Introducing Vatted: a blog on homeblending

[Matti]

Heya!

I'm Matt from the beautiful lowlands of Holland and I'd like to introduce my brand new blog called Vatted. It's a blog about blending your own whiskies at home, a subject about which I couldn't find much on the interwebs. So I've decided to give it a go myself. I'm planning on having blend recipes, techniques, assorted ramblings and maybe an interview once in a while if I can find someone willing to talk to me All this using (for now at least) inexpensive whiskies and readily available official bottlings so it is as accessible as can be. I'm learning as I go along, so I'm far from being an oracle on the subject: the blog will be a kind of running commentary on my own experiments.

I invite you all to go have a look, check it out and let me know what you think of it (the idea, styling, content, writing style, ... (I'm not a native speaker, so feel free to point out any horrible mangling of the english language I have committed)) Don't hold back on the criticism, I can take it: I welcome any ideas for improving the blog

If you like it you can follow @VattedBlog to receive an update when a new post goes live.

[whiskytime]

Your English is better than many native speakers! You even know slang. Good luck w/your blog - have fun!

[Matti]

Thanks I probably spend more time checking my messages though, I think I make more errors in Dutch

A little update: in the next few months Vatted will be featuring blends which include (among others):

Clynelish 14yo 46%
Arran 10yo 46% NCF*
Laphroaig Quarter Cask 48% NCF*
Deanston New Virgin Oak 46,3% NCF*

*Non-Chill Filtered

The Deanston is interesting. I don't consider it a very good whisky, but I think it will add something to blends when used sparingly (mainly the overwhelming new cask influence). I'm looking forward to experimenting with these

[Matti]

There's a new post online:

Homeblend #3 'Craigmore' or 'Blended model airplanes'

http://vatted.net/blog/homeblend-3-craigmore/

[The Third Dram]

...a subject about which I couldn't find much on the interwebs...

Unfortunately, the web-link to an article I penned a while back isn't functioning at this time, Matti. Otherwise, you might have been able to track down the piece. However, here are portions of said article for you to have a look at.

And yes (of course!), I like the gist of your blog!

All For One & One For All © June 2008

In this article, I offer up ideas and techniques for creating some very tasty whiskies at home as I address one of my favourite subjects, the blending of single malt Scotches.

A pure malt by any other name

What do you get when you combine two or more single malt Scotches together? You get what is variously termed a vatted pure malt or blended pure malt Scotch whisky (Note: The legal term has recently been revised to 'blended malt Scotch whisky'). I prefer the first term, as it avoids any chance of confusing the product with a blended Scotch containing a quantity of grain whisky in its makeup. Blended Scotches possess their own unique qualities. But I want to focus strictly on the 100% distilled-from-malted-barley commodity. (For the purposes of what follows, however, I will resort to using the terms ‘vatted’ and ‘blended’ interchangeably.)

Perhaps due to the longstanding market penetration of blends, not to mention the increasing popularity of single malts, vatted pure malt Scotch languished behind its brethren as a tremendously under-appreciated type of whisky until relatively recent times. In a rush to extol the virtues of single malts, and to lure additional consumers away from easy-drinking blends while weaning them onto more individualistic whiskies, the industry momentarily forgot that the art of blending together different single malts – when executed with care and panache – could lead to astoundingly complex and delicious spirits second to none. When one considers that even most of the individual single malts in the marketplace result from an attentive selection of a variety of cask-aged whiskies (albeit it from one distillery site), the benefits of blending become a little more apparent.

What’s out there? What’s in your cabinet?

Yes, you can probably run over to your local liquor outlet, purchase a vatted pure malt Scotch right off the shelf and walk away more than satisfied. Johnnie Walker Green Label is an acknowledged and widely available industry leader, and a very composed, perfectly weighted whisky to boot. Poit Dhubh (that’s Gaelic for ‘black pot’, a title once coined for the innumerable illicit pot stills scattered about the Scottish countryside centuries ago) 12 Bliadhna Mac Na Braiche Green Label will handily ward off any winter chills. Compass Box The Peat Monster provides a lip-smacking, peat-saturated whisky of the highest order with a surprising graciousness about it. And Chivas Century of Malts, a remarkable amalgamation of one hundred single malts and a simply brilliant one-off melding of regional characteristics, makes me ponder the possibility that Mozart might have been Scottish. There are many, many others, too.

This is all well and good. But I want to motivate you to try your hand at home blending. Why? Because not only will this practice help to highlight for you what really makes each single malt ‘tick’; it will also allow you to have a great deal of fun as you create something totally unique. Take a peek inside your liquor cabinet and see what you have on hand in the way of single malts. Hopefully, you’ll come across a few. If the idea of composing a whisky that has your own style stamped upon it appeals to you, now’s the time to bring out those bottles and take up the challenge!

