"Add some Coke, it's sweeter. 」
Most sweet whisky lovers prefer to add some non-alcoholic beverages or other alcoholic beverages to experience the wonderful sweetness of the liquor when they say they want to drink whisky.
Or, we can simply think of it as, making a cocktail.
Admittedly, whisky is being drunk in more and more variety, but more than 70% of whisky lovers prefer to drink whisky with carbonated drinks. For example, bourbon + Coke, Solvay + soda, are all their stiff players.
In addition, they also prefer to use ginger ale and lemonade to reduce the alcohol concentration of the whiskey, while enhancing the complexity of the flavor and the refreshing and sweet taste.
Interestingly, the preference for sweet flavors isn't just about spirits. In some Western countries, up to 90% of tea and coffee are sweetened with milk or sugar to enhance the pleasant taste.
Throughout the history of human diets, the preference for sweetness was formed long before alcohol was discovered. It's just that when whisky came along, we shifted this dietary preference to spirits and gradually developed unique drinking habits.
Speaking of this unique drinking habit, we often combine it with local specialties, such as Chinese green tea and whiskey, which is an unexpected match made in heaven.
It's also important to note that adding sweetened beverages to whisky doesn't just improve taste, it can also be the culprit that causes us to get drunk. Therefore, those who like to drink whiskey cocktails should drink in moderation.
A unique charm from early cocktails
Let's move on to the history of whisky and cocktails. As early as around the 40s of the 17th century, there were many cocktails that became popular. In 1939, the London distillers published a manual (listing 34 spirits recipes), the last of which was a whisky recipe (made with raisins, cloves, mint, cinnamon and fruit).
Over the past 100 years, whisky recipes have appeared in books on distillers and pharmacists. In the late 18th century, whisky cocktails became more and more sophisticated, and they began to use licorice, sugar, fennel, nuts, coriander, etc., to blend and flavor, and use caramel to color the world, showing the world the unique charm of whisky.
With the commercialization of whisky, rum, brandy and gin in cocktails were gradually replaced by whiskey. At the same time, the rise of luxury hotels and fine dining, especially in the United States, where there are many bars, provides an opportunity for cocktails to flourish.
Oak barrels add sweetness
Another method to enhance the sweetness is the aging of oak barrels. In this process, after a long wait for a coarse new wine, the liquor will become smoother, more tasty, and even safer.
Of course, the barrels are also roasted before the whisky is aged. Roasting and charring of oak barrels caramelizes the inner surface of the barrels, and cellulose makes up the majority of the wood. During the aging process, these sugars will come into play to add more sweetness and other flavors to the whisky.
Here are a few classic oak barrels for sweetness:
Spanish sherry casks: These oak casks are often rich in polyphenols and tannins, which give the wine its fruity and sweet aromas when used to age whisky.
American White Oak Barrels: The oak of choice for bourbon, it brings out the obvious flavors of vanilla, caramel and coconut.
Mizunara Barrel: Japan's representative oak barrel that gives whisky a sweet aroma similar to coconut in addition to its unique oriental flavor.
All in all, whether it's cocktails or oak barrels, most whisky lovers follow the path of sweet senses, and the increase in sweetness can make the alcohol in spirits less alcoholic, making it a starting point for many whisky lovers to explore.