World Whiskey Day – 19th May, 2018

“What whiskey will not cure, there is no cure for.” – Irish proverb

A glass of golden liquid is life for some and poison for others. Love it, hate it but you just can’t ignore it.

So, what actually is Whiskey?

Whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn (maize), rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak. 

Where did it originate?

Originally invented in Scotland (or Ireland, the debate is ongoing…), whiskey is produced in many countries today. Both, Scotch Whisky and Irish Whiskey are still produced there today and rank among the best whiskies in the world. 

Who invented Whiskey?

The Irish have always stoutly maintained that it was almost certain that well-travelled early Christian Irish monks learnt the secrets of distillation in Arabia around about 500 to 600AD; and, on their returning to the ‘ould sod’, put their knowledge to good use in turning fermented mashes of grain and water into aqua vitae, or as the Gaels would say, uisge beatha – the water of life.

Okay, so now we know where a man’s favourite beverage was invented, where it originated and what it is, however, haven’t you at some point in time been confused about types and different names that are suffixed or prefixed with whiskey? lets take a look at some of them.

Scotch

Since all whiskey is made from fermented grain mash, Scotch will obviously be no exception. To qualify as a scotch the spirit must be made from malted Barley, with many scotches using nothing more than barley, water and yeast. You are allowed to include whole grains of other cereals as well as caramel colouring. No fermentation additives or short-cuts permitted. The spirit must also be aged in oak casks for no less than three years and must have an ABV at less than 94.8%. Finally, you cannot call your drink Scotch unless it was made 100% in Scotland, from Scotland.

Bourbon

Bourbon whiskey must be made from a grain mixture which is at least 51% corn. The fermentation process for this mixture is often started by mixing in some mash from an older already fermenting batch, a process known as sour mash. Much like how Scotch must be made in Scotland, Bourbon can only be labelled as Bourbon if it was made in the United States. While the rules are slightly looser with Bourbon than with Scotch it still has to conform to a few requirements. The spirit must be distilled to no more than 80% alcohol (160 proof) and be no more than 62.5% when put into casks for ageing in new charred oak barrels. Finally, Bourbon has no minimum ageing period, but to call your product Straight Bourbon it must be aged for no less than two years (and can have no added colouring, flavour or other spirits added). Blended bourbon is permitted to contain colouring, flavouring and other spirits, as long as 51% of the mix is straight bourbon. The age on the bottle of blended bourbon must be the age of the youngest whiskey in the mix.

Tennessee Whiskey

For all intents and purposes, Tennessee Whiskey is straight bourbon made in the state of Tennessee (USA). The people who produce this spirit, such as Jack Daniels, don’t want their whiskey labelled as Bourbon, claiming that they are the only type of whiskey which puts the spirit through a charcoal filtering process. As a result, they believe their drink deserves to be distinguished with a separate name. Other than that, all Bourbon rules apply.

Irish Whiskey

Irish whiskey is pretty much any whiskey aged in the Republic of Ireland or in Northern Ireland. Like Scotch it must be distilled to an ABV of less than 94.8. It must be made from yeast-fermented grain mash in such a way that the distillate has an aroma and flavour derived from the materials used. You are free to use any cereal grains, but if you mix two or more distillates it must be labelled as blended. Finally, the whiskey must be aged for at least three years in wooden casks.

Types of Whiskey blends: –

Malts and grains are combined in various ways:

• Single malt whisky is whisky from a single distillery made from a mash that uses only one particular malted grain.
• Blended malt whisky is a mixture of single malt whiskies from different distilleries
• Blended whisky is made from a mixture of different types of whisky. A blend may contain whisky from many distilleries so that the blender can produce a flavour consistent with the brand. The brand name may, therefore, omit the name of a distillery.
• Single cask (also known as single barrel) whiskies are bottled from an individual cask and often the bottles are labelled with specific barrel and bottle numbers. The taste of these whiskies may vary substantially from cask to cask within a brand.

Alright then, now we know a little more about types of whiskeys, but did you know how it is produced?

Pot Still Distillation

The invention of distillation made high-proof spirits such as whisky possible in the first place. During distillation, an alcohol-water solution (beer or wort) is heated in a pot and the alcoholic vapour is collected via a bent pipe. For the production of whisky this technique is applied with copper pot stills.

The fermented liquid is filled into a big distillation pot and heated from below or from inside. The vapour is led up through the neck and subsequently cooled down so it becomes liquid again. After some hours the distillation is finished. This process is repeated one or two times in whisky production. However, the pot must be cleaned before the next batch. 

In the original whisky-producing countries Scotland and Ireland, some whisky is still produced in a way that the taste is characteristically connected to the production process. 

Type and Duration of Maturation

After distillation the new make spirit is not yet whisky as we know it. It only becomes whisky by being matured in oak casks. Other types of wood are used only rarely in countries such as Sweden or Germany, but they are not allowed in Scotland and the US. 

The choice of casks differs widely

The type of cask determines the duration of the maturation, since fresh casks – contrary to used casks – release many aromas in a short period of time. Depending on the country and the type of whisky, by law the spirit must mature for at least 2 years (USA) or 3 years (Scotland, Ireland and Europe). Letting the whisky mature longer than the minimum amount of time affects the quality and thus the price of the whisky. Single Malt whisky is often only appreciated if it is 10 years old or older. 

On the occasion of World Whiskey day today, our Content Manager, Parinaaz Marolia quizzed Plaza Premium Lounge – India, the world’s largest independent airport lounge network that gives travellers a haven away from the hustle and bustle of the airport, on a few fun, interesting and informative topics, read on…

PS: Please tell us something about Plaza Premium Lounge. 