I've been vatting together single malts for over two decades now, and have reached the point where I can decide on a particular style of whisky, and then intuitively select the different components I'll use (as well as figure out their relative proportions in the blend) in order to achieve that style, or at least come within a hair’s breadth of accomplishing the feat. I'm no Colin Scott, nor do I have the resources of Chivas or Johnnie Walker at hand – this is probably a GOOD thing! But I do enjoy playing around with whatever is at hand and coming up with original and interesting whiskies in the process.

Getting ready

As far as raw material and equipment goes, the requirements are fairly modest...

Prerequisites:

Two or more single malt Scotch whiskies that you like. Perhaps you even have a single malt or two that you rarely enjoy. Don’t discard these out of hand! They may exhibit the very characteristics that will bring a touch of greatness to your custom blend.

A decently sized (700ml to 1500ml) and clean glass jar, glass decanter or used Scotch bottle with a close-fitting stopper. It’s even better to have both a blending vessel and an empty bottle at hand – one in which to carry out the vatting process and the other in which to store the finished product.

A measuring cup, preferably with finely graduated (5 to 10ml) increments.

A note pad on which to tabulate the names and amounts of the single malts in the blend.

A good whisky tasting glass.

Options:

Your own custom-designed label for the bottle.

A spare glass container in which to pour any excess quantity of your blend. This little extra amount of liquor will permit you to carry out a preliminary evaluation without having to immediately dip into the full bottle.

A calculator – a handy device for figuring out the alcohol by volume of your blend, particularly when a number of single malts of varying quantity and differing strength have been used.

Planning ahead

You can experiment with vatting together single malts using as few as two or three samples. The key is to settle upon the overall style you’re seeking, be it Sherry wood roundness, Bourbon barrel emphasis, a stronger than normal alcoholic ‘punch’ from incorporating cask-strength whisky, a melding of various regional characteristics or ages of spirit, or some other concept that appeals to you. One strategy might have you balancing the youthful vigour of younger whiskies with the mellow characteristics of older ones. Another could see you composing a meld where the sweetness of Sherry cask matured Highland whiskies plays off the saltiness of coastal or island ones. Then again, you may wish to try enhancing the spicy notes of selected single malts with the smoky tones of more heavily peat-reeked spirits. Imagination is where it all begins.

To begin your ‘voyage’ into the world of vatting, I suggest the use of one core single malt as the base. This whisky will be utilized in greatest quantity. The other single malts, added for enhancing the character and complexity of the core malt, will be used in much smaller quantities. Thus, you might try, for example, mixing one part Macallan and one part Lagavulin to fifteen parts Glenlivet. The reason for this tact is that Macallan and Lagavulin would tend to obliterate (each in its own way) practically all evidence of the base whisky, a much milder and subtler spirit, if they were incorporated in anywhere approaching the same amount as the Glenlivet. It’s wise to error on the side of caution when adding more strongly constituted malts to less robust ones. After all, you can always adjust the quantity of the more overtly characterful whiskies upward later. Think of the exercise as painting onto a canvas (a common analogy cited by professional blenders), with the core malt representing the ‘canvas’ and those smaller amounts of the additional malts being the ‘colouring’. The key is to strike a balance between complexity and harmonious integration. You want the final blend to taste like one whisky, but to also have you thinking to yourself, “There’s something fascinating here that I can’t quite put my finger on.”

Sorting out the singles

Usually, any noteworthy single malt will display at least one or two aspects that clearly separate it from most of its ‘competitors’, while its remaining characteristics may be more difficult to ‘pick out in a crowd’. When combining this single malt with others, one hopes its unique elements will shine through just enough even as its less distinguishable traits meld seamlessly into the overall tone of the blend. This is why it is so important to decide upon the kind of vatted whisky you’re aiming to create, and only then attempt to select the various single malts (as well as the relative proportions of each of them) available to you that will help you to achieve your goal. Good accidents can happen, of course. Unfortunately though, you’re likely to end up with a jumbled juxtaposition of competing aromas and tastes.

One good way of tackling the issue of how single malts will react with one another when they are combined is to first come to grips with each of them by asking a few questions, such as:

Does the whisky display a decidedly sweet core derived from the malted barley? And does this sweetness persist right through to the finish, or does it fade as greater dryness takes hold? Is the sweetness counterpointed at any stage by sourness?

Is the sweetness oriented toward honeyed or sugared cereal grains, toward fruits, or does it encompass both?
Are there sweet vanilla overtones, which usually indicate maturation in ex-Bourbon barrels?

Do you notice any wine-like notes from maturation in Sherry wood (or another sort of used wine cask)? One caveat... Special wood-finished single malts can present a particular problem in terms of how well their flavour profiles integrate into the overall style of your blend. Why? Because they often show a certain disparity from start to finish between their intrinsic distillery characteristics and the effects of the cask-finishing process. This disparity can result in a ‘yin-yang’ transformation on the palate that, while interesting on its own, might not work quite so well in the context of a blend. If you do elect to use such whiskies in your creation, it’s wise to carefully gauge how those wood-derived notes will influence and meld into your blend.

