Exploring the Whisky Flavour Wheel

Whisky is made from just three ingredients: grain, water and yeast. By law, you can’t add anything else to a whisky and still call it a whisky.* So, when you smell or taste oranges in your whisky – if it’s not coming from oranges – where does that flavour come from? (*with the exception of a few drops of tasteless colouring that some whiskies contain.) At our latest whisky tasting we looked a little more closely at the enormous variety of flavours you can find in whisky. There are a number of different parts of the whisky making process that can contribute to the final flavour of the whisky you taste – some of which have a very small effect, and some of which can have an enormous impact… Here’s a very brief overview:

The ingredients: Whisky can be made from different types of grain. The type of grain used can have a noticeable effect on flavour. For example, barley tends to impart a malty, cereal flavour, while corn can contribute to a rich, sweeter taste. Rye can add spice and herbal notes, while wheat gives a whisky a softer, creamy character. The type of grain used can make a big difference. Even a whisky novice can tell how different a Scottish single malt made with barley is compared to a bourbon made with corn. Distilleries often claim their unique water source adds flavour, but any effects is likely incredibly minimal - and may be more marketing than reality. Some distilleries are also experimenting with different strains of yeast. On the one hand there may be a reason for this, but it’s hard to tell how noticeable an effect this has on the final flavour of a whisky, and how much it makes for a good story to set their product apart from competitors.

To peat or not: The next big influence is whether or not the distillery uses peat. If a whisky is peated, the malted barley is dried over a peat fire, and the smoke infuses the grain with a distinctive smoky flavour. If a whisky is peated, you’ll almost certainly notice it – the smoky aroma and taste are hard to miss.

Fermentation: Fermentation, which happens before distillation, also affects flavour. During fermentation, yeast converts sugars into alcohol, but also creates flavour compounds. A shorter fermentation results in cleaner, grain-forward flavours, while a longer fermentation produces more fruity, floral, or funky notes. Many distilleries experiment with this to shape their house style.

Distillation: Distillation also plays a role in the flavour of a whisky. The type of still used (a post still or a column still) can affect the flavour of a whisky. Whiskies produced in column stills tend to be much lighter. The shape and height of the stills can also affect whether the whisky is light and fruity or rich and full-bodied. Taller stills create a lighter, more delicate spirit, while shorter stills allow heavier compounds through, giving a richer, oilier feel to a whisky. Maturation: Maturation shapes most of a whisky’s flavour – it’s often said that as much as 60–80% comes from aging the whisky in the cask. For a start, the type of oak (or wood) the cask is made from matters: for example, American oak adds vanilla, coconut, and sweetness, while European oak gives spice, dried fruit, and tannin flavours. Mizunara oak imparts sandalwood, incense, and delicate spice notes. The previous contents of the cask also influence flavour – whisky aged in ex-sherry, ex-wine, or ex-bourbon barrels will pick up notes from those liquids. Age matters too. While the whisky extracts flavours from the wood, the wood also filters out certain (less-desirable) notes and softens the spirit over time. Location during maturation is arguably another factor. Coastal distilleries, for example, may pick up a hint of sea salt from the surrounding environment.

Craftspeople: Finally, whisky is shaped by the people who make it. Blenders and distillers carefully select and combine casks to create a consistent product. For example, Johnnie Walker blends a range of different whiskies together to achieve its signature flavour. Even single malts are usually blended from different casks within one distillery to create the final product with a particular flavour profile.

So, when you taste a whisky, you're tasting the grain, the wood, the environment, and the craftsmanship that brought it all together. For our whisky tasting we tried to select whiskies that would showcase the rich variety in flavours you can find in whisky from all parts of the Whisky Flavour Wheel. We settled on the following: - Glenmorangie Triple Cask Reserve (it’s aged in three different types of cask, including ex-rye casks) - Compass Box Orchard House (known to be intensely fruity – think fruit orchard) - Old Pulteney 12 (aged by the sea, some gentle salty notes are present) - Auchentoshan Three Wood (aged in three different types of cask, two of which are ex-sherry casks, it’s something of a sherry bomb) - Johnnie Walker Double Black (our only whisky that includes some grain other than barley, but also known to be very gently peated) - Aerolite Lyndsay (from an undisclosed distillery on Islay, it’s an intensely peated whisky)

We even challenged everyone to identify the flavours in their whisky with a blind tasting (and we were impressed with how well everyone did!) before finishing off the evening with some snacks.