ‘water of life.’”
Start your own family traditions by sampling liquors selected to give you a flawless introduction into the world of whiskey. We present to you a delicious selection of Scotches, a classic single malt, an American rye, a bourbon and an established Irish whisky. Cheers!