30 years old seems to be the dividing line of "adults", at this age, everyone will start to make themselves look "mature", and falling in love with drinking is one of the manifestations.
Because of the alcohol threshold and the cost of slightly higher prices than similar wines, whisky is always put together with the words "mature" and "forced". It's stereotyped a lot of times, but it can't change for a while and a half.
The Japanese are even more exaggerated, and even have the saying that "a man must understand whisky after the age of 30".
Drinking some whiskey at an age sounds a bit greasy, but today I'd like to share a little bit of "some whisky basics" and "some whiskey bar etiquette" that I should know before I turn 30.
This knowledge, which is basic enough to be mastered as common sense, may help you improve your self-confidence in interpersonal communication a little, and also avoid some embarrassing scenes of timidity.
01 In terms of raw material types, whisky can be divided into malt whisky made of barley and grain whisky made of corn and other grains, as well as blended whisky of both.
The "single malt whisky" that is often heard does not refer to a malt, but to the fact that the liquor comes entirely from the same distillery and is 100% made from barley.
02 From the perspective of the brewing process, what is whisky? It is a liquor made from grains such as barley - distilled to increase the alcohol content - and aged in wooden barrels.
03 The main steps that are essential for whisky brewing are: malting, brewing, fermentation, distillation, and maturation. For more detailed steps, see "How does a ripe barley "escape" from a whisky distillery alive?" 》。
04 Whisky differs significantly in taste and aroma, and is easier to capture than wine. The 7 most classic and popular flavors of whisky are:
Fresh fruity floral notes (common in Scotland lowlands, highlands and whiskies in Ireland)
Vanilla honey (commonly found in Scottish Spey and High Estates, as well as Japanese whisky)
Malt biscuits
Preserved fruit spices (this type of whisky is mostly found in the Speysy region of Scotland, the Highlands and Japan)
Peat bombs (the most special type comes from the process of drying malt of peat coal)
Peat fruit
Marine smoke (many island whiskies fall into this category)
05 There are many influencing factors of flavor: brewing raw materials, brewing external environment (distillery location, brewing process, brewing craftsmanship and even the size and size of the brewing room, choice of still, etc.), fermentation time, distillation time, degree of roasting malt, whether peat is used or not, the choice of ripening oak barrels...
70% of these flavor formations come from oak barrels at maturity.
06 Whisky can be enjoyed in many ways. Basic drinking method: pure drink, add ice, add water. The charm of whisky is also that it can be drunk in various ways according to your mood and taste.
To know more professional drinking, you can refer to this article "All Drinks of Whiskey".
07 One of the classic ways to drink whisky/cocktails is Highball, the method of making it is very simple, ice + whiskey + soda. Even those who are not used to drinking whisky can easily enjoy whisky.
Pay attention to the following points when making, it will be more delicious:
Refrigerate the glass beforehand
Do not be soft in the glass with ice cubes, boldly add
The ratio of whisky to soda is about 1:3 best
Selectively add lemon slices or mint leaves, but not in excess
If made with peat smoke-flavored whiskey, sprinkle a little black pepper at the end to enhance the flavor
08 The world's top 5 whisky producing countries: Scotland, Canada, Japan, the United States, Ireland. There is no distinction between the noble and the inferior, there is no such thing as "scotch whisky is the most noble", "Japanese whisky is the first in the world", "Islay whisky is the best"... Each country has its own unique and distinctive personality.
09 Scotch whisky is the most varied and rich in style, with some wineries using peat to dry malt, giving it a "smoke-like smell". However, this smoked peat can also be found in Japanese whiskey.
Scotch whisky is divided into 6 major appellations, and the flavors of the wineries in each appellation tend to be roughly the same, while the flavors of different appellations are different. I want to understand the 6 major production areas in 3 minutes," you can read this article.
"Bourbon" is a type of American whiskey. It has a sweet aroma with an elegant vanilla flavor, is easy to drink and is usually lighter in color. You can also learn about American whisky through this article.
