Five Single-Malt Scotches to Try
People associate single-malt scotch with images of craggy highlands, misty moors and tartan-clad men tending to herds of hairy, long-horned “coos”. Little do they appreciate how equally well suited the drink is to be stretching out on a Muskoka chair overlooking the last clinging light of a beautiful Ontario summer sunset.
Imagine the sound of a solitary ice cube clinking against the side of a highball glass echoed by the cry of a loon. A long sip leads to a warming sensation of balanced tropical fruit, caramel and a hint of peat that calms and relaxes after a long week at the office.
Much more than a welcoming reward, good single-malt scotch can open up your senses to a wide array of flavours and nuances that don’t exist as generously in other spirits. Appreciating whisky (yes, no “e” when referring to Scottish-made products) is an art that’s subject to great complexity and staunch opinions. Maybe it relates to the country’s culture of pragmatic and hardy people or stems from its long, rich history and strong ties toward independence and stubbornness. Yet it is only fitting for a product that sits both unique and dominant atop the world of beverages.
Unlike its blended brethren that are produced to enhance consistency and smoothness, single-malt scotches are prized for their distinctiveness. Owing much to the water, the climate and the terroir of their unique place of origin, hundreds of different scotches are available to taste, each offering a distinct experience. For simplicity, scotch is grouped into five styles connected to the five generally accepted regions of production – the Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside, Western Islands (including Campbeltown), and Islay. These often inaccessibly remote locations are home to over 100 single-malt distilleries that create vastly differing styles and a staggering number of expressions and ages.
And while it may be somewhat unfair to categorize these five distinctive regions into broad swathes according to their one geographic characteristic, it does provide an appropriate start to a tasting journey that can last a lifetime. Certain practices are common, however. Distillers – by tradition and legal regulation – adhere to using copper pot stills and a set of exacting malting, fermenting, distilling and aging processes. Even so, their access to unique water sources, choices of yeast and different types of casks produce significantly different flavours. The following descriptions should therefore only be considered as general guidelines.
Lowland scotches, including Auchentoshan 12 year ($60.95) and Glenkinchie 12 year ($86.65), are light in body and clean tasting with modest fruit tones because they are typically triple distilled compared to the double distillation process used throughout the rest of country. With more distillation and filtering, characteristic flavours are removed in favour of smooth drinkability. Consider this fact in relation to flavor-neutral vodkas where companies are known to distill their product up to five times – eliminating any of the character that would make it distinctive and interesting.
Highland scotches, such as the tangerine-hinted Glenmorangie (I recommend their original, $69.70) and Dalwhinnie 15 year ($109.95), are fruitier and medium-bodied with greater flavor complexity. These easy-sipping varieties are a great introduction for novice single-malt whisky drinkers that offer many subtle differences between the northern and the western highland varieties.
A personal favourite, the Speyside area along the North Sea coast is the heartland of scotch production, containing 50% of all distilleries. The area is built along the banks of the 15-mile wide river 'Spey' and home to some of the most famous single malts in the world (Glenfiddich, The Glenlivet, Glenfarclas and Balvenie). These smooth, fruiter-styled single-malts are typically rich with complex caramel and honey flavours, especially enjoyable in the summer. Aberlour’s 12-year-old scotch whisky ($65.95) is an ideal, affordable choice that represents the style well.
Strong westerly winds permeate the Island-area distilleries – ranging from the Orkneys in the north (Highland Park), to the Isle of Skye (Talisker), and the Islands of Mull and Arran off the south-west coast – helping to develop salty sea flavours, exacting oak and hints of iodine. While not as full-flavoured and peaty as scotches from the more famous Islay Island area, the assertiveness of these single-malt brands provides more full-bodied richness and complexity than the other previous areas.
If Scottish whisky’s reputation is notorious for flavours of heavy peat and smoke, then those produced in Islay, a relatively small and isolated island area off the western coast, deliver as promised. Arbeg, Bowmore and Lagavulin are all representative of what can be expected from the heavy, dominating smoky flavours derived from roasting malted barley over fires of peat. While hearty scotch drinkers are passionate for these super-rich and somewhat harsh nuances, these same traits can be instantly off-putting for those not accustomed to its deep aggressiveness.
Single malt scotch whisky is a welcome and well-received addition to any sophisticated liquor cabinet. The prices can be exorbitant but nestling these golden waters of life aside in American oak, port or sherry casks for 15 to 25 years (or more) is an expensive process – one that connoisseurs know all too well. Their vanilla, caramel and almond flavours can only be extracted from charred wood over time. So savouring scotch deserves your attention. Take a moment for quiet contemplation (or as a pleasant complement to good conversation) and give this drink your full consideration. And whether you enjoy it neat, with a few splashes of water (to bring out fruit flavours and dull the heat of alcohol) or with an ice cube (to help bring out more aromas), you can never go wrong. Escape your workday worries and absorb yourself in the Scottish tradition of delicious, sensuous single-malt scotch. The only thing you’ll be missing is highland peaks echoing with the sound of bagpipes.
Five Scottish Single-Malt Scotches to Try:
CARDHU 12 year, Speyside, 40%, $82.95, LCBO #289496
Charming and easy-going, Cardhu has been prominently used as the base for Johnnie Walker Blue blended whisky. As a single malt, it offers clean, crisp oak and sweet malt that evokes flavours of honey and caramel.
OBAN 14 year, Western Highlands, 43%, $124.95, LCBO #243824
Salty sea air aromas mingle with mineral notes and subtle peat to balance its mild malt flavour. The medium body spirit is delicate with a faint finish of smokiness.
TALISKER 10 year, Isle of Skye, 46%, $109.95, LCBO #249680
Bright medium amber in colour, strong essences of malt, iodine, white pepper and smoke linger alongside the creamy vanilla and an intensely smoky finish.
LAPHROAIG 10 year, Islay, 43%, $79.95, LCBO #248997
Malted barley is dried over a peat fire to provide huge smoke and peat notes that are distinctive to the area. Initial taste is very rich, dry and pungent ending with a hint of nuttiness and slight toffee.
HIGHLAND PARK 18 year, Orkney Islands, 43%, $199.95, LCBO #500231
Named “Best Spirit in the World” a decade ago, this well-aged single malt is incredibly smooth and balances dried fruit and toffee sweetness with a modestly smoky, rounded finish.
