Date: Fri 17-Oct-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: CAROLK

Quick Words:

Small-wine-malt-scotch

Full Text:

WINE WISDOM: Drinking Less, But Drinking `Better'

By Steve Small

One of the cliches of the beverage industry is that people are drinking less,

but drinking better. This expression indicates that since people are not

drinking to excess (thankfully!), they are willing to spend a little more for

higher quality beverages. These high quality items are available in beer, wine

and spirits. If you will allow me to leave the wine department for a day,

there have been a number of interesting developments in premium spirits.

The blossoming interest in high quality spirits began in the area of single

malt scotches. These scotches use only one type of barley malt and come from a

single distillery. They are distinctive, flavorful, unique and generally more

expensive than blended scotches like Dewars or Johnnie Walker Red.

Single malt scotches are sipped straight or perhaps mixed with a little water.

The pleasure of drinking them comes from noticing the differences of each

scotch while still enjoying the smoke and peat flavors common to most

scotches. There are currently hundreds of single malt scotches available in

the marketplace.

As single malt scotches gained popularity, other distillers realized there was

a market for top quality spirits. The key to these spirits is that they have

distinctive flavors that are best enjoyed by drinking them straight. They are

usually so smooth that you don't taste the alcohol burn many other spirits

have.

Vodka, tequila and bourbon all have various bottlings that sell for $25 a

bottle and up. Most premium vodkas actually have very little flavor. They do

deliver a very clean taste. Some even promise no hangover!

Super premium tequilas are often made from 100 percent blue agave. All

tequilas come from agave; blue agave is a species of agave that is believed to

produce the best tequilas. These tequilas are also very smooth with some

distinctive tastes depending on barrel aging and distillation processes.

Finally, high end bourbons have as many different styles as the single malt

scotches. There are not as many premium bourbons as single malt scotches but

as demand increases, that could change.

Premium scotches, bourbons, vodkas and tequilas all provide the discriminating

tastes with subtle and unique tastes. The way things look today, this is an

area of taste that will only continue to grow.

(Steve Small is the proprietor of Steve's Liquor Store, in Ricky's Shopping

Center at 71 Main Street South/Route 25 in Newtown.)