Lots of you aren't on the discord yet! If you wanna chat whisky (beyond just the KZfaq comment section) come join the First Phil Fam here: discord.com/invite/jEQfFc737Y I forgot to link to the channels I mentioned 🤦‍♂. Find them here: @TheGrailTastings @MissBrewbird @swedishwhiskygirl @whiskycentral Also, a few corrections for this video (thanks so much for the comments from the First Phil Fam community for pointing these out!): 1. I mistakenly used the word 'corked' when I meant to say 'broken cork' or 'stuck cork.' A 'corked' wine actually refers to one that has been contaminated by TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole), a compound that gives the wine a musty, moldy smell and taste. I have actually had this happen before and it made a wine I had just bought to be undrinkable 🤢. Not sure why I used 'corked' in the recording-my bad! 2. My analogy comparing age statements was off, as Tasmania can indeed have a (generally) cold climate. However, my overall point remains: you can't directly compare the age statements between Scotland and Tasmania due to their different climates as they still won't be equal. I'm really excited to dive into this topic more in future videos. As world whiskies grow, the climate where they are made will become increasingly significant. For example, long countries like New Zealand, Australia (from Queensland to Tasmania), and Japan have varying climates from north to south, leading to potentially very different aging processes and results. Much more to discuss here! 3. Wetting your cork-I'm not entirely sure this works. I've tried it myself, but it might be a myth itself! So, don't take that as definitive advice. There are lots of other minor nuances as well, and I really appreciate the insightful comments explaining them! It's great to have such a knowledgeable community. Grateful to all the First Phil Fam here for your knowledgeable comments for helping me make better content!

A cork breaking doesn’t mean the whisky is corked. Corkage is a bacterial infection of the whisky/wine/whatever, because this bacteria was in the cork. A broken cork is just that, a broken cork.

About the 7th myth... so in a way, it is true what you say. Whisky doesn't mature in the bottle. But, at least in my opinion, it is not true that whisky doesn't change at all once bottled, even when when well-preserved. This is something that brandy enthusiasts know about brandy, but for some reason whisky enthusiasts can't admit about whisky.

Regarding closures, the best bottle sealing system I have encountered is that used by Waterford, which is a glass stopper incorporating an inert plastic grommet/seal. It snaps into the neck with an airtight seal and you literally cannot pull the stopper out directly. You press sideways on the stopper to break the seal and it pops off easily with no effort. Elegant and genius.

Great video, Phil, thanks! A “myth” I often notice is famous brands = better whisky. I’m an old Scotsman and believed this myself for many years. (Decades actually.) Now I’m discovering loads of lesser known distilleries that make fantastic whisky, way better than the household names. It really is a “journey”!

The one that always gets me: one should only drink single malts, no whisky enthusiast should touch a blend.

Whisky and tonic water: you can literally put a few whisky drops in a glass of tonic water and will have a great flavour. Also, you can still enjoy it without exaggerating. Finally, living in a warm country, you can still enjoy whisky in the summer👍

On the subject of water, I learned a great technique from a distiller recently. Instead of adding the water to you whisky (which risks ruining the whole glassful by over-dilution) take a small sip of water and hold it in your mouth, then sip your whisky 'into' that and allow it to swirl and dilute in your mouth. This largely achieves the same thing without altering the whisky in your glass. The only downside is it doesn't 'open up' the whisky in the glass and allow those aromas to become more diffuse beforehand.

Lastweek at my mates leaving party. I got him a dram of Glenmorangie and he had a chunk of ice in it. He drank it pretty quickly and I offered him another So this time the ice melted in the glass as he was talking to other people. He came back 15mins later and drank the dram. He asked me immediately what was this whisky and I told him it was his normal Glenmorangie. He was amazed with the taste difference and now lets his ice cube melt or adds a dab of water.

You included a myth. Wetting your cork with whisky will dry it out more due to the high alcohol content

The other reason i disregard age statements is due to cask sizes. The whisky interacting with the wood is the whole point, and each cask shape and size will then have a different ratio of volume/internal surface area, meaning two different shaped/size casks will mature at a different rate 🥃

I think a great compromise to a cork that still gives you the same theatre cork gives you are synthetic corks. I wish every distillery used them to be honest....

