Which type of drink has more variety of flavors?

[Holysinner]

An assertion about this came up at an unrelated forum I visit. It may be obvious but left me scratching my head, largely because I haven't tried a great range of any of these types of drinks.

Would your answer be different if you include only beer and ale derived from only water/barley/yeast/hops (ie. exclude lambics and any others with additives like honey, corriander, orange peel, etc.)? Also only unfortified grape wine (no sherry, vermouth, sake, etc.).

[Caledonia]

This is not personal opinon this question can be based on chemisty of the drinks.

The answer would be whisk(e)y , I shall try and find the article I read about this .... where whisky has roughly a scale of flavours 4 times greater to that which wine offers. With regards to vodka being the least flavoursome. Beer was somewhere in between.

That is considering only the type of drink as a whole, not regarding what is available on the market.

[Willie JJ]

I agree with Iain. I think it is well established that whisky in its various guises has the greatest range of flavours.

[ClubSmed]

Would your answer be different if you include only beer and ale derived from only water/barley/yeast/hops (ie. exclude lambics and any others with additives like honey, corriander, orange peel, etc.)? Also only unfortified grape wine (no sherry, vermouth, sake, etc.).

If you did this then it would only be fair to remove the different finishes from whisky so that they were all matured in new barrels wouldn't it?

I am also unsure as to the answer as beer has quite a spectrum from Lager through to Stout

[Reggaeblues]

Do you mean variety as in "from the smoky shores of Islay doon tae the sweet meadows of the lowlands" , or variety in one mouthful?

I know little about beers. I've enjoyed a few but they still strike me as mono-dimensional in and of themselves. As to variety in different brands and regions I wouldn't have a clue...

But i'd wager whisky would win on both counts.

[Holysinner]

This is not personal opinon this question can be based on chemisty of the drinks.

The answer would be whisk(e)y , I shall try and find the article I read about this .... where whisky has roughly a scale of flavours 4 times greater to that which wine offers. With regards to vodka being the least flavoursome. Beer was somewhere in between.

I was hoping someone would come up with empirical evidence to support the argument one way or another. I'd be very interested in the article if you're able to locate it!

If you did this then it would only be fair to remove the different finishes from whisky so that they were all matured in new barrels wouldn't it?

I considered that qualifier - or at least ruling out Canadian whiskies that use additives not permitted in other regions - but wanted to leave the question as open as possible. But people can respond with whichever qualifiers they like.

Do you mean variety as in "from the smoky shores of Islay doon tae the sweet meadows of the lowlands" , or variety in one mouthful?

The first part. Within each category of drinks (not within a single bottle), which can provide the greatest range of flavors (and scents, actually, though I didn't phrase the poll that way)?

[Liechtenstein]

I voted beer because there are zillions of beers available. Aside from the large commercial brewries, there are countless makers of microbrews, each with a distinctive taste.

[Caledonia]

I voted beer because there are zillions of beers available. Aside from the large commercial brewries, there are countless makers of microbrews, each with a distinctive taste.

But compare the diversity of flavours of 'each' beer and compare that to a glass of whisky, thats how i understood the question anyway.

you could compare tennents here to a ...ehm...bells or something but trying using the broader imagination here.

Ill look for the article further tommorrow, no luck so far.

[Liechtenstein]

OK...you mean the variety of flavours within each
liquid, not the different types of whiskies/wines/beers available.

Then, I would vote whisky. Is there any way to change my vote?

[Holysinner]

Well, I didn't mean that, but I'm interested in both questions.

The question I sought to answer with the poll:
If you look at all varieties and producers within each category of drink - beer, wine, and whisk(e)y - in which category would you find the greatest range of flavors and scents?

The question of whether a given glass of one of these types of drink offers the greatest range of flavors is a different one from what I intended to ask, but I'm open to a discussion of that too (though I'm convinced it's whisky!).

[mikeymad]

Well it seems that we are talking 'type of drink' as the OP asks.... not a single glass of beverage (that is a different question (and a good one))

I have not voted yet. Still thinking about it...

There are a lot of types of Wine with a ton of flavors available. When you venture into high end wines this becomes pretty amazing. It would come close to the winner for a single glass.

Beers have many types (people dump all types of stuff in there), but even in a large shop there is still more flavors in wine available to you.....

