Should You Buy Flavored Whiskey?
Many seasoned whiskey drinkers turn up their noses at the thought of flavored whiskeys. What’s the point of a peach-flavored whiskey? Many flavored whiskies are far too sweet, and the poor reputation has been rightfully earned. However, there is still a case for flavored whiskey. It may not be what you store in your personalized whiskey decanter, but it still might have a place in your home bar.
What Is Flavored Whiskey?
Flavored whiskey must contain natural flavors but may contain sugar. Unlike liqueurs, flavored whiskey does not need to have sugar. The best-flavored whiskies don’t add excessive sweetness. Some sweetness, such as in maple or peanut butter whiskey, might be good. For the most part, though, you don’t want to try anything that can be saccharine-sweet. Some of the major brands, from Knob Creek to Jim Beam, put out flavored whiskies that are worth a try.
What Whiskey Flavors Should You Try?
The key is to find the right flavored whiskies to try. Knob Creek’s Smoked Maple Bourbon is perfect for a fall day. It’s slightly smoky, slightly sweet, and 90-proof. Vanilla is often a flavor already found in whiskies, but Crown Royal has a vanilla-flavored whiskey. It’s sweet but not overly so. It is perfect for adding to a soda to bring out the bright flavors without making a horribly sweet drink. It’s also great in coffee. The key is to find big-brand names instead of something from the bottom shelf, or it can still taste fake.
A Bottled Cocktail
Flavored whiskies have also become popular as a sort of pre-bottled cocktail. Given the right flavored whiskey, even aficionados and seasoned bartenders drink flavored whiskey neat. It used to be that flavored whiskey was dreck that was only prized for its low price. Now, however, the quality of flavored cocktails has improved drastically. Whiskey cocktails often don’t have many ingredients to better highlight the flavors. This is what flavored whiskey can do.
It’s All About the Cocktails
If you don’t want to pour a flavored whiskey into your personalized whiskey glasses neat, try making a cocktail of it. Jim Beam’s peach-flavored whiskey combines well with ginger beer, creating an easy, refreshing cocktail. Tabasco-flavored whiskey makes for a delicious Bloody Mary. Want something a little more exotic? Combine Chambord and a peanut butter-flavored whiskey for a peanut butter and jelly cocktail, unlike any cocktail you’ve tried. Once you start experimenting with flavored whiskey, cocktails can become more interesting and flavorful. It may not be something you do every day as you might with an old fashioned, but it can provide a change of pace.
Whiskey Is Not Vodka
Finally, something to remember about flavored whiskey: it is not flavored vodka. You can find an odd assortment of flavors for vodka, such as birthday cake. Whiskey’s flavors are not so easily overpowered, already offering personality, so flavored whiskey often uses flavors that already complement flavors. It’s much harder to drown out a whiskey’s flavor.
About Crystal Imagery
In 2001, Eric Schuchart decided to take up making personalized engraved glasses as a hobby. His friends and family loved the glasses. Schuchart turned it from a hobby to a full-time job in 2013. Eric was joined by Sherri Blum, a noted interior designer for celebrities, to help start the endeavor. Now, Crystal Imagery utilizes two etching techniques. The first is a deep etching technique that produces a depth and shadow that typical rotary surface etching methods can’t match. The second is a UV laser etching, which offers a crisp, precise etching that cuts the surface, unlike competitors’ CO2 lasers. Crystal Imagery offers personalized whiskey glasses, flasks, customized beer glasses, and many other glassware options.
Find personalized glassware for your flavored whiskey at crystalimagery.com