Another great video, Phil. I think the most dangerous myth is that price indicates quality. You mention that age and price are not indicators of the quality of the whisky, but I think so many people who should know this is true are still influenced by brand and price much more than is justified. I get most excited about a great bottle that is a great bargain. Anyone can spend a lot of money and get a good bottle although not all expensive bottles are good in my opinion. Tying your selections to high prices and major brands will ultimately limit our exploration and exposure and probably make you more reluctant to consume the liquid because you are always thinking about how much it cost and how unlikely you are to replace it. I do think we should all indulge ourselves some very highly rated bottles, but keep the cabinet stocked with great values that you enjoy and drink them with pride.

1. Talking about screw cap, some cheap Japanese whiskies had so bad screw caps that there was almost half a bottle remaining due to evaporation on the shop shelf. Hence screw capa can be really a crap. 2. I would add the myth about blended whiskiea. In particular early enthusiasts, who had just discovered the world of single malts tend to deapise blended malts or blended whiskies in general.

Great video other than the idea to wet the cork with Whiskey.... there's a reason you don't store them on their side... 😮😅 what do you think of the sudden rise in Tequila cask whiskey/ what distillery would you be most excited to hear they are releasing a Tequila aged Dram? It's early days but it's the next hype wave in Whiskey 😊

Agree with all of your myth busts. Interesting. Great vid!👏

The linked video on sherry is fantastic. Definitely recommend that for whisky geeks.

Great video, the point about peat smoke flavor diminishing over time makes me want to try younger releases from Ardbeg and Laphroaig. I love the peat smoke flavor of those distilleries' 10 year whisky.

Very cool video Phil! It might take some time for me to get used the screwcaps but I'm fully on board with synthetic corks. Cheers 🥃

At start of my whiskey journey all whiskey tasted the same for me cause I only tried cheap blends 😅 I agree with corks, I would like to have more screw ones. At start I thought adding water to whiskey was for people who love 40 abv whiskey, but it's great addition to getting more out of whiskey. Anyway interesting video, thanks for sharing your knowledge

I've been trying to avoid plastic containers for food & drink due to BCPs. I wonder if any testing has been done on BCP leaching into alcohol sealed with plastic screw caps.

Regarding the cork cap, a good alternative in my opinion is the plastic cap. It looks the same and you don't lose the effect of opening the bottle and it doesn't break so easily like the cork one. I was wondering why you didn't mention this variant? I have only seen this plastic type of cap on cheaper whiskies, so maybe I am missing something...

Thanks for the info! Not a big fan of adding coloring to the whiskies and just prefer the barrel doing its work, but im not a big drinker of scotchs or irish which ever uses it. just rye, bourbon and mainly american whiskies. But hey maybe my flavor profile will change in the future.

Just a couple of points from a 'grumpy old git'! (Having drunk whisky for 45 years or more can give a different perspective...) In 1986 Spain changed the law so that sherry had to be bottled there before export - prior to that, it would be shipped to Britain in 'transport casks' and then bottled here and it was those casks that were then used for whisky, as it was more economical than shipping them back empty. Because sherry-matured/finished whisky had become so popular, other ways to achieve it had to be found, which led to today's 'seasoned' casks. If the sherry is not transported in casks, then drinking more of it doesn't help... I'm really saddened by the way marketing departments and under-informed consumers have led to corks being used so often. The worst tragedy for me is Gordon & MacPhail's Connoisseurs Choice and Distillery Labels ranges: some of my most treasured (and most expensive) bottles (generally distilled in the 1960s/1970s and bottled in the 1990s) have screw caps - the ROPP cap was 'de rigeur' back then - but more recent ones have corks...

4:59 Unfortunately, the gals at the Grail haven’t uploaded in quite a while. I did really enjoy their videos.

I like the corks because they're better quality material. If they made wood screw caps I'd be happy

Does the transportation of the whisky make a difference? For wines, they are relatively fragile and should be (yes, should, but are not always) moved in temperature controlled shipping containers. Should whisky be transported around the globe in temperature controlled containers or does it not matter?

Nice list of misconceptions. Perhaps the development of more environmentally-conscious packaging can pave the way for alternatives to traditional corks (The Bruichladdich 18 already has a glass stopped with rubber gasket...) without worrying about the stigma of screw caps.

Screw cap shouldn’t be controversial.. it’s common sense at this point. Either transition to synthetic corks or screw caps.

