18 November/December 2020
COURTESYGLENFIDDICH;^COURTESYBENRIACH;^COURTESYJURADrinks
5Benriach’s senior Scotch and Irish whiskey
ambassador—and so does age: A 20-year-old
peated whisky won’t taste as smoky as it would at
age 10, because “as the whisky sits in the cask, it
breathes out of the wood, and you evaporate some
of the alcohol,” Glasgow says. Since smokiness
comes from the spirit, you lose some intensity
with aging. If you’re into smoky Scotch, go young;
if you like it more mellow, drink an older dram.
But you won’t know what you like until you
taste. Grab a few bottles and a Glencairn glass
(pictured on p.16). Its bowl shape funnels aro-
mas straight to your nose, says Anton Quinn, who
manages and is whiskey specialist for Boyd’s Jig
and Reel, a Scotch bar in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Just don’t sink your face into the glass; the alco-
hol’s vapors will overpower your senses. Instead,
place your nose an inch above the glass and gen-
tly inhale with your mouth open to activate your
olfactory system, “which allows you to access your
memories of previous smells and f lavors,” he says.
Then, evaluate what you smell: fresh-cut grass,
hay fields, and citrus peels, perhaps?
Next, it’s time to sip. Start neat—a room-tem-
perature pour without any additions—swish the
spirit around your mouth, and let it sit on the
middle of your tongue for a few seconds before
swallowing. Is it f loral, sweet, salty? Once you’re
satisfied with your observation, add water and
taste again. “Just a few drops will lower the alco-
hol, intensity, and bite, and bring out more of the
smoke,” says Glasgow.
Remember: Your palate expands over time, so
if you didn’t like ultra-peated Laphroaig when you
first tried it, you might love the smoky taste now.
“Keep an open mind to all f lavors,” Quinn says,
“and appreciate the endless variety Scotch whisky
has to offer.”
BECAUSE^ SCOTLAND’S^ DIFFERENT^
REGIONS YIELD UNIQUE PEATS,^
THEY LEAVE DIVERSE NOTES^ IN^ THEIR
WHISKIES. AN ISLAY^ DRAM^ MAY^ TASTE
SALTY, WHILE^ A^ SPEYSIDE^ WHISKY^ CAN
BE LIGHT^ AND^ FLORAL.
3
BOTTLES
TO TRY
GLENFIDDICH 14 YEAR
BOURBON BARREL RESERVE
(43% ABV)
If you’re a bourbon buff, this
Speyside expression—aged in ex-
bourbon American oak casks, then
transferred to new bourbon casks—
goes down smooth. The oak whiff
is unmistakable, with a sweet, fruity
palate and caramel finish.JURA 18 YEAR OLD
(44% ABV)
First matured in American White Oak
ex-bourbon barrels and finished in
Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux
barriques, this is an Islands whisky
for wine fans. Catch cinnamon on the
nose, bitter chocolate on the palate,
and sweet fudge and subtle smoke
on the finish.BENRIACH SMOKY TEN
(46% ABV)
For a crash course in peat, sniff
this bomb—a nod to Speyside’s
pre–Industrial Revolution past—that
offers strong hints of smoked vanilla
and Korean barbecue. Oak, vanilla,
and honey from the bourbon cask
combine with Highland peat smoke
for notes of pepper and leather, too.