We here at whiskys.co.uk thought we would tackle some of whiskies myths and perceptions and see if they have any true legitimacy to these notions. 

Myth No.1     It is a older generations drink of choice

Whisky has always been perceived as the drink of the old man, who remembers going to your grandfathers house and he has a shelf or cabinet with his whiskies, often half drunk.  In the past it may of been true but in the modern age whisky is enjoyed by young adults to the elders, even more and more women are consuming whisky than before. 

Myth No.2          The better the age the better the whisky

Unequivocally untrue, every whisky is different as is, the maturation age of whisky in a cask can unlock flavour that my not be experienced in younger ages but doesn't necessarily make it better than the other, whisky is tested by the master distiller regularly often to meet a criteria of flavour not just to certain age. Whisky's true quality comes from the master distillers skill in creating the spirit and the cask choice, certain maturation times can enhance this but is not the deciding factor. 

Myth No.3       Only Scottish whisky is the true whisky. 

False, whisky production is a global market, Scotch whisky is often seen as the gold standard, but limiting your selection on that factor is ignorant, more and more distillers around the world are experimenting with whisky. Japanese whisky for example is highly regarded amongst connoisseurs, English whisky is experiencing a boom like no other. 

Myth No.4             Whisky colour is a indicator of whisky quality.   

We are unsure how this myth even started. it was a perceived belief that a golden caramel colour was a indicator of a whisky quality, in the past this was sometimes enhanced by distillers adding a colourant to play into his misconception. Whisky gets it colour from the cask, a lot of distillers now identify their whiskies as natural colour, to disprove this theory along with not adding an unnecessary colourant that could influence flavour. 

Myth No.5             Single malt is superior to blended

A very common belief, very much amongst some hardcore connoisseurs. Single malt often more uniform in flavour. Blended however can be just as rich, smooth and often more diverse in the flavour profile and shouldn't be dismissed as their are some exceptionally crafted blended whiskys in the modern era. 

Myth No.6       Whisky should only be drunk neat. 

More an outdated tradition, whisky like many things in life can be enjoyed however you like, with ice or a dash of water or even as part of cocktails. A recommendation we have is tor try it neat first and then try it with water as it can unlock flavour or dull a sharpness in the spirit, that you may prefer.