PPL – Plaza Premium Lounge is a home away from home, by providing a space with top-notch services and facilities for travellers departing, transiting and arriving at major international airports including Abu Dhabi, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Toronto and Vancouver.

Plaza Premium Lounge is designed to enhance the airport experience for all travellers. Our lounge is an experience in itself with comfortable seating to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the airport, enticing food and beverage selection, VIP rooms, recharging stations, Wi-Fi, computer workstations are few of the services offered. The lounge also offers quick massage services to de-stress, revitalize and reboot oneself. A passenger fancying a relaxing shower can also indulge in soothing power shower to give you a quick refresher before your next flight.

PS.: Could you tell us about all the airports the world over where you have a presence? 

PPL –  Headquartered in Hong Kong, Plaza Premium Group is the pioneer and industry leader in providing Premium Airport Services in over 160 locations of 37 international airports across the world, with a collective goal of ‘enhancing your airport experience’. The Group comprises four core airport services, Airport Lounge, Airport Transit Hotel, Airport Meet & Greet Service, and Airport Dining. In the past few years, we have won more than 60 accolades, including the ‘World’s Best Independent Airport Lounge’ 2016 and 2017 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.

PS.: What is world whiskey day and how is it celebrated? 

PPL – World Whisky Day is a global celebration of the water of life. The celebration is all about making whisky fun and enjoyable. It celebrates the beauty of all whisky and encourages everyone to drink it responsibly. One just needs a bottle of whisky to share with your friends and enjoy the occasion. You can drink it however you enjoy it – ice, water, mixer – whatever works for you.

PS: We haven’t heard of many cocktails with whiskey, could you enlighten us about some that you would be offering to your guests. 

PPL – Whisky is one of the world’s favourite distilled alcoholic beverage of all time. Many bar smiths prefer mixing drinks with single malts and they are very specific about their choices. 

Whiskey is also called the king of classic cocktails and no other spirit can offer such a diverse range of tastes, textures and flavours. During this fiesta on World Whisky Day at Plaza Premium Lounge our mixologists wanted to shake up the classic drink and give few refreshing twists such as Whisky Sour which is a mixed drink containing whiskey, lemon juice, sugar, and optionally, a dash of egg white and Whiskey and Orange Spiced Tea which we would be an instant hit amongst our guests. We are also serving two other exciting cocktails – Caffeine Kick which is a deadly combination of espresso, whisky and vanilla essence and the ever-popular John Collins.

PS: Whiskey is a beverage that not many women indulge in, would your cocktails bring a change in gender preference? 

PPL – Whisky has always been marketed as a manly drink. However, the barometer seems to be changing with more women opting for whiskey as their choice of beverage. According to a recent survey, the worldwide figure for women whiskey drinkers stands at 25 per cent. It has also been backed by science that women make better whisky tasters then men, thanks to their better sense of smell.

PS: Thank you for taking out time to chat with Team Plattershare, any parting words for our readers? 

PPL – We want to thank the team at Plattershare for featuring our insights on World Whiskey Day and providing a platform to share the interesting F&B activities we organise for our guests and travellers. Anyone travelling via Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru airport should definitely visit our lounge for an enthralling experience before their journey way forward. The Airport can be a fun destination in itself!

Plaza Premium Lounge have been kind to provide us some interesting Cocktail recipes specially created by their mixologists, that they would like to share with Plattershare readers.

Take a look.

1. Whisky Sour Recipe
2. Caffeine Kick Recipe
3. Whisky Spicer Recipe

Plaza Premium Lounge celebrates World Whiskey Day

Because good whiskey is barely enough 

Whiskey, one of the world’s favourite distilled alcoholic beverage will be celebrated across the globe on Saturday, 19th May 2018 as World Whiskey Day. It is one of the perfect drink to be shared with good company anytime & anywhere. 

To celebrate this cheerful event, Plaza Premium Lounge will be hosting a one-day fiesta curating four flavoursome whiskey cocktails for guests and travellers to enjoy and ease up before their tedious journey ahead. 

Exciting cocktails such as Whiskey Smash which is a delish amalgamation of fresh mint, lemon juice and whiskey or the spunky Whiskey and Orange Spiced Tea is sure to kick the traveller’s senses. Every coffee lover can get a dose of coffee with the smooth Caffeine Kick which is a delicious combination of whisky, espresso and tinge of vanilla essence. The ever-popular John Collins cocktail will also be seen in the menu. 

“Whiskey is the king of classic cocktails and no other spirit can offer such a diverse range of tastes, textures and flavours. This festival we wanted to shake up the classic drink and give a refreshing twist, said Mixologists, Plaza Premium Lounge India 

Sit back, relax and sip into your favourite whiskey cocktail at Plaza Premium Lounge when you travel this summer 

What: World Whiskey Day

Where: Plaza Premium Lounge, Domestic & International Departures at Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad Airports

When: On 19^th May 2018

Price: Lounge access starts at Rs.1200 plus taxes

*This promotion is limited to select lounges across Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad Airports.

About the author: This article was written by Plattershare Content Manager- Parinaaz Marolia in association with Plaza Premium Lounge, a home away from home, by providing a space with top-notch services and facilities for travellers departing, transiting and arriving at major international airports including Abu Dhabi, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Toronto and Vancouver.

Plaza Premium Lounge is designed to enhance the airport experience for all travellers. Our lounge is an experience in itself with comfortable seating to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the airport, enticing food and beverage selection, VIP rooms, recharging stations, Wi-Fi, computer workstations are few of the services offered. The lounge also offers quick massage services to de-stress, revitalize and reboot oneself. A passenger fancying a relaxing shower can also indulge in soothing power shower to give you a quick refresher before your next flight.

You can get in touch with them on their Website or Facebook Page