Why Whisky Is the Greatest of All Spirits

With respect to gin, rum, brandy et al., you just don’t stand a chance against the magical malt.

By Nick Ryan 05/07/2024

It’s all in the name, really. Uisce beatha. It’s from the Old Irish and simply means, “The water of life”. It doesn’t get more existentially important than that. From here, the passage of time and centuries of slurred usage have delivered us the word for what is, unquestionably, the most diverse, complex, collectible and celebrated spirit of them all: whisky.

There are arguments to be made for other spirits, but they all eventually crumble under the weight of evidence. Gin is only ever a momentary companion, bringing its charm in short, sharp bursts. Whether it’s riding in on a tonic wave, or laying in wait in a martini glass, gin’s time in the spotlight is brief. Rum comes with complications and is the best version of itself when waves slap against a hull. The agave distillates have a magic about them when authenticity is evident, but all too often these days, the conversation is dominated by big brands owned by people who profit from make-believe. Brandy is beautiful, but in retreat, and vodka is perfectly fine but will never be much more than an ethanol delivery system.

But whisky, the water of life, is the greatest of them all. And getting even greater. Whisky is distillation’s broadest church. In its British Isles strongholds, tradition holds strong. With respect to gin, rum, brandy et al., you just don’t stand a chance against the magical malt.

All around the world, people who have never stepped on Scottish soil, can chart that country’s lochs and glens, rivers and munros, islands and highlands, by where they sit in relation to the nation’s famed distilleries. Across the Irish Sea, where the natives add an “e”, the production, and consumption, of great Irish whiskey is pursued with unshakeable enthusiasm.

The Americans have always adored their own indigenous interpretation, their most important crop becoming a key component of their most significant distillate. These days, their ryes compete with their bourbons for popularity and prestige, and the recent push for “American single malt” to be an official designation has seen a boom in the conjuring of whiskies informed by Scottish traditions but with deep American roots.

The Japanese have done what they so often do: taken inspiration from another tradition, reflected upon it, evolved it, until it becomes something uniquely their own.

McRae Bar at Capella Sydney specialises in Australian and museum spirits, making it the perfect place to unwind over a classic cocktail with a twist.

And now, in the Antipodes, a new tradition is born, as a whisky scene begins to deliver on the promise it has shown in recent decades. We are living in Whisky’s Golden Age. There is simply no spirit that rewards connoisseurship like whisky. It can befuddle the mind without a drop ever touching your lips. The huge array of vastly different drinks that fall under the banner can be dauntingly confusing, and sidling up to the bar and simply asking for a whisky is like walking into a great restaurant and saying,“I’ll have the meat.” Those who slip down the rabbit hole quickly realise it runs deep. It’s the spirit that most captures what French winemakers call terroir, that magical ability of the liquid in the glass to evocatively express its origins. Whisky draws its own maps and guides the curious traveller through them. It can be instantly recognisable and infinitely nuanced at once. Those who progress to a point where the broad, provincial hallmarks become familiar, find themselves digging deeper in search of the signatures of individual distilleries: mash bills, cask finishes, bottling strengths, age statements. It’s the layering of detail that makes whisky so endlessly fascinating.

And while it’s perfectly acceptable to have a favourite whisky, a true connoisseur knows a great collection is best measured by breadth. Because the question is not, “Do I want a whisky?” but rather, “What whisky do I want?” The fragrantly floral ones, those that hum with dried citrus and spice? Those that reveal their charms demurely and those that thunder from the glass like a marauding mob? Those in which you taste the grain, and those that leave the memory of a fisherman’s jumper smouldering over a kelp fire on the beach? There is a whisky for every mood. It just proves the wisdom of the old Irish saying: “What whisky will not cure, there is no cure for it.”

Jump to Nick Ryan’s story on whisky at auction: Liquid Gold

Explore the esoteric world of maturation in casks with Heather Tillot from Sullivan’s Cove

Find out where to drink whisky at the best whisky bars across the globe: Raising The Bar

Discover the Scottish whisky island just off the coast of Scotland in this piece: For Peat’s Sake

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