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      02-24-2020, 05:44 PM   #13
Salty Dog
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMW F22 View Post
I think so! I honestly don’t know the difference in rye, wheat, sugarcane, etc. but so far I’ve enjoyed rye a lot. Will look into your recommendation - thanks! Right now finishing up the Glenlivet.
So rye will give you a spicy flavour and nose, corn tends to lean more towards sweetness (bourbon), sugarcane and molasses are the bases for rums and therefore usually tend towards sweeter.

Just a real basic rule of thumb, rums are the sweetest, followed by bourbon, then Irish whiskey and then scotches....this is a very loose rule, (my rule really) but for novice drinkers or novice to whisk(e)y it's a good starting point.

Having said that each of the types of spirits I mention have a wide range of nose and pallet variances and can often overlap.

So if you think about how a spirit is made that informs it's flavour profile and nose. Rum is made from sugarcane or molasses, bourbon must have at least 51% corn, and is aged in single use charred american oak casks, so it picks up the sweetness from the corn and the oak gives it a vanilla, butter and carmel flavour and nose.

Canadian whiskey is usually 51% rye, which is spicy. The aging process is similar to bourbons in that it's aged in American Oak. Irish Whisk(e)y and Scotch are generally made from Malted Barley, now how it's prepared for distillation will effect the flavour and palate. If its dryer over burning peat then you get that smokey tastes like you licked at campfire log taste.

Scotch is always aged in used bourbon casks so it will pick up the flavours of the bourbons, it is often then finished in a sherry or port cask.

The longer a whisk(e)y is aged will also influence the flavour and nose.

Vodka can be made from any raw material that will ferment. Potatos, wheat, you name it. The process is different in that is always aged in stainless steel to keep the flavour crisp and clean and the colour clear.

Whisk(e)y will pick up colour from the oak barrels and the char, but it is often helps with additive that will give consistency to what the distiller wants.

The filtering after distillation can also have an impact.

Tequila and Mescal are a bit different in that the raw material is Agave (blue for the most part), the heart of the plant is crushed and sometimes heat is used to create a mash that is then fermented and then distilled. The process is slightly different.

Hope this helps.

Last edited by Salty Dog; 02-24-2020 at 06:01 PM..
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