The Dram Dispatch

🥃 Edition 0002 - Whisky Wisdom: Foundations Worth Revisiting

Author

Nick Kalin
July 30, 2025

Even a master distiller will once have asked: “what’s the difference between single malt and single grain?”

— Nick, Editor of The Dram Dispatch

Whether you're a whisky rookie or your shelf sags under the weight of aged malts, we believe foundations are worth revisiting. Today, we’re going deep on the core building blocks of whisky appreciation — the knowledge that strengthens every pour.

🧱 Whisky Fundamentals: What You Really Need to Know

🥃 What is Whisky, Technically?

At its most basic, whisky is distilled grain spirit aged in wood. The key ingredients:

  • Grain (usually malted barley, corn, rye, or wheat)

  • Water

  • Yeast

  • Time (in oak barrels)

To be legally called Scotch whisky, it must be:

  • Distilled and aged in Scotland

  • Aged at least 3 years in Oak barrels

  • Bottled at a minimum 40% Alcohol by Volume (ABV)

🏷️ Types of Whisky (And What They Actually Mean)

Type

What It Means

Good Examples

Single Malt

100% malted barley, one distillery

GlenDronach 12

Single Grain

Any grain, one distillery

Haig Club

Blended Malt

100% malted barley, multiple distilleries

Monkey Shoulder

Blended Whisky

Mix of malt and grain whiskies

Johnnie Walker Black

Bourbon

minimum 51% corn, aged in new charred oak, USA

Buffalo Trace

Rye

minimum 51% rye grain, bold spice

WhistlePig 10 Year

🪵 Cask 101: What Oak Does to Your Dram

Different casks bring different flavors:

  • Ex-Bourbon barrels → vanilla, honey, coconut

  • Sherry butts → dried fruit, baking spice, nuttiness

  • Wine casks (port, madeira, red wine) → jammy sweetness, richness

Try a side-by-side tasting: Glenmorangie Original (bourbon cask) vs. GlenDronach 12 (sherry cask). You’ll taste the difference oak makes.

🔥 DramIndex Mini: Glenmorangie 10 vs. GlenDronach 12

Whisky

Cask

Flavor Profile

Price

Glen morangie 10

Bourbon

Citrus, vanilla, light

~$40

Glen Dronach 12

Sherry

Raisin, spice, rich

~$60

These are the two best classroom malts we recommend to begin understanding oak influence.

🌡️ Peat: The Flavor That Divides a Nation

Peated whiskies are made by drying malted barley over burning peat moss. This adds earthy, smoky, medicinal notes.
Love it or hate it — it’s an iconic part of whisky’s personality.

➡️ Beginner Tip: Try Highland Park 12 or Benromach 10 before diving into Laphroaig or Ardbeg.

🔍 What’s On the Label? Decode It.

Don’t get tricked by branding. Here’s what to look for:

  • ABV (Alcohol by Volume) – 46%+ often means non-chill filtered

  • Age Statement – oldest whisky in the bottle (not an average)

  • Non-Chill Filtered/Natural Color – signs of minimal processing

  • Cask Strength – bottled straight from the barrel; higher ABV

🗣️ Community Corner

We want to know:
👉 What was your first dram that changed everything?
Reply to this email or DM us on Instagram @thedramdispatch. We'll highlight reader stories in a future issue.

Santé!

Nick
a.k.a. Nick on the Rocks