K Group Whisky Trivia – From Beginner to Experienced Whisky
02 Jun 2025
1. What does the year on the wine label mean?
Indicates the minimum number of years that the whisky has been aged in oak barrels. Because each bottle of whisky does not necessarily come from a single oak barrel. If the label says 12 years, it means that every drop of whisky has been aged for at least 12 years (or more).
2. Is the older the whisky, the better?
The quality of whiskey cannot be judged by its age alone. The quality of the initial distillation, the quality of the oak barrels, and the aging environment may all affect the body and flavor of the whiskey during the process. If the quality of the original liquid put into the barrel is poor, it may not get better no matter how long it is stored. Therefore, the older the whiskey is, the better it is. It is also possible that it has been aged for too long and has a high degree of mellowness; it is possible that the barrel flavor is too strong, and the taste is too astringent, which destroys the flavor of the whiskey.
3.Why do some whiskies not have a year label?
Scottish law stipulates that whiskey can only be called whiskey if it is aged in oak barrels for more than three years. Therefore, whiskey without a year mark must be more than three years old (other countries are not subject to this restriction). Due to the subjective judgment of the bartender, it is also possible to mix high-year or low-year wines during the blending process to make the whiskey have a specific flavor.
In terms of marketing, it is also possible that the wine is mixed with whiskeys of a lower age. If the age is marked, it may affect consumers' willingness to buy, so they choose not to mark the age.
For example, John Walker Blue Label Scotch Blended Whisky does not have a year label because it contains aged liquor that is more than 30 years old, as well as liquor that is less than 10 years old. If the year is to be labeled, according to regulations, it can only be labeled as less than 10 years old, so it is also chosen not to label the year.
4. Does the darker the color of the wine, the older it is?
Not necessarily. It depends on the type of oak barrel and whether caramel is added for coloring. Whiskey aged in sherry barrels can easily turn into amber; if it is aged in bourbon barrels, it will never turn into amber no matter how long it is left.
Since the aroma, taste and color of each batch of raw liquor are different, even if the bartender can create the same aroma and taste, he cannot create the same color. Therefore, the Scottish whisky industry allows distilleries to add caramel to the whisky to color it so that the color of each batch of whisky can be consistent.
5.What are Blended Malt, Pure Malt and Vatting Malt?
In fact, these three terms all refer to "blended malt whisky", also known as "single malt whisky", which is made by blending single malt whisky from two or more different distilleries. In order to avoid confusion, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has proposed to the British Parliament to legislate that "Blended Malt Scotch Whisky" can only use the term "Blended Malt Scotch Whisky".
6. What is Cask Strength?
It refers to "cask strength whiskey", which means whiskey that is not diluted with water, but maintains the alcohol concentration in the original oak barrel, and then is bottled directly. Most whiskeys are diluted with water to 40% to 43%, while the alcohol concentration of cask strength whiskey is between 50% and 65%.
7.What is Angel’s Share?
When Scotch whisky is aged in oak barrels, an average of about 2% of the water and alcohol in the whisky evaporates each year, which is called "Angel's Share". The storage method and the temperature and humidity of the environment will affect the rate of loss and the ratio of alcohol to water lost.
8.What is Single Cask?
Since the flavor of each barrel of whiskey after aging is different, most whiskeys are blended before bottling to maintain the consistency of quality and taste. Single Cask (also called Single Single Malt) is not blended with the liquor from other oak barrels, but is directly bottled from one oak barrel. Only a very small number of barrels have the quality to be selected and bottled as single barrel liquor.
Because it is bottled from a single barrel, the size of the barrel and the number of Angels Share will affect the total number of bottlings, which means it is "limited edition". It is the most authentic whisky and a treasure in the eyes of gourmets. The price is also relatively higher.
The biggest features of Single Cask are as follows:
(1) Wine labels usually clearly record the "barrel number", "distillation or brewing date", "bottling date", "bottling quantity" (for example, 56/384 means that this barrel is the 56th bottle of a total of 384 bottles), "year", and "barrel type". PS. (The barrel type may not be marked sometimes. For example, Duncan Taylor usually uses Hogshead reconstituted barrels, which are less likely to be marked with the barrel type.)
(2) Usually, the wine is not filtered or diluted with water, and its flavor is preserved in its original form.
(3) Each barrel has its own characteristics. Even if the barrel number is one number different, the details may be completely different.
(4) Usually, when a winery selects a Single Cask, it means that the winemaker has great confidence in the barrel of wine. However, it is inevitable that the quality of each barrel will have ups and downs and differences. It is impossible for every barrel to be top-quality, but they must have their own unique characteristics and tonality.
9.Why are many whiskies 46% alcohol?
Whiskeys that are labeled as non-chill-filtered are usually bottled at 46% alcohol concentration, which is the minimum limit for non-chill-filtered whiskey to not produce white suspended matter at room temperature.
