Build a Bar Workshop

This is the first installment of what will be an on-going series. We're aiming to accomplish two different things with this series of posts. Goal one is to demystify our products. For example, we'll begin discussing Scotch Whisky today, and there are so many different questions about this category that we could spend an entire week on the topic without reaching the end. The other goal is to help you make the right decisions when you're building your own bar, regardless of size.

As always, we apply Rule 1: Drink what you like. The corollary here, of course, is that building a bar suggests that you want to please your guests as well. For reference, some of our information comes courtesy of the Scotch Whisky Association.

There are five categories of Scotch Whisky. They are:

Single Malt Scotch Whisky. A Scotch Whisky distilled at a single distillery (i) from water and malted barley without the addition of any other cereals, and (ii) by batch distillation in pot stills.   Since November 23 2012, it is required that Single Malt Scotch Whisky must be bottled in Scotland. Some of the more familiar brands in this category are Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, The Macallan and The Balvenie.

Single Grain Scotch Whisky. A Scotch Whisky distilled at a single distillery (i) from water and malted barley with or without whole grains of other malted or unmalted cereals, and (ii) which does not comply with the definition of Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Blended Scotch Whisky. A blend of one or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies with one or more Single Grain Scotch Whiskies. This category includes brands like Compass Box.

Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. A blend of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, which have been distilled at more than one distillery. Probably the biggest-selling Scotch category, with brands like Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal and Dewar's.

Blended Grain Scotch Whisky. A blend of Single Grain Scotch Whiskies, which have been distilled at more than one distillery.

There are five recognized regions where Scotch Whisky is distilled and bottled. The product must be entirely distilled within a region in order to have that designation on the label.

Campbeltown is in the lower left, in yellow, and it has the fewest distilleries of any region (three). Distilleries include Springbank (we carry several of their expressions). Springbank performs every step of the whisky-making process, from malting to bottling, in-house.

Highland covers the largest area, seen in green. The area at the top right and left used to be considered a separate region called Island. Highland Park and Talisker come from the former Island region. Other Highland distillers include Aberfeldy, Dalwhinnie, Glenmorangie, Jura and Oban. Styles range greatly, from the very peaty and smoky (Talisker) to the lighter, grassy and sweet (Glenmorangie).

Non-Scotch drinkers often ask us what we mean by "peaty" or "smoky". Think of it as drinking the smoke from a campfire. The grains are dried by peat-fueled heat, and the grains pick up that smoke.

Islay (pronounced 'eye-lah')is in the middle left, the small region in dark brown. Most of the whisky produced here will fall into the smoky category. Ardbeg, Bowmore and Lagavulin are all distilled here.

Lowland covers the second largest area, and is about the add their fourth distillery. We carry Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie, from the Lowlands.

Speyside is in light brown, surrounded by Highlands, and has the largest number of distilleries. The general feature here is that the distilleries are typically in the vicinity of the River Spey. Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, The Balvenie and The Macallan are all produced here. The taste profile of Speyside whiskies generally are either light and grassy or rich and sweet.

Flavor Profiles. We threw out a lot of terms here that may or may not make sense to you. Courtesy of malts.com, click here for a grid that illustrates the typical flavors one will find in a Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

At the top of the page, we said we'll begin discussing Scotch Whisky today. We met that goal, and hopefully added to your understanding of this category of brown spirits. We'll continue this conversation in the coming weeks.