Whisky would be my winner based on a single glass.. but still not sure about the entire range as a type of drink......

Cheers,

[mikeymad]

thanks for the clarification holy...

[Liechtenstein]

The question I sought to answer with the poll:If you look at all varieties and producers within each category of drink - beer, wine, and whisk(e)y - in which category would you find the greatest range of flavors and scents?

OK... I got it. Then I would have to vote Rum.

Ooops! it's not there!

[ClubSmed]

Excellent question/ topic!

I have been to a whisky and a beer festival so can compare those events when I have been faced with a large spectrum but have not been to a wine festival so do not think I can vote.

will happily debate the whisky/ beer question though....

[Caledonia]

I cant find the article anymore (think it was thrown out)!

It was in the SLTN, LTN or Drinks International....sorry!

Was basically a bar graph of comparison of flavours, dont know the authenticity of facts etc however was interesting to read.

[Minnesota Malt]

If it is comparing just a single glass, whisk(e)y for sure. Entire range, I gotta vote beer. There are just so many different types of beer: lager, porter, stout, ale, brown ale, pale ale, hefe, pilsner, imperial stout, rauchbier (a german style smoked beer), lambic, etc.

Within each type, there are so many different varieties, for instance, a traditional ale or american ale is completely different to a india pale ale. The ingredients can be really different too, grains, water, yeast, hops (can be dry hoped as well). There are easily ten different strains of hops that are used on a regular occasion.

And think of how many microbreweries there are. In the US alone, there are over 1,400! That is a lot of variety of flavors right there and we aren't even talking about the bigger name breweries around the world or all the people that do home brewing.

I love whisky, I love beer too, but I gotta vote beer on this one, it is way too hard not to.

[Liechtenstein]

I agree with MinnesotaMalt.

I guess that means I'm still confused about the question...

[Jimmy321]

I had to side with beer maybe thats becasue i've tried many more beers than whiskies.

[borgom]

Based on flavour variety alone whisky is surely far more varied than wine or beer.
I don't see how anything else could be argued given whisky can possess the aromas and flavours of wine and beer plus many other unique flavours which the others do not.
Well that's my opinion anyway.
The very unscientific visual demonstration of this a couple of people might have referred to above was in the 2009 Malt Whisky year book on page 41.

[mikeymad]

Just to play a little bit of a numbers game.... Not saying this means much.... but I am a numbers guy...

France ( 1464 wineries )
Italy ( 3110 wineries )
USA ( 3843 wineries )
Canada ( 320 wineries )
New Zealand ( 565 wineries )
South Africa ( 414 wineries )
Australia ( 3009 wineries )

Over 12,000 wineries just about all producing more than one variety of wine. Not including many countries... and continents (south america)

There are a lot more, but at least:
27 - white varieties
31 - red varieties

And the blends from any combination of these increases the numbers by magnitudes.

Mix in the terroir and the fact there are bottles from every year of wine you can buy going back over 150 years...

Simple poll from online BevMo:
Wine - 3,731 Results
Beer - 1,349 Results

Not saying there is more variety of flavors - but at least potential.

There is a staggering amount of wine out there... with lots of flavors....some would say (maybe not me) that every bottle can be different depending on when you have it (this year vs next).

I enjoy wines... but I am in no way a wine guy... I likes me whisky.... but the wines I have had, have shown me a small window of what flavors are out there. I think that there are a lot of beer flavors as well, I just don't think it is as large... (and if you take away dumping things into beer like blueberries - I think the difference becomes larger)

Cheers,

(and I still have not voted... )

[Caledonia]

I need to find this article

[scotchdrinker]

Just to play a little bit of a numbers game.... Not saying this means much.... but I am a numbers guy...

I enjoy wines... but I am in no way a wine guy... I likes me whisky.... but the wines I have had, have shown me a small window of what flavors are out there. I think that there are a lot of beer flavors as well, I just don't think it is as large... (and if you take away dumping things into beer like blueberries - I think the difference becomes larger)

Cheers,

(and I still have not voted... )

I still have not voted either but I was leaning towards wine. I am a wine guy foremost than a whisky guy. But I love them both, I could never pick one. I have beein into wine for about 15 years and whisky about 10 years. I will say I found those facts to be amazing. I knew there were a lot of wines and varieties but never sat down to think about it. But that info you stated makes a very good point and a good case for wine. Thanks for that.