Irish whiskey is characterized by "light drinkability and a slight lingering greasy feel". Due to the 3-stage distillation process, it is purer than other whiskies and therefore has a premium taste that is easier to drink.
10 For most wineries with core products, entry-level flagships can also be considered a wonderful "top-of-the-line" whisky. High vintage whiskies must be expensive, but expensive whiskies are not necessarily delicious.
11 Whisky is low in calories and contains no sugar. It is the low-calorie Top3 in common liquors:
Gin (180 kcal/100ml)
Vodka (200 kcal/100ml)
Whisky (220 kcal/100ml)
12 Just like wine glasses, good whisky glasses can help us better feel the flavor of the wine, and several common whisky tasting glasses are:
Glencairn Cup (classic)
ISO tasting cup
Tulip cup
Riedel glass
1920s Bartender Cup (good for smelling)
Rock cup (suitable for ice)
13 Classic snacks to accompany whisky are: cheese, chocolate, dried fruit.
Cheese is probably the most "smelly" thing to whisky, which I've just studied. In terms of flavor, cheese and whiskey have similar flavors: nutty, fruity, smoky, and oily aromas. There are also many similarities in terms of craftsmanship.
The point is that they are all fermented foods. Alcohol can increase the rate of aroma divergence in other foods, and the fat molecules in cheese will also "lock" the aroma, making the aroma more intense and long-lasting. At the same time, some wine and cheese are fully mixed in the mouth to produce new aromatic flavor substances, which makes the eating experience more interesting.
Chocolate chocolate and whiskey are also very match, the sweetness of chocolate and the bitter taste of whisky can complement each other; dried fruit is also a snack suitable for pairing with whisky, dried fruit is condensed by removing the sweetness removed by moisture, the texture is chewy, and it is not necessary to eat too much to meet the demand, especially recommended is "dried pineapple and dried figs".
14 When you go to a whisky bar, don't put your bag on the counter seat, because the bottom of the bag can easily get stained. (Japanese bars especially mind)
15 Don't touch the whiskey bottle on the bar, even if it's right in front of you.
In addition to the liquor cabinet, many bars will like to put wine on the bar counter. Seeing rare brands and labels with caring designs, you really can't help but want to hold them in your hand, which is actually rude. Many empty bottles or liquors are important assets for the store.
Some of them can't be bought, and if your hands slip and break, you won't be able to. If you have a bottle you care about, you can say hello to the bartender and let him show it to you. When you put the whiskey bottle you order in front of you, it is best to say hello, whether it is to take pictures or play.
16 If you do not add an order and occupy a seat for a long time, it will look very bad.
Of course, there is no need to rush to drink, but it is more taboo in the bar to drink for a long time without additional patronage and chat, or to open the laptop and bury your head in work.
If you have an urgent job, you can check out and leave and move to a nearby coffee shop, after all, you can't enjoy it at the bar, and it may affect other guests.
There is a lesson in the world of bars: "Three short drink cocktails".
This means that short drink cocktails should be drunk as soon as possible. 3 bites is a bit exaggerated, but the taste of the short drink cocktail is easy to change.
17 Male friends must pay attention to the use of toilets in bars!
Bars generally only provide toilets for men and women, and in a drunken state, it is advisable to "sit" and go to the toilet. This will not get dirty, but also a manifestation of personal upbringing. If it gets dirty, clean it up immediately. As a bar owner, it is very responsible to tell everyone that it is easy to know who has just finished going to the toilet.
18 Some of the black words often heard in whisky are: IB, OB, single barrel, barrel strong.
OB is an abbreviation for Official Bottling, meaning wine that the distillery officially bottles. The flavor of the wine is relatively uniform, and it must be very in line with the brand positioning.
