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Tasting Straight Malts

Malt whisky offers an incredible range of sensations both on the nose and on the palate. Aromas can include fruit, flowers, heather, spice, nuttiness and, of course, the smoky aroma of peat. Similarly complex flavours delight the palate. As with wine, wood aging mellows and adds colour and flavour. Finish, or aftertaste, can be short or lingering and ethereal.

To fully appreciate the whisky, use a glass with a stem and a rounded bowl to permit you to swirl the contents. The glass should also be narrower toward the top to concentrate the aromas. A brandy glass is ideal, but an all-purpose wine glass will also do. Never use ice — it effectively deadens both aroma and flavour. Also, most experts agree that, unlike fine brandy, malts are best appreciated with the addition of a little water. This seems to bring out both aroma and flavour. Spring water is best. Experiment with amounts and your preferences. Remember, cask-strength whiskies are about 60 per cent alcohol and require a higher proportion of water.

Canada

90 Glen Breton Ice 10-Year-Old Single-Cask Malt Whisky Aged in Icewine Barrels (Cask Strength) ($49.95/250 ml)

The world’s first single-malt whisky aged in Icewine barrels — a Nova Scotia original! The elegant bouquet offers a range of subtle spices, orangey citrus fruits and hints of ripe banana. Remarkably complex flavours of citrus, dried fruits and spice play on the palate. All are wrapped in a smoothly textured package, finishing with lightly-peaty-tasting dry oak and lingering cedary perfume. (NB: when tasting cask-strength whisky, always cut it with spring water, otherwise your palate, not to mention your wits, will be fried after a few sips.)

Ireland

89 Connemara Pure-Pot-Still Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey ($40.44)

Intriguingly complex on the nose, with tarry, peaty and lightly herbal overtones. It is also smokey, pungent and peaty in the mouth. The herbal character is more forceful on the palate, with some thickness of texture and a very dry, heavily smoky finish.

88 The Tyrconnell 5 Star Pure-Pot-Still Single Malt Irish Whiskey ($36.76)

Softly peaty on the nose, with lightly fruity, floral and heathery notes, this smoothly rounded whiskey has a sweet malt character nicely balanced with gentle peaty, smoky notes on the finish.

Scotland

93 Bunnahabhain 18-Year-Old Islay Single Malt Whisky ($128.51)

By Islay standards Bunnahabhain is rather gentle, leaning more toward subtlety than untamed power. Bouquet is richly sherried with elegant fruitiness, floral and honeyed notes, lightly salty character and a dash of spice. Richly rounded and smoothly textured, with lovely dried fruit and sweet spice on the mid-palate, it finishes with reasserted Islay smokey dried peat and firm oak. A whisky with plenty to contemplate all the way through.

93 Caol Ila 25-Year-Old Islay Malt Whisky (Cask Strength) ($188)

This extraordinarily complex malt is aged in an uncommon pairing of American and European oak barrels. Bouquet is stunning, with orange fruit, floral and subtle iodine notes and a delicate suggestion of seaweed. Equally impressive in the mouth, it delivers richly sherried sweetness counterpoised with smoky dry peat, citrus and other dried fruits and a very long oaky dry finish.

92 Auld Reekie 12-Year-Old Islay Malt Whisky ($74.12)

Despite the name, the bouquet is surprisingly subtle, with seaweed, light iodine and underlying ashy peat smoke. On the palate, it really lives up to its handle, with huge smoky, salty seaweed, enormously powerful peatiness and light fruity sweetness. The smoky pungency of peat and the sea follow through on the finish, with dry oakiness and a lingering trace of sweetness.

92 The MacAllan 21-Year-Old Fine-Oak Single Malt Whisky ($261.84)

Displays floral and fruity notes, together with pencil-box cedary oak and sherried richness on the nose. Rich, sweet and rounded on the palate with the classic MacAllan sherried profile combined here with considerable power. Finish is very long, with cinnamon and nutmeg, satisfying sherried sweetness and a final note of dry oak.

91 Auchentoshan Triple-Distilled Three-Wood, Sherry-Finished Lowland Malt Whisky ($71.50)

Bouquet gives a subtle and complex array of orange peel, pencil-box cedar, light cinnamon spice and an intriguing hint of sourness. A big mouthful on the palate, by no means typical of Lowland delicacy but showing rich sweet-dried-fruit intensity intricately overlaid with the three wood-cask flavours. The interplay of fruitiness and complex wood influence continues through the very long finish — a connoisseur’s whisky and a great Lowland malt.

90 Bruichladdich 14-Year-Old Islay Single Malt Whisky ($77.49)

Highly aromatic with a lovely smokey peaty nose, astringently dry yet refined, with a hint of sherried sweetness. Powerful and complex on the palate, it has rounded fruity sweetness with smokey and peaty overtones and both rich sherried sweetness and lots of dry oak on the finish. A superb but demanding whisky.

90 Bowmore 17-Year-Old Islay Single Malt Whisky ($77.50)

Initially, the nose shows orange, light peat smoke and a trace of oak. A dash of water amplifies the bouquet and brings out more robust peaty character. Smoothly textured yet powerful in the mouth, displaying fruity sweetness together with forceful peaty grip. Finish reveals remarkably complex intertwined rich fruitiness, peat smoke, iodine and cigar-box oakiness.

90 Benriach 16-Year-Old Speyside Single Malt Whisky ($79.99)

Subtle and restrained bouquet with discernable oakiness. Peaty, smoky notes are elegant rather than overpowering and are complemented by perfumed fruity and nutty overtones. Texture is rich and smooth with smoky dried peat, orange fruit and attractive spice on the long dry finish. Beautifully balanced.

89 Bruichladdich 10-Year-Old Islay Single Malt Whisky ($59.79)

The Bruichladdich style is more approachable than many Islay malts, with fairly mellow dried fruit, light peatiness and sweet sherried overtones on the nose. Flavours are rounded, showing sweet malt character, some orange fruit and light smoke and sherried, dry oakiness on the finish.

89 Clynelish 14-Year-Old Coastal Highlands Single Malt Whisky ($70.62)

An uncommon dram from the East Highlands, this deeply burnished amber malt is rather restrained on the nose but shows dry salty sea notes with smoky, peaty character that follows through on the palate. It has an attractive pungency and finishes very dry. The style is austere and will appeal particularly to connoisseurs.

88 Auchentoshan 10-Year-Old Triple-Distilled Lowland Malt Whisky ($46.50)

Triple distillation creates silky smoothness on the palate with more delicate body and subtlety. Bouquet reveals delicate spicy-orange-tangerine and vanillin character. Similar fruity and spicy impressions come through on the palate together with some subtle grassy herbal notes and a sweet citrusy finish. A fine, elegant Lowland malt.

86 Glen Parker Speyside Malt Whisky ($34.29)

For those unfamiliar with malt whisky, this is a good place to start: quite aromatic, with hints of orange, tangerine and a light malty overtone; agreeably smooth on the palate, with sweet malty flavours and a dry, nutty overtone on the finish — you get true but not overpowering malt character

(all whisky notes: Sean Wood)