LuxeBook May 2022

An infusion of flavour Aside from the age factor, Angad Singh Gandhi believes it is the character of the liquid that differs too. He says, “Consumers prefer high age variants of single malts because the older the whisky, the longer the finish, which allows the flavour to linger on one’s palette once they have taken a sip.” So why do brands really hide the age of a whisky? According to Nikhil Agarwal, “Some distilleries may choose to hide the age simply because age statements are used as a marketing tool; if the whiskey is young, it may come across as a negative. Others may choose to release them with No Age Statements because they feel that their whiskies are beyond age statements.” Truly, a good whisky is so much more than just age. Keeping the age factor out of the window, distilleries have the freedom to play around with flavour and finish. Through the influence of wood, distillation methods, time factors, distilleries can manipulate the character of the whisky right from its colour and texture to its flavours and aroma, creating new unique blends. So, if you have ever wondered what some of your favourite whiskies taste like together, NAS whiskies will show you exactly what that is like. According to Agarwal, the barrels they are aged in plays a vital role in the flavour of the whisky. “A large part of the flavours and aromas associated with whisky comes from the barrels they are aged in. This comes with a caveat. Distilleries may use different size barrels that have been used before. Barrels can be thought of as ingredients that play a part in the flavour of the whisky.” In the end, the overall whisky-making process remains the same for both aged and no-age statement whisky. “The aging bit is what separates aged and no-age statement whisky,” says Gandhi. “For instance, you don’t age the whisky for 12 years rather for 6-7 years and then put it into another cask for a different finish to increase its complexity, making it a great product for the consumers.” Gandhi further points out that while no-age- statement whiskies do not have an age label on them, they are single malts at the end of the day. “They have a characteristic belonging to the cask they are aged in. So, even if they are aged for a shorter period, it still presents a similar character profile as that of aged whisky. For e.g., if a non-age statement whisky is from an ex-bourbon cask, it will give you honey vanilla coconut caramel notes, whether you age it 6 years or 12, however with lesser density, colour and finish of the whisky.” Not a new concept No Age Statement Whisky may be a new term, but it is hardly a new concept. In fact, one can trace the history of the NAS whiskies to the 1900s around the time of Prohibition in the United States. The Prohibition era was the main cause behind the rise of no age whiskies in the market. Both during and after the Prohibition, there was a swarm of illegally labelled liquor in the market. Aside from American straight whisky, most of the liquor available was a mix of two or more blends. In an attempt to hide the age, distilleries would market them with terms like “ancient” or “very old” which would get them more attraction than otherwise. The lack of whisky laws did not help either.One of the most prominent whisky laws today is that any blended whisky with an age statement must mention the age of the youngest whisky. Back then, distilleries would bottle a 10-year whisky with a 25-year whisky, putting the latter on the label. After this became illegal, distilleries went on to mention the average age of the whisky so that people interested in older blends would still be interested. This too soon became illegal and so distilleries let go of the age statement altogether. Growing popularity Whisky as a category has been trying to increase its length and breadth; trying to reach newer consumers, converting blended whisky drinkers to single malts, and so, non-age statement whiskies play a pivotal role in the transition. Achunk of whisky drinkers today includes the younger generations as well which has more to do with curiosity. “The youth of today are more category curious,” says Gandhi. “They are willing to experiment, and so non-age statement whiskies are indeed, receiving receptivity as it becomes a stepping-stone in embracing their journey towards refined and aged single malts.” On the other hand, Agarwal believes that people will gravitate to whiskies that they believe are good, whether they are aged or released with no age statements. He too credits the younger audiences for being less set in their ways and happier to experiment. He also believes that a good distillery will give you quality whisky regardless of its age. “One needs to follow and buy from quality distilleries that cannot phantom put out a whiskey that does not keep up with their lofty standards. These distilleries will release remarkable whiskies whether they state the age of the whisky or not. The rest is all marketing and gibberish.” Embracing NAS whisky Popular single malt brands have begun to embrace NAS whiskies, not just accepting their stand in the market today, but also venturing with their own NAS blends. Macallan, one of the largest single malt distillers in the world have been an ardent advocate of NAS whisky. Their Macallan 1824 Series is the most popular NAS whisky collection. The collection includes a set of four whiskies – Gold, Amber, Sienna, and Ruby, with each bottle matured in 100% sherry wood. All four whiskies have a toffee-like aroma with citrusy notes that close into a spicy cinnamon finish. Other brands like Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich and Arbelour and Glenlivet, etc, have also ventured into unique NAS blends that are also among the most popular whiskies in the world at the moment. You can find some of the top NAS whiskies that have made it to the list of best whiskies of 2022 in the box. Nikhil Agarwal CEO & Founder, All Things Nice 10| L U X E B O O K | M AY 2 0 2 2 M AY 2 0 2 2 | L U X E B O O K | 1 1