The proper drinking of Scotch whisky is more than an indulgence; it’s a toast to civilization, a tribute to the continuity of culture, a manifesto to humanity’s determination to use the resources of nature to refresh the mind and enjoy to the full the senses with which he has been endowed.” – David Daiches
Scotch: written about by many. Sought out and enjoyed by even more.
Prized and praised.
In demand the world-over, every second 36 bottles are exported to 166 different international markets (by the time you finish reading this sentence, you can add 73 bottles to that load). Out of that though, almost 90% of scotch is blended whisky. Whether purposefully or not, single malt scotch has that sheen of reverence – as when seeing your glass, empty and all alone, the thought of pouring that whisky into a glass is carried away on soft billowy notes sung by an angelic choir.
A few things to remember before I continue: all whiskies are not scotches, however all scotches are whiskies. All scotches are not single malts; however all single malts are single malts and whiskies (apologies for the “Well, duh!” explanation. Bear with me for a couple of sips…).
The Modern Reverence of Single Malt
Demand for single malt scotch, while down from last year, is still extremely high. This has led to distilleries managing their stock of ageing barrels and releasing more NAS (Non-Age Statement) single malts (this meets the minimum three-year ageing for scotch).
There are many choices, other than scotch to get your single malt on.
Now, I’m the last person to tell you to not enjoy what you enjoy. If single malt scotch is the only thing that coats the inside of your glass, then pour me one too…please; and it’s not about scotch snobbery (I prefer the term ‘sharply scotch-focused’ anyway). It’s about exploring the pour from single malts that aren’t exclusively Caledonian.
Some delicious, flavourful, fragrant and yes – even expensive – ‘non-scotch’ single malts are out there. Like their Scottish kin, they share many similarities from their processes to peat, from stills to styles.
You may ask, “Are they good? Are they comparable? Are they enjoyable?” Sure, that’s a subjective “Hell yes!” As always, your taste buds are the ultimate arbiter, so I will leave that determination in your charge. However, I would say a glass with a single malt in it – no matter where it’s from – looks darn better than an empty glass.
On that, I’m sure we can all sip and agree. With that, Id like to share with you:
5 Non Scotch Single Malt Whiskies
5. Westland American Oak Single Malt Whiskey
Seattle, USA / 46% ABV
A core range that includes a sherry cask finish, and – attention all you Peatheads – a peated single malt.
4. Shelter Point Artisanal Single Malt Whisky
Vancouver Island, Canada / 46% ABV
This distillery is turning heads with their limited releases. The artisanal single malt that would look good on your bar shelf.
3. Penderyn Madeira Cask Finish
Brecon Beacons, South Wales / 46% ABV
Here be dragons – literally.
This range features Myth – a NAS expression that hung out in red wine casks and bourbon casks before bottling.
2. Mackmyra
Valbo, Sweden / 46.1% ABV
Two things that make this distillery rock:
One, it has a commemorative stamp released in 2011.
Two, Mackmyra’s releases include Motörhead Single Malt Whisky. It’s said that the late frontman Lemmy himself helped pick the casks. No sleep till Drammersmith!
1. Yamazaki
Yamazaki, Japan / 43% ABV
Many of Yamazaki’s expressions have achieved unicorn (and therefore expensive) status.
The 12-year old can be a hunt; however with upcoming Olympic Games slated to be in Tokyo, it may get closer to unicorn or at least ‘unicorn-like’ status.
Summary
Though these are the names I drew from the whisky hat, there are so many more I could have listed here.
If your current glass enjoys scotch, that’s all good. However, what I would suggest is to get yourself a second glass and and pour out one of these Five After Five.
After all, it’s always fun to visit…and it’s always great to come home.
Cheers.
– Renaud Timson
Renaud Timson resides in Ottawa, Canada and likes to refer to himself as a “whisky enjoyist”. He is a certified Whisky Ambassador, accredited by the Scottish Whisky Association and his wallet has membership cards to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada, Ontario Whisky Quarterly and The Ottawa Whisky Guild.
On the non-whisky side, he’s a dad of six adult kids: three with two legs and three with four legs. He has some whiskies that are older than his kids.
He can be reached at renaudtimson@gmail.com.
