Where to get your whisky fix
To appreciate the drink more, Zerlina Zhuang of WhiskyGeeks asks us to experiment more
The last and most memorable thing I remember about whisky is its smell.
I once went on a whisky tour, and there was one distillery where the fumes were so distinct and strong that I joked to the staff that one whiff was enough to get me knocked out for the day.
Do you love whisky? I find that those who do have interesting ways to describe it, and have a lot to share on just how much it’s been an important part of their lives. They look so animated when they talk about it too.
Zerlina Zhuang is no different, although she also offers a practical and realistic view. She’s the co-founder of WhiskyGeeks, a blog for whisky enthusiasts, after all – and holds private classes for individuals and corporate clients who are keen to learn more about whisky.
She happens to be the managing director of online shop Spirits Castle, an independent bottler in Singapore that sells other independent bottles, as well.
“The world of whisky is not all romance,” she begins.
“It involves a lot of hard work by a lot of people in the distilleries, and creating works of art together with nature. It’s a complex process and therefore, whisky is something precious to me.
“I think we need to treasure the time and effort put in by the creators of whisky in distilleries through an appreciation of the liquid in the bottle. I always feel that whisky is both a work of art and science – something that we need to learn to appreciate.
“To me, there aren’t many different words to describe whisky,” she continues.
“It’s a drink that needs to gain better appreciation through nose and taste, not through a display shelf. Unfortunately, there are many people these days who use whisky as a statement of prestige and miss the chance of actually enjoying the liquid inside the bottle.”
If you agree
There are places and experiences where you can show your appreciation for whisky, its history, and the people who work tirelessly to make it. Beginners and casual fans can also take the time to learn more about the drink properly and move forward in their whisky journey.
“I don’t rank my whisky experiences,” Zerlina says, but her three choices will help point you in the right direction.
#1 A 2019 trip to Isle of Islay in Scotland
“There is a total of nine distilleries there at the moment: Ardbeg, Ardnahoe, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Laphroaig. There are a couple more in the making, including the reopening of Port Ellen,” she relates.
“We visited all distilleries in three days, and while we did not tour every distillery, we went to their shops, tried their whisky, and purchased so many bottles that we had a problem checking in our luggage at the airport!
“My favourite tour on Islay was Laphroaig,” she adds. “The experiences I had there were awesome, largely because the people there live by whisky in their blood – everything they do has whisky in it. I love the island and would want to go back for another visit when I can.”
#2 A 2015 visit to Hakushu Distillery in Kyoto, Japan
“It’s hidden in a forest, so you need to walk through a lovely forest path lined with old trees and filled with wildlife to get there,” she recalls.
“I can’t forget the pleasure I had walking through the forest, and then getting a warm welcome at the distillery.”
#3 Getting a diploma in single malt whisky
“It’s one of the best whisky experiences I’ve had. It was a course that I did during COVID so it was a long-distance one from Scotland.
“The course was informative and I learnt a lot about the process of making whisky, which helped me to better appreciate the hard work that the distillery workers put in. And of course, the distinction I received at the end made the whole experience even better.”
If you could choose a bottle
Zerlina mentions Ben Nevis for whisky that she can’t help but come back to again and again. There’s also Littlemill (“expensive because it’s a closed distillery”) and Clynelish.
“It’s always Ben Nevis that lures me back for more,” she admits.
“I love the spirit character of the whisky and how it matures beautifully in a bourbon cask. The tropical fruits, the sweetness and the complexity never fail to wow me.”
#1 If you’re looking to collect and not drink
“Then do all the Japanese whiskies and expensive Scotch, because they give one an elevated status when visitors look upon shelves and shelves of expensive bottles,” she says.
#2 If you’re looking to learn and drink the whisky
“My advice is to visit the bars and try all sorts of different whiskies.”
#3 Start with the regular, official bottling
“Then move on once you have a feel of what you like.”
#4 Go into indie bottles
“Because the good stuff is there. Try different indie bottlers and different distilleries.”
#5 Taste with an open mind
“You will have a whole new world opened up to you,” she urges.
“This is what most of us are after – the joy of tasting something so different that we lose our heads around it.”
#6 Please do not get drunk
“Whisky is for appreciation, not for us to get drunk on. It kind of insults the makers of whisky when all we do is chug the bottle.”
What to add to your whisky bucket list
You might just come across Zerlina as she travels to the following places. Here’s where she wishes she could have a tour and a sip.
#1 New Zealand
“They have a lot of new distilleries opening in recent years, and I have yet to visit!”
#2 Campbeltown in Scotland
#3 Chichibu in Japan
One last tip? If it’s too confusing or overwhelming, just follow what you like.