Great video, thank you. Please address this myth: never have single malt whisky with ice. I happen to like it. Is it THAT bad?

I found this very interesting, and many of them I knew were myths. This issue I have is this "I love whiskey, but whiskey doesn't love me!" Sorry to say it makes me aggressive, i can cope with about 60ml no more than that, and if I get drunk on it or mix it with other alcoholic drinks, I get damned right nasty. It is a shame as I do like it.😢😢😢

Great video as always Phil. I think quite a funny myth is that the distillation year is the same as the vintage in wine, like it was a good/bad year. "Oh, the 1964 Macallan" I believe pops up in one of the Bond films. I guess screenwriters drink wine!

Totally agree with you on the screw caps. Wish more distilleries were producing with them.

One minor point I’ll sort of correct you on is in regards to Australian whisky. You mentioned that Australian whisky comes from warmer climates,which in a few cases is true. However the mainstay of Australian whisky is Tasmania (think Lark) and the climate down there is actually pretty comparable to Scotland. Sorry for bringing up such a minor issue

I remember doing a very expensive whiskey flight for a guest at the hotel I am working at and I got the opportunity to sell (among 3 other whiskeys) a Coleraine 34yo. I got so excited but when the time came to open the bottle the guy asked if he could open it first (since the bottle was still sealed). For the sake of mine I made the right call and let him open it since the cork was apparently in a bad condition and it broke in half. Long story short I decanted the whiskey to get the cork pieces out and the guy did enjoy the whiskey a lot. For an Irish single malt it was absolutely unique, very oaky, full of tannins and slightly smoky as well. So yeah I agree, corks are a b!tch sometimes!

Re: #1, couldn’t be more true. My first experience was Wild Turkey 101 and it was terrible. This was followed by Old Grand Dad. Thank goodness I have friends who carefully educated me that there’s a huge range.

I would add: "Scotch is smoky", usually by people who tried it once 20 years ago and wrote it off. It seems odd when a lot of the best selling single malts and blends haven't seen a lick of peat. "A whisky must be 46% or above to be unchillfiltered", leading to puzzlement and even anger from the community when someone releases something at 45.8% and not the magical 46%. It clearly can't be true when we get 43 and 40% bottlings which are not chillfiltered, but who knows, maybe they are lying or intensely filtering it another way.

Thanks for sharing Phil. Some great info. Slàinte mhath

Artificial corks are being used by several producers.

Regarding Myth#4: I think it's more disrespectful on the rocks 😂. And definitley try the dram before you add water!

I was at the Lochranza (Arran) distillery last year. And they had two distillery exclusive single cask whisky's. A 12 yo ex bourbon and a 16 yo refilled sherry cask. The 16 yo was sooo pale. One of the lightest colored whisky I've seen. I expected a fresh citrussy and yellow fruit whisky with some oak spices. But it tasted soo dark! Like espresso, very dark chocolate, and burned wood. Absolutely crazy.

Great video 🥃

Excellent video, Phil, whether it's 12 or 10 myths I didn't think to keep count, but all good. One quibble I will raise: you refer to the bottles with broken corks in their necks as "corked". That is potentially very misleading. In wine a "corked" bottle has nothing to do with breakage of the cork. Instead a "corked" bottle of wine is one that has been infected by a mould called Trichloroanisole (TCA). You will "notice" it because it typically has a very unpleasant mouldy aroma which some compare to wet hessian or various other such things, and humans are virtually all highly sensitive to such aromas--at tiny parts per million levels. It was the presence of TCA in too many of the corks provided to the Australian and NZ wine industries by the Portuguese cork production industry that prompted those countries' wine producers to move to using screw-caps for sealing most of their bottles, starting in about 2000--although there was also an earlier experimental phase with screw caps in Australian wine in the early-1970s. So using the term "corked", albeit in the different context of whisky rather than wine, to refer to broken corks is I think potentially quite misleading and regrettable. The above is a separate discussion from whether TCA can affect whiskies.

I believed the first one for 15 years, until I was about 34 and a friend let me taste a couple of good whiskies. Was immediately hooked.

I think the reason why myth #5 exists in part is because Corks are more common, and I think some people see cork as more elegant. In the case of myth #4, I've never heard of that myth until I saw this video. My friend who got me into whisk(e)y told me that's how you're supposed to have Scotch. Personally, that's how I prefer to drink all my whiskies these days.

