Do you like classic whisky but often feel lost when you buy a bottle and stare at the aisle?
We’re here to help you read whisky labels and figure out what they mean. Figuring out what a whisky label means can be challenging, so many whisky drinkers stick to just a few popular brands. But if you know the details about how whisky is made that are written on the label, it can help you find a drink that suits your taste.
But before we get into the details, here’s a complete guide on deciphering whisky labels:
Brand And Distillery
The name of the brand or distillery stands out and is an essential part of the whisky label. This makes the bottle stand out and gives customers their first impression of the drink.
But there’s more to it that makes it interesting. Most of the time, the brand name tells you about the distillery where the whisky was made. Glenlivet, Aberlour, Lagavulin, and Suntory Toki are all excellent examples.
But blended malt whiskies are not the same. If the distilleries sell the drink to blenders (like Chivas Regal and Johnnie Walker) or independent bottlers (like Gordon & MacPhail, Compass Box, and Scotch Malt Whisky Society), the name of the final unique product is the name of the blender.
Age of Drink
The age of the drink is the next most important thing on a whisky label, right after the brand and distillery. Scotch whisky law says that a spirit can only be called whisky after it has been aged for at least three years. But the minimum age of whisky can be different in different places.
For single malt whiskies and blends, it’s easy to figure out how old they are. The label might say something like “aged 12 years.” This is an excellent way to figure out how old the youngest whisky in the bottle is. There may also be other older whiskies. They are often used to make more complex flavors.
Still, there are many cases where the whisky labels don’t say how old the dram is. These are called “no age requirements.” Ballantine’s Finest, Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Chivas Extra, and Talisker Dark Storm are examples of no-age statements.
But this doesn’t mean that whisky gets better as it ages. It gets better if the alcohol stays in the wooden or oak barrels. Once it’s in the glass bottles, it freezes and stops getting better until the bottles are opened. From there, the drink starts to go wrong when it oxidizes, which makes the whisky change color and lose its taste. The taste buds then stop liking the taste of the alcohol.
Type Of Wood And Casks
This piece of technical information talks about how the whisky tastes and feels. This is an essential part of understanding the color and taste profile of whisky experts and people who take their whisky on the rocks seriously.
As the alcohol ages, it takes on the taste of the oak barrels it was stored in. Many distillers use more than one wood barrel to add flavor and depth to the spirit. The most common are charred new oak barrels, ex-bourbon, sherry, Mizunarra, European, port, rum, and wine barrels.
Each adds something different to the juice. Ex-sherry casks make the dram sweeter, while ex-bourbon casks give depth and a layered flavor. In recent years, distillers have also started to “finish” whisky that has only been aged for a short time by putting it in different barrels.
Bourbons are kept in new charred oak barrels, and corn whisky, which is made from at least 80% corn, is held in either a used charred oak barrel or a new oak barrel that has not been charred. Straight whiskies are aged for two years in new oak barrels, but straight corn whisky can also be aged in new barrels that haven’t been burned.
Whisky Region And Type
The region and type of whisky in the bottle are also important details that the label can’t miss. They are written below the brand and age.
All of this information is on the label of American Bourbon whisky, Irish whisky, Rye whisky, blended malt, single malt, Scotch, Canadian, and other whiskies. This tells you about the region, which may affect the smell and taste of the dram.
Scotland is known as the “Mecca” of whiskies, but the term “Scotch whiskies” doesn’t always cover all of them. Five areas make whisky: the Highlands, the Lowlands, the Speyside, Islay, and Cameronbridge. Each has its specialties, so single malt scotch labels also tell you where it comes from. The country’s name is given when it comes to whiskies from other countries, like Irish, Japanese, or Indian whiskies.
Alcohol Content
The alcohol level is, of course, what determines the quality and type of whisky that is being made. The alcohol shows this by volume (ABV) percentage or, for American whiskys, by the word “Proof.” The latter is just twice the ABV, so 40% ABV is what 80-proof means.
Bourbons are distilled at no more than 160 proof and stored at less than 125 proof, while corn whisky is held at 160 proof.
The famous “bottled-in-bond” or “bonded” whisky has 100 ABV or 50-proof and is made in a single distilling season (January to December). The US government keeps an eye on it for the next four years while it ages. The government is in charge of ensuring this American whisky is safe, so the label must say where it was made and other details about how it was bottled.
Size Of The Bottle
People who drink whisky often can tell by looking at the bottle what size it is. But you can stop guessing and know how much whisky there is by taking a quick look at the label.
In general, there are two ways to talk about the bottle size. The standard and easiest way to say how much it is is in milliliters or ML. This is how all Indian whisky brands work. The other way, which most Scotch and Irish brands use, is to say how much is in centiliters (cl). On a bottle, “70 cl” means “700 ml.” In the same way, 100 cl means 1 l, and smaller amounts like 65 cl represent 650 ml.
Other Details
The Expression is another detail that you may or may not find in most details these days. Most brands list the brand’s age and well-known name or distillery. Some particular expressions are started, though, to mark important events or to get people’s attention. For example, “Founder’s Reserve” was given to The Glenlivet to honor George Smith, who started the Speyside whisky giant.
Chill-filtering is sometimes used in distilleries to get rid of impurities and esters. If these are in the drink, they tend to make it cloudy and thick. But distilleries are trying to avoid filtration these days, so if your bottle of whisky says “non-chill filtered,” the drink has not been chilled-filtered.
Don’t worry if the whisky label says it was made with sour mash. It just means that some of the mash from the last batch was used in this one. It changes the taste and tells you something new about how the drink was made.
On the whisky label, you might also see the word “small batch.” This usually means that the item was made by hand and is limited in number, but it is also often used to attract buyers.
Conclusion
Always check the whisky label. It tells you everything you need to know about the bourbon or scotch, the oak barrels, the age, and where it was made. And with these, you can quickly get your hands on the dram you want and talk in-depth about the golden malted barley drink. Have fun!