"After years in which tequila, Cognac, gin and other spirits pulled ahead in the quest for new customers, Scotch whisky is enjoying a comeback as producers take their cues from makers of those more fashionable drinks.Pernod Ricard SA and Rival Diageo Plc are debuting lighter, reduced-alcohol varieties, ageing their whiskies in barrels that formerly held rum, tequila or craft beer and blending them with notes of agave, molasses and other aromas to entice consumers who never gave traditional forms of scotch a try.The revival flows from a decision by the Scotch Whisky Association in 2019 to relax rules that prevented producers from experimenting with such techniques, for fear that the industry might lose its association with the famed distilleries that dot the Scottish landscape and the purity of a simple list of ingredients: barley, water and yeast.But the new products are generating sales..."
Money always trumps tradition.
There is no e in scotch whisky. With an e is Irish
ReplyDeleteFrom the Wikipedia entry:
DeleteThe word whisky (or whiskey) is an anglicisation of the Classical Gaelic word uisce (or uisge) meaning "water" (now written as uisce in Modern Irish, and uisge in Scottish Gaelic). This Gaelic word shares its ultimate origins with Germanic water and Slavic voda of the same meaning. Distilled alcohol was known in Latin as aqua vitae ("water of life"). This was translated into Old Irish as uisce beatha, which became Uisce beatha (Irish pronunciation: [ˈɪʃcə ˈbʲahə]) in Irish and uisge beatha [ˈɯʃkʲə ˈbɛhə] in Scottish Gaelic. Early forms of the word in English included uskebeaghe (1581), usquebaugh (1610), usquebath (1621), and usquebae (1715).
Much is made of the word's two spellings: whisky and whiskey. There are two schools of thought on the issue. One is that the spelling difference is simply a matter of regional language convention for the spelling of a word, indicating that the spelling varies depending on the intended audience or the background or personal preferences of the writer (like the difference between color and colour; or recognize and recognise), and the other is that the spelling should depend on the style or origin of the spirit being described. There is general agreement that when quoting the proper name printed on a label, the spelling on the label should not be altered.
The spelling whiskey is common in Ireland and the United States, while whisky is used in all other whisky-producing countries. In the US, the usage has not always been consistent. From the late eighteenth century to the mid twentieth century, American writers used both spellings interchangeably until the introduction of newspaper style guides. Since the 1960s, American writers have increasingly used whiskey as the accepted spelling for aged grain spirits made in the US and whisky for aged grain spirits made outside the US. However, some prominent American brands, such as George Dickel, Maker's Mark, and Old Forester (all made by different companies), use the whisky spelling on their labels, and the Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits, the legal regulations for spirit in the US, also use the whisky spelling throughout.
Within Scotland, the whisky that is made in Scotland is simply called whisky, while outside Scotland (and in the UK regulations that govern its production) it is commonly called Scotch whisky, or simply "Scotch" (especially in North America).
Just as many of the traditional rules of whisky came from cooperages and other stake holders wanting to protect their product revenue. Some Scotch producers have already removed age statements from bottles and created well priced whiskies, leaving only the guarantee that they're the "minimum" three years of age. The distilleries and parent companies themselves seem to be poking at the arbitrary nature of the old rules. I welcome any innovation if it'll make a safe and tasty product.
ReplyDelete"Money always trumps tradition."
ReplyDeleteThat is the quintessential understatement.
Won't be long before they're offering fruit flavors.
ReplyDeleteSounds like risky business to me.
ReplyDelete"die"? Really? I thought it was "and hide behind the wheel".
ReplyDelete