On myth 1 my girlfriend was one of these and then she tried a glass of glenmoranjie 18 infinitas. It’s the only time I’ve seen her have an emotional reaction to alchohol she just smiled and exclaimed “oh wow” and said it was the best drink she had ever tasted

There are 118ppm Octomores that taste way smokier than some 200+ ppm Octomores. I think the more wine influence it has, the more it hides the actual peat, at least it seems to be the case.

On the aging myth - it's true that whisky doesn't 'age' in the bottle but, once opened, a whisky can change somewhat - especially if it's stored badly (in excessive heat and/or sunlight). It won't go off like wine does but it will gradually lose its 'freshness' over time.

What about blended Whisky?

I’d only ever heard one of those myths…

2 videos within 2 weeks😮

Missed the Neck Pour myth! Great videos BTW.

Please check out 4Leaf Whiskey. Stacie is amazing with Irish whiskey.

Give me a punch in the face Islay peated whisky anytime! Very interesting video! No way to a $400 Johnnie Walker Blue in Canada!! Overrated. Overpriced. Cheers!! 🙂

Hello from Sweden Appreciate your channel and your videos. Professionally and nicely edited with beautiful animations. Continue like that! 🥃🤘🏼 The only thing I would say is that unfortunately your approach to bourbon and American distilleries leaves a dull note. It's okay to like different, I do too, it adds to the great variety in the whisky/whiskey world which is fantastic. But often you refer to it as something worse. /Carl

i'm praying for more screw caps !

I prefer blended scotch whisky to single malt. Some say I am a barbaric savage. They tell me that single malt is "an acquired taste" , but considering the cost of a good single malt, I refuse to drink something I don't like until I like it. I'll stick to blended.

can you list the channel that you mentioned?

He he he- “Australia is hot and dry”, uses footage of Overeem from Tasmania

The myth of neck pour. That's a huge one for enthusiasts to this day.

Frankly speaking I've never heard people (enthusiasts or otherwise) talking about whiskies improving in bottle, in fact it is the opposite, insisting that a whisky is all but sterile and will not change with time. I believe that changes do occur with time and have experienced it twice. One was a Crown Royal bottled in 1982 (tax tape across the bottle cap) that was opened about 30 years later and the other was a Laphroaig 10 that had sat in a cupboard for about a half dozen years in a tropical climate. Both were unlike what a fresh bottle would have tasted and others in the room agreed. I do however think that some people are under the misconception that a bottle is considered "older" because of the time since purchase. I put that in the category of people who, when talking about single malts, sometimes ask about double malts.

In my experience decent whisky doesn't give me a hangover. Would you say that's a myth? I've been drinking Edradour Ballechin, Ardbeg, Lagavulan and Laphroaig and no hangover even after half a bottle.

lots of women just don't like to sip neat alcohol but they do have very elegant taste buds. In the cocktail school I went to, there was this lady who only drinks fruity cocktails like lady killer or sex on the beach. She doesn't even like wine that much. But she scored absolutely 100% in all liquor sorting tests while a whisky freak and me scored around 70%. Others were males who don't drink neat alcohol. They scored 40%-60%.

Bourbons can be seen as tasting the same because of the laws of distilling it must follow. Scotch is a different beast.

I hate corks. I've had a few bottles of wine ruined by tainted corks. This can also happen with spirits. Screw caps are a lot better, provided that they are properly designed. Poor quality ones won't seal the bottle long term. The sorts of screw caps that the wine industry is adopting for wine meant to be drunk young should be good for spirits. There are some specialized screw caps for wine that are designed to let in a little air to mimic the permeability of corks during long term aging. These would not be appropriate for spirits. I can think of a couple myths related to bourbon. (1) Bourbon isn't whisky - bourbon is its own category of spirit. I've often heard people distinguish bourbon from whisky as if it is something completely different. Correct response: bourbon is a type of whisky, specifically a sub-type of corn whisky. (2) Bourbon can only be made in Kentucky. Correct response: Kentucky is the traditional home of bourbon, but bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States as long as it meets the requirements defined within federal law. I have bottles of bourbon from many states.

Is it a myth that whisk(e)y will taste different once the level drops below the shoulder or half way down the bottle?

