Blending distilled spirits requires time and experience to perfect, yet it’s an integral part of production for fans of whiskey, rum, cognac or brandy alike. Blending can make all the difference when it comes to creating drinks you truly appreciate.
Blends of distillate barrels combine into one finished product that’s greater – and oftentimes more complex – than its individual parts. Blended spirits such as whisky, bourbon, rum and brandy production regions often utilize blends rather than single barrel expressions of these spirits for this reason.
As much as it may be possible to craft single-barrel scotch or bourbon in a small still, larger scale production requires multiple barrels and distillers – something most bourbon, rye and corn-based spirits don’t do before going for sale.
Replicating an exceptional scotch or whiskey blend requires carefully selecting ingredients to achieve consistency in aroma, flavor and color. A blender may utilize “heads” and tails of each distillate’s distillate to achieve this goal, filtering out undesirable compounds like nail polish remover or rubber from desirable compounds with fruity and floral aromas such as the hearts. Tails with strong alcohol stinging re-distillations to produce cleaner alcohol known as feints can also help.
