Drink
Malt of the earth
by Keith Stewart
Is it possible to have a classy whisky for half
the price of a single malt?
Back in the days when elixirs of life consisted of a spoonful of health – either Lane’s Emulsion or Maltexo delivered firmly by mum – malt had the aura of cod liver oil, and it came in larger spoons. Even malt biscuits were the ones preferred by elderly aunts who lacked a sense of fun. One of the great advantages of growing up has been discovering other sources of that healthy substance: delivered in beer or whisky with far more grace and interest.
Malt is a miracle of sunshine, tricked into existence by cunning craftsmen who once used arcane tools on malting floors permeated with aromatic smoke. These magicians coax the starch in barley grains to turn to sugar by using warmth and moisture to imply that it is spring and they should start growing. Once the little sugar-rich shoots sprout, the maltser turns up the heat and kills the little sods, fixing their rich sugars and slightly roasting them in the process. Hey presto! Malt.
This is the stuff from which beer is brewed and, in many cases, from which spirits – from vodka to bourbon – are distilled. To use a wine analogy, malt is the fruit of the vine, the sweetness at the heart of beer, and of whisky. Malt is what makes some beer golden and ripe-hearted, what gives Guinness its black substance and the best Scotch whiskies their very name – malt whisky.
For the most part, malt in drinks is barley malt, although rye whiskey uses that particular grain, while vodka and wheat beer use wheat, or at least some wheat. Barley flavours are warmer and more cuddly than those of wheat, with the coolest, most austere of grains being rice.
In the whisky world, malt whiskies were once the preserve of Highlanders, who understood the rich flavours and character of whiskies made from pure malt. For Sassenachs, blended whisky, where malt was cut with a measure of lighter grain whiskies, was the thing, and for Americans the Scots invented whiskies like Cutty Sark – so light that they merely suggested Scotland as a misty, Never-Never Land.
Now it seems the whole world has grown up, and wants its whisky to taste of the Highlands, its peat reeks, crystalline waters and the hearty richness of its malted barley. Except that there is only so much malt whisky to go around, because it takes a long time to produce and is vastly more expensive than the blended sort. So, if you like your whisky malty, you need to fork out twice the money for a single malt.
That was before William Grant and Sons pulled Ale Cask Reserve Whisky from their magician’s sleeve. This is a blended whisky, which means it is a blend of single malts (probably about 35%) and mass-produced grain whiskies (65%). Grant’s malts are traditionally a mass of those available, usually around 25, the core being from Balvenie and Kininvie, with a good dollop of the powerhouse, seaweed and smoke malts of Islay. Always fascinating whisky, but still a blend, and so lighter and less rich than its malt components are by themselves.
Except Grant’s pops this blend for a time in casks used to mature richly malty Scottish ale, and for half the price of single malt have produced a whisky with truly Scottish generosity.
TRY THIS: GRANT’S ALE CASK RESERVE WHISKY
Smells richly of real whisky and sweet malt, with a drizzle of salt as you would expect from the heart of Highlands’ spirit. It tastes round and suave and deliciously malty in a softly roasted, mellow way, with a lingering dryness that is riddled with plump warmth. The perfect whisky for those who are becoming sick of the sweetness of whiskey and looking for something more metropolitan. For those with a taste for sippin’ whisky, this is an amazing bargain.
FOR: $34.99 AVAILABLE: certainly.