“Everyone has their own style of curating whisky for their own enjoyment,” Zerlina observes.
“It truly depends on what the person is looking for.”
Or you can always find more suggestions at WhiskyGeeks. Find them on Facebook and Instagram too.
Bonus round
Zerlina’s favourite facts about whisky
Because they’re also good to know.
#1 Single malt whisky is actually a blend of many different barrels of whisky from the same distillery
“Every barrel of whisky is different, no matter how hard a distillery tries for consistency during the production process,” she says.
“The best consistency is when a distillery has the blessing of an expert whisky master blender, who is able to nose and taste the nuances of each whisky barrel and find the ones that are best put together for their core range. When I say ‘core range’, I mean the regular bottles that you will find in many restaurants and shops, such as the Macallan 12 years old sherry cask, the Glenfiddich 12 years old and the Glenlivet 12 years old.
“All single malt whiskies that do not state they are from a single cask is a blend of different barrels of whiskies from the same distillery,” she goes on.
“Now to clarify it further, ‘single malt’ simply means that the whisky in the bottle comes from a single distillery, while a ‘blended malt’ simply means that the whisky in the bottle comes from a blend of single malts from various distilleries.
“In comparison, a blended Scotch whisky means that the whisky in the bottle comes from a blend of both single malts and grains from various distilleries.”
#2 Blends are some of the best whiskies out there – if you know how to pick them
“In a blend, the master blender is able to create a whisky that is consistent and bend it to the taste that the master blender wants it to be.
“For example, if the master blender wants a blended malt whisky to taste of tropical fruits, malted barley and a little smoke, they will seek out suitable whiskies that have such characteristics and blend them together to create a blended malt whisky that tastes exactly like what they wanted.”
#3 Single casks are all different
“Most drinkers may also be unfamiliar with the term ‘single cask’. This is one of my favourite facts,” Zerlina muses.
“Even if they come from the same distillery, you cannot expect different bottling of casks to be the same. This is because ageing in the various casks create different environments for the whiskies, which then produce a different whisky for bottling. So two bottles of Ben Nevis that are distilled on the same day, same time and same year, and put into two similar barrels of bourbon casks, can still taste different.
“The differences can be mild or wildly mind-blowing.”
Zerlina’s favourite things about the whisky production process
Because the steps are what make that bottle stand out.
#1 The production process of whisky is a mix of art and science
“It’s creative drawing coupled with chemical engineering, in my humble opinion,” she says.
“When barley is malted, it already goes through different processes, depending on the distilleries that make them. Then during fermentation, different distilleries have different timelines, different yeast, and different kinds of tubs. And then the stills are also different in many ways, depending on how the distilleries want their new make to be.”
#2 The most interesting parts are the fermentation and maturation
• Fermentation
“Fermentation is probably the most boring part, but this is where we make ‘baby whisky’, aka beer. Yeast (depending on which ones the distillery uses) is added to the mash to ‘eat up’ the sugar and produce alcohol in the process,” she explains.
“The alcohol produced in this part depends largely on the yeast being used, the hours of fermentation that the distillery allows the yeast to do its work, and – the most amazing part, in my opinion – whether the distillery makes use of wild yeast.
“Wild yeast exist in the air, and if the distillery allows that to happen, the fermentation is usually long, over 100 hours, so that the yeast they added can do its work, and the mixture can attract the wild yeast in the air. Some of the whiskies produced this way are the wildest, most mind-blowing drams I’ve ever had.”
• Maturation
“Each barrel or cask will produce a slightly different whisky,” she states.
“There is a whole universe inside the cask, and each cask provides a slightly different environment for the whisky to mature. Naturally, if we are using different casks, we will expect different results. However, even if we are using the same casks, we can still provide wildly different results based on the universe within the cask.
“The location of the cask within the warehouse and how the casks are arranged (either lying on its side or sitting on its bottom) also matter. There are simply a million and one ways for each distillery to decide on how to treat its casks and to influence the results of maturation to get the unique taste of the whisky they want to produce.”
#3 Drinking single cask whiskies
“Anyone who is keen to understand more about this can consider doing this,” Zerlina stresses.
“Of course, they need to be prepared – single cask whiskies are usually more expensive if they are higher in age, and also higher in alcohol percentage, because most of them are bottled at cask strength.
“‘Cask strength’ means that no water is added to lower the alcohol percentage to 40 per cent or 43 per cent like the usual core range. So you could be drinking something that is 58.6 per cent ABV (alcohol by volume) and yet it tastes sweeter than a 43 per cent whisky.
“It really boils down to preferences too, so I encourage people to try, try, try!”