[Caledonia]

Just to play a little bit of a numbers game.... Not saying this means much.... but I am a numbers guy...

I enjoy wines... but I am in no way a wine guy... I likes me whisky.... but the wines I have had, have shown me a small window of what flavors are out there. I think that there are a lot of beer flavors as well, I just don't think it is as large... (and if you take away dumping things into beer like blueberries - I think the difference becomes larger)

Cheers,

(and I still have not voted... )

I still have not voted either but I was leaning towards wine. I am a wine guy foremost than a whisky guy. But I love them both, I could never pick one. I have beein into wine for about 15 years and whisky about 10 years. I will say I found those facts to be amazing. I knew there were a lot of wines and varieties but never sat down to think about it. But that info you stated makes a very good point and a good case for wine. Thanks for that.

Wine and Whisky are completely different drinks, the main difference involved in wine making to my knowledge is the grapes used (whisky doesnt have this variety as such). However these grapes produce a wide range of flavours , that are just repeatedly given over and over. Viognier, Shiraz(syrah), Merlot etc - you can pretty much expect the similiar flavours -

This is not the case of whisky (and why im a whisky guy).

Every one is different , Use Auchentoshan three wood compared to classic and even 12 yrs as example.... You'd expect a Lowland but blind think a speyside.

ThinkBenriach curiositas - you'd expect a speyside but get an islay almost.

Ardmore - another good example

Macallan FO , Macallan sherry...

Everything makes a smallest amount of difference, partly why I love it i guess....

However talking about range of flavours, whisky has 4 times the depth of wine and brandy. I would like to show you this article , believe me

I understand that there are 1000's and 1000's of beer and wine, but does not mean to say that they have 'more' flavour.

[scotchdrinker]

Just to play a little bit of a numbers game.... Not saying this means much.... but I am a numbers guy...

I enjoy wines... but I am in no way a wine guy... I likes me whisky.... but the wines I have had, have shown me a small window of what flavors are out there. I think that there are a lot of beer flavors as well, I just don't think it is as large... (and if you take away dumping things into beer like blueberries - I think the difference becomes larger)

Cheers,

(and I still have not voted... )

I still have not voted either but I was leaning towards wine. I am a wine guy foremost than a whisky guy. But I love them both, I could never pick one. I have beein into wine for about 15 years and whisky about 10 years. I will say I found those facts to be amazing. I knew there were a lot of wines and varieties but never sat down to think about it. But that info you stated makes a very good point and a good case for wine. Thanks for that.

Wine and Whisky are completely different drinks, the main difference involved in wine making to my knowledge is the grapes used (whisky doesnt have this variety as such). However these grapes produce a wide range of flavours , that are just repeatedly given over and over. Viognier, Shiraz(syrah), Merlot etc - you can pretty much expect the similiar flavours -

This is not the case of whisky (and why im a whisky guy).

Every one is different , Use Auchentoshan three wood compared to classic and even 12 yrs as example.... You'd expect a Lowland but blind think a speyside.

ThinkBenriach curiositas - you'd expect a speyside but get an islay almost.

Ardmore - another good example

Macallan FO , Macallan sherry...

Everything makes a smallest amount of difference, partly why I love it i guess....

However talking about range of flavours, whisky has 4 times the depth of wine and brandy. I would like to show you this article , believe me

I understand that there are 1000's and 1000's of beer and wine, but does not mean to say that they have 'more' flavour.

I understand what you are say and you may be quite right. I am not questioning that and I would love to see that article.

The one thing you do need to realize is tha types there are a lot of different grapes for wine but, there are other aspects of wine that you are overlooking. You could have a Pinot Noir from California or from Oregon and they will taste totally different of a Burgundy (Pinot Noir) from france and it will taste even more different. Also, there is a difference between vineyards in California even within a vineyard. There are some wineries that have 7 different Pinot Noirs from different areas of California with different labels. Than add in Vintages and it is a whole other game. And this goes for all different grape varietals.

I personally am still leaning towards wine. And there is a lot more depth to wine than people realize especially if you are a whisky person foremost.

