Ingrained In Grain?
Looking for something a little different to your usual Malt? Why not try a Single Grain whisky? Over the last four or five years, Grain whisky has made a bit of a resurgence in the UK, principally led by Haig Club. It is light, delicate, slightly sweet and quite clean in style and has been marketed to within an inch of its life! Great for summer drinking over lots of ice.
Made from Wheat or Maize (rather than Barley that is used in Malt Whiskies) young Grain whiskies are sharp and sweet and are primarily used in Blended Whiskies. These Blended Whiskies are made using a combination of Malt Whisky and Grain whisky where the Grain element is used to fill out the blend. The higher the proportion of grain to malt the cheaper the whisky as it is cheaper to produce grain whiskies than it is to produce malt whiskies. Where Malt is made in batches, Grain whiskies are made continuously in the column still method, hence the lower costs.
Given a bit of ageing though, Single Grain whiskies can offer up something immensely complex, deep and very interesting. Obviously, there will be more influence from the cask used, but the spirit itself develops a roundedness taking away the 'spirity' edge. They also develop the character which they can lack when they are young and their ageing potential in cask can be immense, which is why you get some quite old whiskies!
Nikka (Other) Nikka Coffey Grain 45%
Bottle Code: 14B06B6 Tasted: Dec 2012 An intensely fresh nose yet the grain has a lovely softness of character along with a herbal, coffee demeanour. Beautifully sweet and almost gristy! The oak is quite light, elegant and slightly buttery. With time the grain notes harden and hints of juniper, citrus, walnut and light smoke become evident.
The palate begins quite sweetly with the oak showing a similar buttery quality. The grain comes through to add a nippy freshness and the spirit becomes quite herbal on the middle and mingles with the oak sweetness. Very full and wonderfully textured, but the grain finally beats the oak with a wave of citrus. It finishes quite dry with the oak adding a light marzipan sweetness along with a lingering cocoa, light coffee, liquorice and raisin note.