What is Whiskey?
Whiskey is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different variations, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn.
Whiskey is typically aged in wooden casks, which may be made of charred white oak. It’s produced in several countries and regions around the world, including Scotland, Ireland, the United States, and Canada.
It’s a spirit commonly associated with sophistication, sophistication that’s made from a variety of ingredients, blends, and aging processes.
The Colors of Whiskey
Whiskey can range from a light straw color to a deep mahogany. The hue depends on the distiller, the type of whisky (blended, single malt, single grain, etc.) and the length of aging time the whiskey has been subject to.
Younger whiskies tend to be a lighter hue since oak barrel aging generally darkens the whiskey over time. So young whiskies such as Canadian Club or Seagram’s 7 Crown are typically a light straw color or pale gold.
As whiskies age, they take on more complexity. The aging process yields a dark amber or brown color. Whiskies aged in heavily charred casks will have a darker color, while whiskies aged in lightly charred casks will retain more of a light amber hue.
Popular whiskies such as Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 and Jim Beam White Label are generally a mid- range shade of amber whiskey.
The Color of a Single Malt Whisky
Single malt Scotch whiskies are typically aged for longer periods of time, resulting in a darker, more robust color than other types of whiskies.
The color of a single malt also heavily depends on the type of casks used for aging. Oak casks impart colors ranging from pale gold to dark amber. They also lend the whisky a tawny hue, plus some flavors and aromas, since their surface is usually charred to enhance their ability to impart taste and aroma.
American whiskey distillers sometimes use different types of barrels and vessels to age their whiskies, including port, sherry and bourbon barrels. These processes produce colors that range from amber to reddish-brown.
The Color of Whiskey Changes over Time
Whiskey’s color tends to differ depending on whether it’s been stored in the bottle or in a cask. The longer the whisky is stored in wood, the darker the color.
Once the bottle is opened, the oxidation and evaporation processes will generally darken the whiskey. Over time the liquid will become more concentrated and its colour will become darker and more intense. This phenomenon is known as the Angel’s share (due to the amount of liquid evaporating and being absorbed by the wooden cask).
Conclusion
Whiskey is a diverse and complex spirit with both color and flavor depending on a number of factors. From light straw yellow to deep mahogany, a whiskey’s hues can vary drastically from one distiller to the next. The type of wood used for aging, the length of aging, and the vessels it’s aged in all affect the color of the whiskey, making for a wide range of shades and hues.
Truly, if whiskey were a color, it would be an ever changing, ever evolving one.
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