Erik Wait Whiskey Studies if you want to learn about learning about Whiskey

I think screw caps are better,and they last longer than corks,i once bought a bottle of "hibiki harmony" and the cork in it was all swallen and brown ,it was diformed. Why arent whisky makers using screw caps ? How are ppl collecting expensive whiskyes if the cork will eventually break,either dry out or be digested by moisture?

One BIG myth you failed to mention - "whisky shouldn't be mixed". This is generally applied more to Scotch - and in particular single malts. And, while I agree that the best way to really get the most out of whisky is to drink it on its own, it's also just a distilled spirit - and one with arguably a greater range of flavour and character than any other spirit. Whisky is *_crying out_* to be mixed and paired with all kinds of ingredients and the whisky industry has been advocating this for decades now, despite the impassioned cries of "SACRILEGE!!" that come from the whisky purists. I'm not suggesting you use a Macallan 18 in your next whisky sour - but the cocktail world has come on in leaps and bounds when it comes to creating delicious mixed drinks with scotch, the Japanese have turned the highball into an art-form and an entire generation is discovering that whisky isn't just an 'old man's drink'.

I really like The Grail, but they seem to have stopped making videos. Have I missed something?

So use more vinegar then.

The source water!

You’re supposed to add water to you whiskey. I’ve never even heard anyone call it disrespectful unless it’s bourbon or American whiskey.

Never had a cork break on me before. You must be taking too long to drink it… or you are putting a sideways force on it. Screw caps feel cheap and not only miss the beautiful sound of a cork… they have the horrible tinny sound of metal on glass.

Synthetic cork is the best of both worlds

More pale color of whisky less problems on second day with head

Screw cap

Can we all agree that yhe thin metal screw caps are still trash (can be found on weller special reserve)

Natural corks suck for whisky. I hate them. They can break, and cause many problems, while at the same they don't give anything at all to the whisky.

A good myth busting video Phil. I personally hate the one that whisky is a man's drink. You never see good whisky deals around for Mother's Day, it is always wine or gin. A lost opportunity for liquor retailers. Cheers!

The cork is one reason I won't buy Knob Creek again (aside from 9 being, to me, unremarkable). The cork is short and the pop is pathetic. You want the theatre that comes with opening.

I've yet to see a good whisky that doesn't come with a cork.

Recommending other KZfaqrs is classy.

Most of these are not myths they are opinions. Corks being better than screw tops for example.

While I feel like the statement that Whisky is a man's drink is outdated, I do think it could be said to be a drink of patience, sophistication, and maturity. It can be hot, expensive, and off-putting at first, not suitable to audiences looking for nice sweet instant gratification. Still have too many acquaintances, friends, and family shooting 80 dollar whiskies expecting smoothness and a good time

Screwcaps are obviously better. Japanese whisky makers are way ahead in this matter.

The biggest Myth for me is that artificial coloring (E150A) negatively affecting the FLAVOR of a product. Don't get me wrong...I don't like the artificial coloring and would 100% of the time choose a Natural Color whiskey....but the reason is not that the E150A changes the flavor of the whiskey, but rather that coloring is used to bullsh*t either the age or the quality of the whiskey. That's the reason I dislike it. But take a product like (insert random Dalmore expression) - everyone knows (or should know) that it's not that dark red color. But the fact is if you filled 2 glencairns of Dalmore...the same Dalmore base spirit...and on you added the E150A and the second one you did not color...I'd be willing to bet you that you could not choose E150A product. I do not believe that drinking 40+% ABV alcohol that anyone can recognize the E150A. To argue that, you're telling me that your nose and tongue can pick through wood notes, floral notes, fruits, honey, grilled meats, sugars, tannins, and a multitude of other whiskey flavors... and identify colored water

re the use of a cork as a stopper. I agree that the screw top is probably a better method of preserving the whisky but there is a wider environmental benefit for keeping the cork - cork forests are well known carbon sequestration sinks, are natural watersheds and are of course 100% renewable. It's also been claimed that one of the reasons why Portugal and Spain having such devastating forest fires is because the cork forests are no longer being harvested (at least in the volumes they were) resulting in much more dried bark as fuel. So, as ever... its complicated. Probably off topic though.

Most of the whiskey earnings comes from men 😒

Can't stand the stuff.

hard to believe a kiwi goes woke. Ok maybe not Cmon phil