10. What is chill filtration? How is whiskey filtered when it emphasizes “non-chill filtration”?
Chill-Filter is a process that only appeared after the 1970s. Before that, whiskey was not chill-filtered. Esters produced during the whiskey brewing process are one of the sources of whiskey flavor, but when water is added or low temperature is used, these esters will form white mist-like suspended matter. For aesthetic considerations, the whiskey is cooled to below 4 degrees C to allow condensation to form, and then filtered out, so that the liquor can always be crystal clear.
Non-chill-filtered whiskey still uses a filter to filter the lees before bottling, but the temperature is not reduced.
11. What does it mean if the so-called vintage single malt whisky is marked as 1988?
Whiskey of a specific year represents the year when the whiskey was distilled. If it is marked 1988, it means that it was distilled and put into oak barrels in 1988. Generally speaking, such products will have the bottling year marked on the label so that consumers can judge its aging number.
12.What are the factors that affect the flavor of whiskey?
There are many factors that affect the flavor of whiskey, with the greatest influence being the oak barrel, which determines nearly half of the flavor of the whiskey. Other factors such as malt, water, yeast, degree of smoking, distiller, condenser, aging environment, etc., will also affect the flavor of the whiskey.
13.What is a sherry cask?
Sherry casks are wooden barrels that have been used to store sherry. Sherry is a Spanish fortified wine with a flavor similar to Shaoxing wine. In the late 18th century, in order to evade government taxation, Scottish private brewers hid in the mountains of the Highlands to brew wine. To avoid being seen, they put whiskey into Spanish sherry casks, which accidentally created a beautiful amber color and a mellow flavor.
14. The darker the color of sherry cask whisky, does it mean it is heavier sherry?
There is no necessary relationship between the color of whiskey and its flavor. The darker the color, the heavier the sherry. This is a color myth. In order to make the color of the liquor darker, in addition to adding caramel, the first use of sherry barrels will give the liquor a darker color, but if the bourbon barrel is more heavily roasted, it can also create a darker color.
Dark-colored sherry casks may also have a strong cask flavor, which may not necessarily be good to drink. Whether it is a dark sherry or good to drink, you still have to taste it in person, not just judge by color.
15.What are the “three golden buckets”?
The "Golden Three Casks" of Macallan whiskey refer to whiskeys aged in Spanish Oloroso sherry barrels, American Oloroso oak barrels and American white oak barrels before being blended. "Gold" refers to Macallan's proud golden ratio blending technique.
16.Why is single malt whisky more expensive than blended malt whisky?
Although blended malt whisky is made from raw liquors from multiple distilleries and seems to cost more than single malt whisky, the selling price of the whisky is largely determined by market supply and demand and marketing strategies, and has nothing to do with manufacturing costs or whether it tastes good. Some blended whiskies may also be more expensive than single malt whisky.
17.Is single malt whisky necessarily better than blended whisky?
There are also very high-quality blended whiskeys, such as John Walker Blue Label and Royal Salute, which are the elaborate works of whiskey bartenders and have very complex and rich aromas and tastes. If we use music as an analogy, single malt whiskey is a solo and blended whiskey is a symphony. Both have their own strengths and it is hard to say which one is better.
18.What is barrel transfer/barrel replacement?
After whiskey matures in a regular American bourbon barrel for a certain period of time, it is moved to another different type of wooden barrel for a short period of aging, such as sherry barrels, port barrels, Madeira barrels, etc., to absorb more complex flavors. This method is called "secondary maturation", also known as "barreling" or "barrel change". Whiskey made using the barreling method is also called flavor barrel (Wood Finish).
19.What are OB and IB?
The bottling of whiskey can generally be divided into official bottlings (OB) and independent bottlers (IB). Independent bottlers do not refer to factories that help distilleries to bottle whiskey, but rather to wine merchants who purchase barrels of whiskey from distilleries and bottle and sell it under their own brands.
Independent bottling plants place particular emphasis on their ability to select raw liquor. They usually bottle the whisky at the original barrel alcohol concentration without dilution with water, coloring with caramel, or chill filtration, thus retaining the most original flavour of the whisky and providing whisky players with more diverse choices.
Since independent bottling plants are not burdened by the original factory's marketing plan, they have greater flexibility and freedom in product development and are able to launch a variety of products, even raw liquor from closed distilleries.
20. What is peat? Where does the peat smell come from?
Peat refers to the soil formed by the heather that dies and falls to the ground, and mixes with the unique geology of Scotland for a long time. It can be used as fuel. In the production process of traditional Scottish whiskey, peat is burned to smoke the germinated barley, dry it, and leave aromatic compounds "phenols" on the malt, giving the whiskey a special peat flavor. Peat-flavored whiskey has a special smell similar to iodine, disinfectant, and Zhenglu pills, and is the favorite of many whiskey players!
