Both a category of whisky and an ingredient, rye is going through somewhat of a resurgence (or a rye-naissance?). A lot of Scotch fans might also be fans of rye, being generally drier and more complex than a sweeter bourbon. But what exactly is rye whiskey? And why should you try it, if you haven’t already?
Welcome to the second installment of our regular Whisky Under Fifty reviews, where we review a different whisky (or whiskey) that you can buy for less than £50!Today’s whisky is Bain's Cape Mountain Whisky.
Technically, all whisky is grain whisky. Some countries have specific designations for the type of grain used, or ageing process, that make it a specific type of whisky. For example, all bourbons are grain whiskies, but they have strict regulations that make it into a bourbon. For this article, we're mostly just going to look at Scotch grain whisky.
Some of these whisky distilleries take a lot of inspiration from the traditional scottish method, but more still are carving their own path in the whisky industry and trying to imbue their own sense of place and identity into their spirits. Here are seven countries you might not have known made whiskey, and some of their best examples.
Historically England was a big whisky producing country, with several large distilleries operating between the 17th and 19th centuries, before it all went quiet. As of 2020, there are now 24 distilleries around England registered to produce whisky. Here's our introduction to the renaissance of English Whisky.
Rules. Some of us love them, some of us don’t. One thing’s for sure, the whisky industry is a lot better off for having them, so we know what’s actually going into our whisky. In this post, we're going to take a look at some distilleries around the world who might be considered unconventional, who are innovating through a number of ways to bring a refreshing take to our favourite drink.
As you might expect, there can be a huge range of flavours present in Irish whiskey, depending on how it’s made. Irish whiskey shares similar categories to Scotch - single grain, single malt, and blended - but also includes the “single pot still” denomination, which is a historically significant category using both malted and unmalted barley. Here's our introduction to Irish Whiskey, one of the oldest whisky-making countries.
There are quite a few persistent myths around bourbon, rye, and other American whiskey styles, which can contribute to some Scotch-heads dismissing the category. For this introduction to American whiskey, we'll break down five of our favourite American whiskeys by flavour category, or the main characteristic of the dram. Some of these have featured in past tasting boxes, and others are ones we hope to get on board in the future!
As part of our “World Whisky” series, this post is dedicated to a category massively on the rise in recent years - Japanese whisky. With its history deeply entwined with Scotch whisky, Japan’s whisky industry has captivated global drinkers and carved out a niche in its own right. This is a quick introduction to Japanese whiskies.
Whiskies from far flung places are coming of age, winning vast amounts of awards, and some are truly outstanding drams. We are now living in a golden age of “world whisky’, and there’s even an international day to honour it! So to celebrate this, The Dram Team have put together a selection of some of our favourite world whiskies for you to try.
There are loads of rules about whisky. For example, Scotch must mature in oak for at least three years, and bourbon has to age in new, charred oak barrels. For this blog, we're going to focus on what whisky is made from, specifically the grains used.