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25/04/2020
Top Whiskies To Avoid As A Beginner
George KoutsakisContributor
Spirits
I drink, I eat, I write.
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As a beginner in whisky, a few minutes of research can give all the information you need to start out. Lists of top ten Scotch whiskies to try, most accesible bourbons, best world blends. The information is limitless. However, noone really discusses the categories beginners should avoid when starting out. The immediate response to this would be that it’s not a big deal. Someone may try a whisky they dislike, and then move on to the next one, right? Wrong. While for many this is the case, a bad first experience with whisky can put drinkers off for good. To be clear: Everyone’s palate is different, so the more intense whisky categories will be perfect for some. However, most beginners will have a hard time with these intense expressions and may turn away from whisky altogether. Nobody wants that. So, to stop this from happening, here are some categories to avoid as a beginner. Tackle these once you’ve tasted enough and are ready for the next steps.
Set of Beautiful Whisky Bottles against well lit background.
Set of Beautiful Whisky Bottles against well lit [+]
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Cask Strength & High ABV
The first and most important category to avoid as a complete beginner are cask strength and high ABV whiskies. The most widely available whiskies across the globe come in at approximately 40% ABV. These are the whiskies you’ve probably tried at a bar, restaurant, or party, and even these were probably too strong for you. Now, imagine trying a 55-60% ABV whisky (of which there are many available). What will happen? Your throat will burn, you’ll tear up, and whisky will become a distant memory that you’ll steer clear of.
So, avoid these. As you start exploring whisky stick to expressions around the 40% per cent ABV mark. If these are still too much, add some water or ice to make them more drinkable and slowly savour them. Once you can comfortably enjoy these whiskies neat, then is the time to attempt some at higher ABVs and work your way up. Many brands are disliked because drinkers started out with the cask strength releases instead of the lower ABV core range bottles.
Heavily Peated
The most famous peated whiskies come from the isle of Islay in Scotland. Unlike normal whisky, the character of peated whisky is smoky, intense, with hints of earth and wood. This come from drying the malted barley under fires fueled by peat, decayed vegetation that take thousands of years to culminate. But, let’s not get too technical.
The main takeaway here is that peated, and more so, heavily peated whisky can be quite overwhelming for a beginner in whisky. Beginners usually take to the lighter smoother notes of caramel and toffee in bourbon, or honey and soft fruits in Highland or Lowland Scotch whiskies. While peated whisky is, at times, loved by beginners it’s usually far too intense. Starting out, it’s best to avoid heavily peated expressions and work up to them. When you’ve tried enough of the smoother whiskies, choose a lightly peated expression and determine whether that flavour profile is for you. From there, keep going or stop and focus on the character of whisky you enjoy most.
Scientist tasting whisky in plant
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Experimental
This category is challenging, as experimental whiskies in unique types of wood or ones using unusual grains can often be mellow and enjoyable for beginners. However, avoiding experimental expressions as a newcomer to whisky is key. The goal as a beginner is to explore the known whisky categories across the globe. These are steeped in history and traditions, and utilize only grains, water, and yeast before maturing in oak to create the final product. Keeping it simple and clear at the begining of the journey will help beginners understand each category and finally hone in on the category they enjoy most.
Once this is done, then delving into more experimental expressions will be even more enjoyable as new drinkers will see the differences and the level of experimentation in each product they try.
There you have it, the categories in whisky to avoid as a beginner. Each of them is extremely exciting and adventurous, and sought after by the most fanatic fans in the whisky world. Brands on Islay can only offer certain expressions to their existing database, as they don’t have enough bottles and they sell out immediately. The same goes for distilleries that focus on cask strength expressions. These categories are not inferior to any others, but come in at a level that is too hard for a complete beginner to grasp. Begin your journey, take it slow, and in no time you’ll be happily sipping on a peated, cask strength whisky.
