Make mine an old-fashioned: ‘forgotten’ whiskies have flavour to savour
IT IS often said that things were better “back in the day”. Now, experts believe a taste test has shown that, for whisky at least, that the adage is true.
Scientists at Waterford Distillery in Ireland analysed older varieties of barley and compared them with modern alternatives to see how their respective whiskies differed.
They speculated the older barley varieties, such as Hunter, Old Irish and Goldthorpe, may have complex flavour profiles that result in a better taste.
However, these grains have been largely abandoned in agriculture owing to difficulties in growing and harvesting. Higher-yield, more uniform varieties were preferred in the past 50 years to help to meet increasing demands.
Waterford’s experts grew small batches of the old barley varieties and created whisky from the grain. Eight tasters were recruited who were “extensively trained and highly experienced in descriptive analysis of spirits, including whisky”.
They filled out a 15-point questionnaire as they sipped up to three whiskies per session. The drinks were diluted to 50 per cent ABV to prevent loss of flavour while also being weak enough “to avoid panellist fatigue”.
Both the Goldthorpe and Hunter varieties impressed the whisky connoisseurs with their depth of flavour.
The work was conducted by agronomist Dr Dustin Herb, a former academic at Oregon State University, as well as Waterford distillers and presented recently at the World Distilled Spirits Conference. “To our knowledge, this is the most in-depth scientific study ever conducted to analyse the flavour profiles of single malt whisky made from heritage barley,” Mark Reynier, chief executive and founder of Waterford Distillery, said.
“It gives us unique insight into what single malt whisky would have tasted like in a bygone era.
“It also confirms that, frankly, whisky from 50 years ago had far more interesting flavours than whisky made from high-yielding, generic barley today.
“Over the last few decades, the whisky industry has prioritised quantity over quality in so many ways, but particularly so with raw materials. A few homogeneous barley varieties which offer higher yields have become the norm, and that has come at the expense of flavour.” He has now adopted a “barley forward” philosophy which focuses on the raw material of whisky in order to boost flavour.
His work is designed to resurrect the old varieties of barley but he also hopes to create modern-historical hybrids to make a tasty, flavoursome crop that is also easy to grow and process.
“The latest part of our flavour discovery journey has been to resurrect iconic barley varieties so we can identify their most flavour-expressive genes,” Mr Reynier added. “Over time, we aim to harness this research to give modern barley varieties more agronomic potential. This will give us a ‘greatest hits’ of barley flavours and the ultimate variety for the most intense and naturally flavoursome whiskies.”
Neil Ridley, a whisky expert at World of Spirits, said: “Consistency has given the world the whisky business it has become today, which is no bad thing, but some elements of idiosyncrasy have been ironed out. Whisky makers are looking to bring them back, alongside lost grain varieties and strains.”
‘Consistency is no bad thing but whisky makers are looking to bring back some of the idiosyncrasies’
At the Waterford distillery in Ireland, scientists have been hard at work comparing the quality of whiskey produced by modern strains of barley with their older forebears. Their conclusion was that the older barley varieties, while lower yield, result in a better taste. It’s not the first time that older varieties have proved their mettle.
When the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set out on his Antarctic expedition in 1907, he counted among the essential supplies of his voyage three crates of Mackinlay’s whisky. These were subsequently abandoned beneath the floor of a hut and discovered, frozen in ice, a little over a century later, with the precious liquid still sloshing inside the bottle. Once analysed, this drink was used as the benchmark for an allnew vintage. Sometimes the old ways are best.