Single Malt Scotch: The Water of Life
By Blake Watson
Listening to Bruichladdich master distiller Jim McEwan describe Scotch whisky, you might wonder if he is actually describing something supernatural: "There's power in here. It can make you laugh, it can make you cry, and it can make you dream."
Indeed, the Gaelic word for whisky translates to "water of life."
While blended whiskeys outsell single malts nine-to-one the world over, single malt whisky is the hardest scotch to make and the finest to drink because there are no products added to hide weaknesses or to artificially bolster flavors. Single malt scotch is created from one grain of malted barley by a single distiller.
Bruichladdich (pronounced "Brook lady") is one of seven distilleries on the island of Islay off the west coast of Scotland. Distillers have been creating scotch on the island since the 1300s. While the company is not the oldest distiller on the island, its entire production process is done exactly as it was when the company opened its doors in 1881, without the use of a single computer. The company shuns 21st-century technology and relies upon the sight, smell and taste of its craftsmen to monitor the making of Bruichladdich from start to finish.
Whisky-making on Islay is a unique ebb and flow of the elements: sea air, spring water, peat from the ground and oak barrels interblend under the craft of the people who make it.
"The whisky from this particular island are strong and powerful with a huge finish," McEwan explains. "The taste is one of creme brulee, it's toffee, it's vanilla, it goes on and on like the sea rolling in wave after wave."
The first step in the production of whisky is to steep barley in water so that enzymes turn the starch into sugar. The barley is then smoke dried in a kiln, where peat smoke flavors the grains. Once dry, craftsmen grind the barley by hand to create what is called "grist." Sugar is extracted from the grist by percolating hot water through it to dissolve the sugars and create wort — hot, sweet water. Cooled wort is put into fermentation vats, and then yeast is added to eat the sugar and create a weak alcohol called "wash."
The wash is cooked in stills until it vaporizes. As the vapor cools, it re-condenses, becoming what is known as a low wine (30 percent spirit). The process is repeated until the concoction becomes 70 percent spirit, at which time only the best of the lot is transferred to an oak cask to mature. McEwan's team then determines which batch is barrel-ready.
Like the shoreline of Islay, the ocean air softens Bruichladdich whisky over time. All whiskys must age at least three years inside the oak barrel, but the longer the spirits mature, the better.
McEwan explains that the flavor of the whisky mellows inside the cask. "The longer it remains in the cask, the softer and more gentle the taste becomes."
Unlike wine, scotch doesn't mature in the bottle. In fact, the taste of scotch that is exposed to light will deteriorate over time. And, according to Bruichladdich's Isabel Coughlin, they are the only distillery in the world to mature and bottle the entirety of its whisky on site as opposed to shipping their whisky to central Scotland for bottling.
When tasting scotch for the first time, cradle a sip of it in the middle of your tongue. If you feel instantaneous heat near the front of your mouth, the scotch is young. If the heat or burn is in the middle of your tongue then it's 10 to 15 years old. If the burn is in the back palate, then the scotch is 20 years old. Finally, if the whisky is over 20 years old, then you will feel it in your chest.
Bruichladdich is a completely independent distillery, and as such, the brand isn't widely distributed. It is sold at a few select liquor stores and restaurants in major metropolitan markets, or can be ordered through Winebow, Bruichladdich's primary agent in the United States by calling 212-255-9414 or by e-mailing them at info@winebow.com. For more information about Bruichladdich, including ordering your own private cask, go to www.bruichladdich.com.
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