Scotch Whiskey Showing Signs of a Comeback in U.S.

NEW YORK —  Lips puckered and faces scrunched as the 60 or so women sipped the clear brown liquid from the glasses set before them.

The women, many in their 20s, paid $50 each for the privilege of this sensation, which seemed to remind many of cough medicine. But like other recent Scotch whiskey tastings at Keens Steakhouse in Manhattan, this gathering was sold out.

Scotch, in this case a J&B; blend, has never known beer’s widespread popularity; its intense flavor and crusty Ivy League aura have easily intimidated otherwise adventurous palettes, male and female.

But for those who share in America’s appetite for little-known microbrews and flavored vodkas, Scotch--particularly the kind known as single malt--has tremendous potential. Its centuries-old tradition has started to attract a new generation of would-be aficionados.

And because single malts--whiskeys malted from barley by a single distillery--have largely remained a secret in the United States, there’s no need to give them a new twist by adding the pepper or black currant. As with French wine, the variety was long-established, waiting for American tastes to mature.

“People cut their teeth on wine in the 1970s and ‘80s, but as they developed a certain amount of acumen, they wanted more of a taste challenge, something a little more meaty,” said Paul Pacult, a beer, wine and spirits writer who hosted the women’s tasting at Keens and conducts similar events (for all genders) at Keens and around the country.

But the “wee dram” of whiskey--Gaelic for “water of life”--isn’t poised to unseat beer, wine or any other popular spirit. Nor are Scotch parlors popping up next to the local cappuccino bar or beer hall. It’s more an onslaught of variety than volume.

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Scotch menus are being presented along with wine lists at restaurants, and a burgeoning selection of single malts is crowding liquor store shelves, quenching the American thirst for obscurity even at $20 to $50 a bottle for most labels. A recent issue of Wine Spectator magazine included a full-page ad with more than 100 single malts.

U.S. Scotch sales have actually plummeted by almost two-thirds since 1975 and now account for just 6.8% of all U.S. liquor sales, according to Frank Walters, director of research for M. Shanken Communications, which publishes Wine Spectator and Impact, a beverage trade journal.

Scotch drinkers “are aging and dying and they’re not being replaced by younger persons,” Walters said.

If there is a glimmer of hope for Scotch makers, it may lie with single malts, which account for less than 4% of U.S. Scotch sales but are growing in popularity thanks to their newfound mystique. In 1995, U.S. single malt sales reached about 330,000 cases, a 10% gain from 1994, Walters said.

The shift began in the late 1980s as established leaders like Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal and Dewar’s--blended whiskeys made with a combination of single malts and other grain alcohols--found themselves competing with their purer cousins.

Keens, for example, now serves 89 different single malts. And Winfield-Flynn, a Manhattan liquor store, has increased its single malt selection from five to about 50 since 1990, owner Larry Kaiden said.

“I used to buy bottles of each [single malt brand]. Now I buy cases,” said Kaiden, noting that single malts accounted for 4.1% of his spirit sales last year, more than double 1994’s share.

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Even the single malt stalwarts, U.S. leader Glenlivet and world leader Glenfiddich--both highly rated by Scotch experts--have begun to feel the pinch of variety, losing some of their glamour in the way that once-exotic beers like Heineken and Becks have grown somewhat passe. Labels such as Macallan and Glenmorangie, meanwhile, have become more in vogue.

There are about 100 distilleries in Scotland producing a single malt, each with its own lore and techniques for hobbyists to obsess over. And unlike the cluttered world of winemaking, which can be tainted by subpar vineyards even in France, there are few clunkers among the distillers; all but a handful produce quality Scotch.

Still, analogies to French wine abound, with Scotch connoisseurs emphasizing how each region’s landscape and climate put a distinct signature on its barley malt. Instead of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Cotes du Rhone, the names are Highland, Speyside, Skye, Mull, Orkney and Islay.

“Single malts reflect their place of origin more than any other spirit with the exception of XO-level cognac,” said Pacult, who’s seen his Scotch tasting schedule double to more than 70 a year since 1993.

In Speyside, for example, “a lot of the water sources flow through fields of heather, so many Speyside whiskeys have floral characteristics,” said Pacult, calling Glenlivet a prime example. In Islay, the peat bogs give the local water--and whiskeys--a smoky taste, he said.

“As consumers learned that single malts so accurately mirror back where they come from, it added a great deal of appeal,” Pacult said.

Guinness has seized on that appeal with its “Classic Malts of Scotland,” a collection of six single malts, each from a different region. U.S. sales of the Classic Malts jumped 25% last year, according to Guinness, which clearly chose the highbrow road to Scotland in its marketing efforts, stressing all things eclectic with a cozy newsletter named Slainte and a home page on the Internet.

Both are rife with tender tales of Scotland, tasting notes and lavish recipes. (Endive salad with goat cheese? Dress it with an olive oil infused with black truffle and Dalwhinnie single malt.) Slainte (pronounced slan-jeh), by the way, is a traditional Gaelic toast meaning “good health.”

Other single malt purveyors have caught on, introducing their own collections with a similar emphasis on exclusivity. Seagram, for example, recently weighed in with a “Heritage Selection” of four single malts that demonstrate nuances within a single region, Speyside.

After mastering the regional traits, Scotch enthusiasts can move on to esoterica such as cask types and maturation ages, or simply fixate on kilts, bagpipes and other Scottish pastimes. In January, so many people signed up for a Scotch-tasting tribute to Robert Burns, the Scottish poet who penned “Auld Lang Syne,” that Keens needed to schedule an extra night, which included a sampling of the traditional haggis, a stuffed ox intestine whose contents are probably better left undescribed.

When it comes to aging, some distilleries use plain oak barrels, while others buy used casks that once held Spanish sherry or Kentucky bourbon, putting a unique stamp on each Scotch. The process usually runs at least 10 years but can stretch across decades.

The final product is actually a blend from a variety of years. By law, the age on the label--at least 3 years and rarely more than 25--reflects the youngest single malt in the bottle.

The growing interest in such matters also has inspired new blends.

Guinness, which also makes Johnnie Walker Red--the world’s best-selling Scotch and No. 4 among all spirit brands--and the more deluxe Johnnie Walker Black and Johnnie Walker Blue, recently added a Johnnie Walker Gold to its rainbow, dubbing it “an inspired blend whose creamy, honey flavor offers a width of taste.” The company also holds free Johnnie Walker tastings at venues such as art galleries, inviting young professionals.

And Britain’s Grand Metropolitan has responded in truly grand fashion, with J&B; Ultima, a blend of just about every whiskey distilled in Scotland, priced at about $150 a bottle.