Did you know that “whiskey” means “water of life” in Gaelic?
In this day and age, whiskey is widely accessible with the various brands offering various different flavours. There is a bottle out there for every taste and price, so you’ll be sure to find one that fits your taste the most!
Whether you’re looking for a good whisky to make a nice cocktail or just looking to get a smooth sip, our list of 9 different types of whiskey brands will be sure to help you decide.
Note: Drinking alcohol may be harmful to health. The sale of alcohol is prohibited to those below 21 years old in Malaysia. Please consume responsibly and do not drive or operate heavy machinery after drinking.
Table of Contents
Overview
Made in Malaysia, this whisky is extremely rich and multi-layered. It is distilled before being aged in old casks and blended according to their fine, master blender tradition. It gives you a silky, smooth texture with a dry smokiness aroma that ends with a long, warming finish.
Details:
- Smoky, smooth finish
- Multi layered tasting notes
Who is this for?
If you’re someone who is newly introduced to whisky and would like something that is not only affordable but comes with a great, rich taste with a smooth smoky finish, then we highly recommend you to get this whisky.
Overview
The famous Jameson Black Barrel is a blend of Jameson Irish whisky that is made with aged double-distilled spirits that are matured in deep charred barrels. This results in a smooth, rich whisky with a deep, complex taste. The Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whisky has a rich smell with notes of tropical fruits such as coconut and guava. Upon tasting it, you’ll be greeted with an intense unctuous creaminess along with dates, walnuts, peels, and fruits such as peach and coconut notes along with a hint of cinnamon.
Details:
- Long, smooth finish with fruity notes of cinnamon
- Thick and full of flavour on the palate
Who is this for?
If you prefer a whisky with a strong taste and smell, this Irish whisky would be the best option for you. It is also perfect for fans of sipping neat or on the rocks.
Overview
With a blend of single malt and single grain distillates, this 15-year-old scotch whisky offers you both youthful and aged notes. Its aroma distinctly provides toffee apples, along with bright citrus and orchard fruit notes. There is a honey-like sweetness that crescendos with a hint of black pepper on your palate.
Details:
- Floral focus amidst notes of toffee
- Vibrant golden honey finish
Who is this for?
This whisky offers you layers of tastes and new sensations. If you’re looking for a whisky with strong flavour and smell that pairs well with your meal, this would be the best whisky option for you.
Overview
Coming from Ninkka’s Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido, this single malt whisky focuses on the peatier and smoky side of Nikka. Upon smelling it, you’ll be greeted with fruity notes of pear, melon, and mango along with a smoky undertone. Afterward comes the notes of vanilla, earth, fresh cut flowers and wet salt brine. Lastly, it provides you with a long, silky finish that brings the smoky taste to the front.
Details:
- Mellow, aromatic coating on the palette
- Express a balance between peaty, fruity and smoky aroma
Who is this for?
If you’re looking for a single malt whisky with strong, smooth taste to the palate and a silky ripe smoky fruit finish, then this would be the best choice for you.
Overview
This whisky offers you a barley sugar, aniseed, notes of cut grass and fennel smell with a hint of a freshness of vegetables. There is a sweet and gentle taste with winter spice and dark sugar with a touch or rum. The medium length finish comes with a medium sweetness that lingers on your palate.
Details:
- Great for mixed drinks
- Medium length, sweet finish
Who is this for?
This is for those looking for a strong, sweet whisky with a smooth finish with a sweet and gentle taste.
Overview
The flavour is in the name. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Flavoured Whiskey tastes the way it’s supposed to: a combination of honey with whisky. The whisky is sweet and has a quite realistic honey flavour with a slight alcoholic bite. The honeyed aroma is combined with a bit of light grain oak along with an ethanol smell. Lastly, the finish is sweet with a hint of caramel and oak.
Details:
- Strong honey aroma
- Strong sweet taste
Who is this for?
If you’re a drinker who doesn’t like the original whisky taste, this honey whisky might just be the one that will do it for you. Or if you’re a novice drinker who is just getting started, this would be a great drink to start with!
Overview
This blended scotch whisky by Dewar is an exciting blend of Scotland and the Caribbeans. It is finished in casks that previously held Caribbean rum, so it provides you with a pleasant and smooth tropical flavour. The blend results in a slightly quirky yet smooth taste.
On the palate, it provides you with a sweet and round mouthfeel with hints of apple, caramel and cereal along with a pepper spice taste near the end. It offers you a short to moderate smooth finish with notes of mixed fruit.
Details:
- Double ageing method to create extra smooth texture
- Mustiness with malted grain with hint of fruit and caribbean rum smell
Who is this for?
If Dewar’s white label is already your go-to whiskey, then try this out! It’s a little on the sweeter side, perfect for a casual sip after dinner.
Overview
Named after the company founder Masataka Taketsuru, this whisky is from the Miyagikyo distillery, matured in sherry casks along with some malt in order to provide a rich, spiced nose.
This whiskey tastes of sherry soaked plum, raisin, green apple slice, black pepper and honeyed cereal smell with a hint of barrel char. You may also get espresso beans, tobacco leaf, chocolate milk, and a slight hint of smoky aftertaste with some coffee and golden barley.
Details:
- Elegant and smooth smoky finish
- Full fruity taste
Who is this for?
If you’re looking for a whisky with a smoky, coffee-like aftertaste with a fruity taste and spiced aroma, then you should definitely try this Japanese whisky.
Overview
Made by using a mash bill of 53% rye, this rye whiskey provides you with spice up front and balances it well with hints of fresh fruit such as cherry and pear along with chopped mint and honey. There is a honey and caramel smell that greets you upon your first taste.
Details:
- Smooth, long finish
- Notes of caramel and spices
Who is this for?
This is for people who are newly introduced to rye whisky or would like to try one, as many recommended this as a good starting point into the world of rye whisky. The rye flavour may be slightly muted at the first sip, but give it more time and you’ll taste it more on the second, third sip!
FAQ
- Is whisky very alcoholic?
In short, yes. Almost all whiskeys have 40 – 60% of alcohol content, which is why you should sip whisky in small amounts and not chug it, unlike beer. It also has a very bold flavour profile, so a glass of straight whiskey could be a slap in the face for your tastebuds, and, depending on your tolerance, for you as well.
- Rum vs. Whisky
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Main difference
Both are the most ordered alcoholic drinks in the world, but the main difference between rum and whisky would be from their source, as rum is derived from sugar cane while whisky comes from fermented grains.
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Alcohol content
Whiskey can have up to 60% of alcohol content while rum usually cap out at 40%.
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Taste, aroma and flavour
Whiskey relies more on herb and spices for added flavouring, since it’s made from tasteless fermented grains. The smoked oak barrels that whiskey is aged in contributes a smoky oak flavour to the smooth, malty taste.
Rum, on the other hand, has a natural sweet flavour thanks to the sugarcane. To make spiced rum, the spices are added during the aging process, so that they can blend properly with the sugar molecules.
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Colours
Rum comes in a whole range of colour, depending on the period of aging and the type of barrels used: white, golden, dark, and black. The darker the rum, the older it is; therefore, some distilleries resort to using caramel colouring to give rum its classic amber golden colour.
Just like rum, whisky gets its brown colour from the wooden barrels it is aged and stored in, and the darker the colour, the older the liquor. Unlike rum, however, whiskey only comes in a limited range of brown to caramel. Single malt whiskey usually comes in darker colours, and higher quality whiskey have a clearer composition.