What Is Meant By Whisky Blending And Officer’s Choice Whisky?
Whisky is a regulated spirit worldwide and is a recreational drug. It is made by using the processes like malting, milling, mashing, fermentation, distillation, ageing, blending and bottling. The two main types of whisky are malt whisky and grain whisky.
Malt whisky is made from malted barley and grain whisky is made from grains like wheat, rye, corn or buckwheat. They can be combined in various ways. The different types of whisky are single malt whisky, blended malt whisky, blended whisky and more.
Blending is the process of combining different types of whiskies, neural spirits, colourings and flavourings to get a standard product. Blending is not a fixed recipe but is more dynamic as the components of whisky vary from batch to batch. Blending is considered an art rather than a science.
It main aim of blending is to get a whisky of definite and recognisable character and consistency. The main job of the master blender is to get consistency in the quality of whisky batch after batch. The key factors are consistent aroma, taste and overall quality.
One of the Indian brands Officer’s Choice provides Officer’s Choice whisky and Officer’s Choice blended Scotch whisky. The whisky is a finely balanced malt blend and is an international favourite. The blended Scotch whisky is sweet and spicy yet light with an exceptional mouthfeel.
Whisky blending
The approach to whisky blending is to use a light-bodied spirit as a base (grain whisky) and add a heavy-bodied spirit (malt whisky). High-proof spirits with less ageing are less expensive to produce. They are used mainly in blends along with premium single malt whiskies and flavouring agents. The spirits selected either dilute, complement or enhance the flavour of the final blend.
The different types of spirits used in whisky blends are:
Grain whisky
This whisky is used in blends due to economic reasons. Its main purpose is to neutralise the heavy malt character of the blend. It also imparts a smooth and sweet character and helps in rounding the characteristic of the blend.
Woody whisky
This is a type of grain whisky that imparts high levels of woody aromas. It is dependent on the type of casks and the ageing period. The strong woody aroma acts as the main aroma element of the whisky and as a quality symbol.
Peated malt
The peat aroma is the most valuable characteristic in some whiskies. This aroma plays an important role as a ‘Signature’. Though they are used in small quantities as the high levels of peat malts can be too dominant. Low levels of peat aromas are commonly used.
Unpeated malt
This is used to provide key aromas and complexity to the whisky blend. It has a range of aromas and less intense aroma characteristics.