So there are many whisky lies in the industry that even the highest figurehead people like to tell. I am not saying that they were wrong, but hey I am, they are wrong. These whisky lies are more about how you should be drinking whisky, flavor profiles, age, etc. None of these lies are true, because everyone has their own opinion. And that’s just what these are opinions, by people like you and me, no different.
Whisky Lie #1: Whisky is a man’s hobby. WRONG on all levels! Whisky is a national inclusive opportunity for everyone no matter their race or gender to come together over a dram, sip on the warm velvety goodness and just as you would say shoot the sh*t. I personally would love to see more ads targeting Women more often because I feel that women are far more superior to men when it comes to nosing and tasting the palate of whisky. If you love whisky, your gender should not matter one bit.
Whisky Lie #2: Whisky should be drank with ice. Oh brother, don’t even get me started on this one. It’s so wrong, i’d hate to be right. Whisky for a beginner or an aficionado should be drank all the same neat, no rocks, no ice, nothing. Once you taste the ACTUAL flavor of the undiluted whisky, then if you want, you can add a few drops of water, used to usually open the whisky up a bit, meaning to lower the total overall alcohol content and let the flavors shine through. If you want your whisky cold, you’re doing something wrong. But that’s just my opinion and there really is no right or wrong way to do it, except my way. My way is right.
Whisky Lie #3: The darker the whisky the better quality or better taste it will have. This is probably one of the biggest lies I’ve heard from people. Weather it be industry ambassadors or just folks who think they know it all, but there is some kind of assumption that whisky needs to be a dark color to be sensational. Wrong! I have tried so many drams that were dark in color but could not even live up to some of the lighter companions. Don’t look at whisky for color. There are many factors that can affect color and you don’t want to miss a good opportunity to drink some great whisky, because someone, one time told you not to try light whisky. Just don’t.
Whisky Lie #4: The Older the Whisky is, the better it will be. Ladies and Gentleman. This lie needs to stop. Older does not mean better. A terrible recipe or wrong maturation conditions and your whisky could be 40+ years in sherry casks if you want, and it will downright either taste awful or just wont have any complexity at all. To prove my point, I have recently been apart of this whisky club in NYC where we did a Highland Park Tasting. One of the drams was a 12 year old from Highland Park bottled in the late 1980’s. And let me tell you folks, even though we went up to the 28 year old drams, that 12 year old Stood out as one of the best of the night. Age is just a number. Drink young, drink old, drink all.
Whisky Lie #5: Single Malt is better than Blended Whisky. Holy molly when it rains it sure does pour, doesn’t it. This I have heard within so many circles, by so many prominent whisky industry folks, that sometimes I wonder, how they even get their information, or how they come up with these delusional ways of thinking. Let’s get something straight, there are so many downright terrible Single Malts, that I’d rather take a Compass Box or a Macallan blended whisky over it any day. Single Malt does not mean better, it just means different. And as adults, you should know, that different, can be a great thing. Next time don’t pass judgement and order that blended whisky, and just enjoy all the different years and complexities that it will offer.
So there you have it folks, the top 5 lies you here in the industry. Next time someone tries to tell you this lie, tell them that you know better and that they should just keep on walking.