Do you sense any grass-like, herbal, floral or leafy (yes, even tobacco-like) vegetative nuances?

Are there any underlying hints of minerals or metallic notes? Sometimes, you will be surprised to find stone-like undercurrents or subtle suggestions of copper present. Such characteristics can lend additional complexity. However, you may also come across the odd single malt displaying disconcerting metal-like ‘off’ notes – often an indication of problems in the still-house.

Does the whisky feel light on the palate, or does it come across as full-bodied and sumptuous?

Is the texture crisp and clean, creamy, oily, buttery or sticky and glycerine-like? Sometimes, the fatty texture of a single malt will be allied with nut-like flavour sensations.

Does the alcohol seem enveloped within the flavour characteristics and texture of the whisky, or is there a spirited bite that springs forth, especially on the finish? Clearly, higher proof and cask-strength single malts will be more likely to exhibit the latter characteristic.

Do you taste a hint of salt? This is almost certainly a sign that the whisky emanates from a coastal or island distillery.

Is any smokiness apparent? If so, do the phenols lean toward wood smoke or toward coal smoke? Are they barbecue-like or do they seem somewhat earth-laden? Are there medicinal or marine-like overtones? Be aware that some whiskies may incorporate more than one of these traits. In fact, it’s not unusual to encounter aromatic and taste suggestions of rich farm soil, sandy soil, decomposed vegetation, moss, heather, kippers and/or kelp in moderately to heavily peat-reeked whiskies. You may even come across petroleum-imbued notes of smokiness reminiscent of machine oils.

Do you notice substantial input from the oak in which the whisky was aged? If so, does this contribution lend the whisky greater mellowness, dryness or spiciness? Obviously, the longer any single malt is matured, the more probable it is that the influence of the oak on the overall flavour profile will increase. That said, well-used oak vessels (those that have already been filled two or three times with whisky) will have far less impact on their contents than first or second-fill ones.

Getting it together

As different single malts possess distinct degrees of viscosity as well as unique fragrances and flavours, it’s important to allow them to ‘marry’ for a period of time before you dip into the bottle on a regular basis. A few days is OK, a week or two even better and a month or more ideal – the latter especially so for more complex mixtures. In the meantime, pour yourself some single malt!

Once you get the hang of the process, you’ll likely find yourself tackling more complicated, adventurous vattings. And it is at this point that you will begin to better understand the role each single malt plays in contributing to the overall tenor of a blend. One of the key roles in more sophisticated blends is played by those single malts that help to tie disparate stylistic traits together. Such ‘binder’ whiskies usually display certain crossover characteristics (such as between different regional styles, different cask maturation regimens or varying flavour thrusts), and they are often complex spirits in their own right.

(At this point in the original article, I expounded on the specific characteristics, and how those characteristics might affect incorporation into a blended whisky, of numerous malt Scotch whiskies... A little exhaustive to include here, alas.)

I hope this article will set you on a path of adventure as you take up the challenge of creating your own, custom-designed pure malt vatted Scotches. Have fun!

Hope you enjoy the read, Matti. And best of luck in promoting your blog.

Doug

[Matti]

Wow, that a big'un Thanks for sharing that Doug, it has some interesting points! I've just scanned it for now, but tonight I'll have a full readthrough.

edit: very interesting reading! I may contact you in the future for an upcoming feature on my blog

[Matti]

Just in time for christmas, I've posted another two homeblends over the last week

Homeblend 4: The Tal'fro
Homeblend 5: A Deanston Threesome

[C57]

Wow, that a big'un Thanks for sharing that Doug, it has some interesting points! I've just scanned it for now, but tonight I'll have a full readthrough.

edit: very interesting reading! I may contact you in the future for an upcoming feature on my blog

You should - Doug is something of an expert !

[Matti]

This week on Vatted: some light reading for the rest of 2011

Techniques: Blending with a plan
Tips about how to come up with a blend that has a decent chance of being decent.

Homeblend #6: The Dealish vs The Deanfrog
Last week's winners reviewed after they have been married (vatted) for a bit.

[Matti]

Two new posts this week:

Homeblend #7: 'Isle of Ardmore'
An interesting, but ultimately unsuccessful attempt at making liquid liquorice.

Homeblend #8: 'The Meady Blues'
The best blend I've come up with so far (according to... eh... me )

[Tim F]

Great idea, and I really like your blog. Definitely going to try some Meady Blues.

[Matti]

Great idea, and I really like your blog. Definitely going to try some Meady Blues.

Cheers Let me know what you think!

[Matti]

This week on Vatted: Peaty blends

Homeblend 9 'The Clydefrog'
Homeblend 10 'Glen Morpeatie'