The IB is the Independent Bottling/Bottler, or independent bottling (quotient). These independent bottlers generally do not have their own distilleries, but buy the original wine, mature it in their own cellar, blend it, fill it, and sell it under their own brand name. Emphasis is placed on a unique personality.
Single barrel refers to whisky from a single oak barrel, unconcoliminated, given that each barrel has a unique personality and a limited capacity, single barrel whisky tends to produce less and the price is relatively higher.
Barrel strength is "original barrel strength", also called original barrel. Refers to whisky diluted without water, taken from oak barrels directly bottled, the alcohol content is often between 55% and 60%. It is considered to be the most authentic whisky that reflects the original winemaking environment.
19 The types of oak barrels commonly used to age whisky are: Spanish Sherry and American Bourbon.
Some wineries also try to age whisky in "unconventional" oak barrels, such as wine barrels, susten barrels, port barrels, cognac barrels, rum barrels, etc., collectively known as "flavor barrels".
The difference between 20 Whisky and Whiskey is a legacy of history. Scottish, Japanese and Canadian producers tend to use "Whisky", while Irish and American producers use "Whiskey". Not absolutely, for example, Meg's Maker's Mark from the United States likes "Whisky", but the reverse situation is not.
21 Once bottled, whiskies don't "get old" anymore, and whiskies can be stored for a long time after opening. About whisky storage can be "look at this article".
22 There are several more authoritative whisky grands in the industry as follows, whether you can "step up to the sky" depends on whether you can win the prize:
IWSC International Wine & Spirits Competition
International Wine & Spirit Competition
ISC International Spirits Challenge
International Spirits Challenge
WWA World Whisky Competition
World Whiskies Awards
MMA Malt Mania Competition
The Malt Maniacs Awards
SFWSC San Francisco World Spirits Competition
San Francisco World Spirits Competition
The Whiskey Bible
Jim Murray's Whisky Bible
IWC International Whisky Competition
International Whisky Competition
23 Many whisky distilleries not only produce whiskey, but also produce gin, plum, juice, liqueur, brandy, such as "These Distilleries"... In the long years of waiting for the whisky to age, finding something to do can pass the time, and maybe even get some money back.
24 In Scotch whisky, there is also a more special classification, that is, "royally certified" brands, most of which start with the word "royal".
The process of certification is very long, requiring five consecutive years to provide goods and services to the royal family, during which there has never been a mistake, in order to be eligible to apply for certification. However, even if the certification is successful, it is not once and for all, the royal family will re-audit the brand quality and set standards every year, and those who do not meet the requirements can withdraw the certification at any time
These include:
Royal Brackla
Emperor Dewar's
威雀 The Famous Grouse
Royal Glenury Royal
Johnnie Walker
Royal Lochnagar
Laforg LAPHROAIG
Ballantine's
Chivas Chivas Brothers
There are many expensive "series", or "sets" in 25 whisky. They have a more "philatelic" sense than a single bottle of whiskey, and they are more time-consuming and laborious to collect, because the circulation is different, individual consumption and other factors determine the number of sets that can be collected, which is much less than imagined.
Therefore, the price is expensive, not to mention, it is also more addictive (bushi). Most are also great for investment.
For example, the most terrifying is a set of Yusheng poker cards from the Japanese Habu Distillery, which was sold for 7.192 million Hong Kong dollars (about 6.456 million yuan) last year, up 3 million after 4 years.
More well-known kit series include:
The McAllen Collection collection of single barrels is fine & Rare Collection
Rosebank's 21-year single malt Scotch whisky rose collection
Diageo Flower and Bird Series
Suntory launches The Owner's Cask
Chichibu's "Japan's Endangered Animals" series
……
If you want to see a detailed description of these sets, you can click on this article.
That's pretty much it. To be honest, many of the above knowledge points have gone far beyond the scope of "basics", even if you have drunk whisky for a long time, it is not necessarily all clear.
As for whether this knowledge will really be lost at the age of 30, I am not easy to say, after all, I am still young