21. Why is Kavalan whisky priced higher?
First, because Taiwan is located in the subtropics and has a hot climate, whiskey matures six times faster than Scotland, and more liquor is lost in the "Angel Share". Second, Taiwan is not a country that originally produces whiskey. The equipment, oak barrels, and even the technology used by KAVALAN are imported or transferred, which greatly increases the cost. These are the main reasons why KAVALAN whiskey is priced higher.
22.What is golden barley? What type of barley is mainly used in whiskey nowadays?
Golden Promise was the standard barley variety used by the Scotch whisky industry from 1968 to the mid-1980s. However, as more improved barley varieties have been introduced, the yield of malt has been higher than that of golden barley. However, the two distilleries, Macallan and Glengoyne, still add a certain proportion of golden barley to the malt. Macallan believes that golden barley can bring extra weight to the whisky.
Optic barley, bred in the 1990s, replaced Golden Barley and is currently the leading barley variety in Scotland.
23.What is the heart of wine?
The liquor distilled from the distillery is divided into first-stage liquor, strong liquor, and cloudy liquor. First-stage liquor contains more residues and volatile toxic methanol; cloudy liquor contains fusel oil, which will bring out the unpleasant leather smoke smell if left in strong liquor. The undrinkable first-stage liquor and cloudy liquor will be separated, and the drinkable strong liquor is also called "heart liquor", which accounts for only about 20% of the entire distilled liquid.
24.What is floor sprouting?
Most whisky distilleries are supplied with malt by professional malt factories, which will handle the degree of soaking, germination and peat fumigation according to the requirements of the distillery. Currently, only a few distilleries in Scotland, such as Highland Park, The Balvenie, Springbank and Bowmore, still retain the traditional floor germination.
Floor germination is to spread the soaked barley on a stone or cement floor and turn it over regularly by hand. Workers also need to continuously monitor the temperature of the malt. Floor germination requires a considerable amount of space and a lot of manpower to operate, so the cost is high and the output is limited. This also reflects the winery's adherence to and spirit of inheritance of traditional craftsmanship, but there is no research data to show the actual impact on the quality of the wine.
25. What is the unit of proof? What is the meaning of the number it presents?
Proof is an old-fashioned unit of alcohol concentration, and there are two conversion methods: American and British. The American standard 1% alcohol concentration is 2 Proof; the British standard 1% alcohol concentration is 1.75 Proof. So 100 Proof of American whiskey represents 50% alcohol concentration; 100 Proof of Scotch whiskey represents 57% alcohol concentration.
26. The terroir of wine comes from where the grapes are grown. Where does the terroir of whiskey come from?
The key to reflecting the terroir characteristics of whisky comes from the water used for brewing, as well as the climate and environment of aging. High-quality and pure water is the first and indispensable condition for brewing whisky. The mineral content of the water, whether it is hard water or soft water, and whether it flows through peat layers (referring to Scottish whisky) all affect the flavor of the whisky.
The Scottish whisky from the island region has a distinct salty taste due to the long-term exposure to sea breezes during the long years of aging in oak barrels. The whisky produced by distilleries near the seaside usually also has a slight sea flavor.
27.What is a purifier?
Some distilleries install purifiers on the linn arm (alcohol vapor guide pipe) of the still, such as Glen Grant, Old Pulteney, and Ardbeg. The function of the purifier is to allow only the purest and most volatile alcohol vapor to pass through, trapping other vapor compounds and allowing them to recycle distillation. The purifier has the effect of making the whisky lighter.
28.What is bug bucket condensation?
Worm Tub is an old-style coil-type copper tube condenser, named after the spiral copper tube ring immersed in an outdoor cold water tank. It is generally believed that worm tube condensation will produce a heavier body of liquor. Distilleries that still use worm tube condensers include: Talisker, Glen Elgin, Cragganmor, etc.
29.What effect does the shape of the distiller have on the quality of the wine?
Generally speaking, if the neck of the still is long and high, it will produce a lighter aroma and body of wine; if the neck of the still is short and wide, it will produce a more oily and heavier body of wine. Glenmorangie's still has a neck as high as five meters, which creates its delicate body; while Macallan's still has a short and low neck, which creates a heavier body of wine.
30.What is special about the distiller using direct flame heating?
Direct fire heating is the traditional method of heating the still. Currently, most distilleries use steam coils for indirect heating, which can ensure that the heat is distributed more evenly.
Glenfarclas is one of the few distilleries that still uses direct fire heating. They once experimentally removed direct fire heating, but later found it inappropriate and restored it. Direct fire heating can be seen as a symbol of the distillery's adherence to traditional craft spirit.
31.What are the differences between oak barrels from different origins?
The white oak used in American oak barrels has a relatively straight structure and fine texture, which can give aromas such as vanilla, cream, banana, caramel, and coconut during the aging process. European stalked oak is represented by Spanish oak produced in Spain. The wood structure is relatively solid and contains a high proportion of tannins, which can give characteristics such as nuts, apples, apricots, and nutmeg. Mizunara produced in Hokkaido, Japan, will give the special aroma of Japanese incense and sandalwood.
