Are there sweet whiskeys? Here are the best

Are there sweet whiskeys? Here are the best

What determines the sweet or dry taste in whiskeys?

The factors that determine the "sweetness" in whiskeys are essentially two, they can be found individually or combined with each other, obviously in this case the whiskey will be sweeter.

The malt used

As for the malt used, the difference between a more or less sweet whiskey is not determined by the type of malt or its origin, but rather whether it has been peated or not.

It is in fact the bag which gives a drier flavor and bitter to whiskey. Where this is not used, "sweeter" distillates are obtained.

The type of wood

The kind of wood I'm with build the barrels where aging certainly takes place its impact on the taste of whiskey making it more or less sweet, more or less spicy, depending on its characteristics.

Generally, American oak and Irish oak release sweet and vanilla scents that help to sweeten the distillate.

Learn more about how different types of wood affect whiskey

The incidence of wood is also determined from the liquid it has previously contained, a barrel that has previously been used to mature rum, for example, will bring typical rum scents to the whiskey along with a small part of its characteristic sweetness that sets it apart.

The last characteristic of the wood used for the aging of whiskey that can bring sweetness to our distillate is the carbonization.
This is the practice of the barrel builders of literally set fire to the barrel before its use. The fire is set inside the barrel for a few minutes.

This practice allows you to develop simple sugars which are then released into the whiskey.

The longer the distillate remains, the greater the concentration of sugars inside it, therefore the more "sweeter" it will be when tasted.

The best "sweet" whiskeys

Having made the necessary premises and reiterating, therefore, that you should not expect sweet whiskeys as much as rums, I move on to suggest some of the best sweetest whiskeys.

Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey

Bourbon whiskeys tend to be the sweetest whiskeys due to the high percentage of corn used and above all for the charred American oak barrels that are used for aging.

Bulleit's is an example, as is the famous Jack Daniel's.

Teeling Whiskey Single Pot Still

Here is an excellent Irish whiskey, that is, an Irish whiskey. Obtained from 50% malted barley and 50% unmalted barley (as per Irish tradition).
The aging took place half in virgin Irish oak barrels and half in ex-bourbon barrels.

The result is an excellent distillate creamy, sweet and pleasantly fruity.

Yamazakura Blended Whiskey

As it is easy to guess, it is a Japanese whisy obtained from a blend of different whiskeys, some of malt and others of barley. The blend obtained was aged in ex-bourbon barrels for about 16 long years before bottling. The result is a whiskey sweet and floral with pleasant fruity returns.

Cardhu 15 single malt

It is one Speyside scotch whiskey, as such, like almost all speysiders it is not peaty. It is therefore particularly fruity, characterized by evident sweet spices and a vanilla finish.