[Caledonia]

And I agree with you , my stepdad is a wine merchant and we have had many arguments about this aswell.

Its hard to explain without a real tasting to compare i guess, think logically about what you find in a glass of whisky, compared to a glass of wine.

The variety of flavours - ie ranging from vanilla, earth, cherries, citrus, anything...wet dog , peat, smoke, grit, tar, leather... to a wine glass which i use as my argument does not have that variety. ...anyway hehe just keep tasting i guess

Ill see if i can find it again, think i threw it out...im sure it was a drinks international magazine article about 6months ago.

[pkt77242]

I voted for wine. While I believe that whisky has more flavors in a single glass, wine to me seems to have a larger range of flavors when all the different wines are considered.

Sean

[ClubSmed]

I suppose when you consider that there are whites, reds and rose's and then different grape types and climates/ soils then wine is a serious contender.
I am still not voting though as I do not know enough about wines to be able to judge

[Ganga]

Everyone keeps pointing out the different varietals and wineries out there. But one must remember that whiskies (at least scotch whiskies) can be finished or matured in all of these casks. Accounting for this, is it not logical that you should be able to generate a whisky that would incorporate these same flavors and aromas that wines have? BTW, wines are not limited to grapes.

Then again, I have heard of a few wines that have been aged in pine casks instead of oak.

[ClubSmed]

Everyone keeps pointing out the different varietals and wineries out there. But one must remember that whiskies (at least scotch whiskies) can be finished or matured in all of these casks. Accounting for this, is it not logical that you should be able to generate a whisky that would incorporate these same flavors and aromas that wines have? BTW, wines are not limited to grapes.

That is a very good point, though I am not sure that all wines are kept in wood casks.

[scotchdrinker]

Everyone keeps pointing out the different varietals and wineries out there. But one must remember that whiskies (at least scotch whiskies) can be finished or matured in all of these casks. Accounting for this, is it not logical that you should be able to generate a whisky that would incorporate these same flavors and aromas that wines have? BTW, wines are not limited to grapes.

That is a very good point, though I am not sure that all wines are kept in wood casks.

You are correct, there are some that use steel casks. Good call Clubsmed.

[bankerjoe]

This is not personal opinon this question can be based on chemisty of the drinks.

The answer would be whisk(e)y , I shall try and find the article I read about this .... where whisky has roughly a scale of flavours 4 times greater to that which wine offers. With regards to vodka being the least flavoursome. Beer was somewhere in between.

That is considering only the type of drink as a whole, not regarding what is available on the market.

From a chemical point of view then, shouldn't beer win?

Most wine is from a single fruit, grapes (or another fruit, but usually only that fruit).

Whiskey, currently, is a barley based product.

Beer, on the other hand, can have all kinds of grains, or sorghum. It also (usually) contains hops, although can have plenty of other spices (or lack hops, in the case of sahti, and others). And many beers can be barrel aged. Whiskey fermentation is innoculated, no? Not all beer ferementaions are innoculated (lambics of Belgium or the "wild ales" of other parts of the world).

Don't know if any of this is meaningful, just some thoughts (not really researched, either, just kind of reasoned in my own head ).

[Caledonia]

This is not personal opinon this question can be based on chemisty of the drinks.

The answer would be whisk(e)y , I shall try and find the article I read about this .... where whisky has roughly a scale of flavours 4 times greater to that which wine offers. With regards to vodka being the least flavoursome. Beer was somewhere in between.

That is considering only the type of drink as a whole, not regarding what is available on the market.

From a chemical point of view then, shouldn't beer win?

Most wine is from a single fruit, grapes (or another fruit, but usually only that fruit).

Whiskey, currently, is a barley based product.

Beer, on the other hand, can have all kinds of grains, or sorghum. It also (usually) contains hops, although can have plenty of other spices (or lack hops, in the case of sahti, and others). And many beers can be barrel aged. Whiskey fermentation is innoculated, no? Not all beer ferementaions are innoculated (lambics of Belgium or the "wild ales" of other parts of the world).

Don't know if any of this is meaningful, just some thoughts (not really researched, either, just kind of reasoned in my own head ).

Its not as simple as ingredients ... alot makes a difference ...

.i agree that there are many varieties in flavour of other alcoholic drinks purely by how they are made and their ingredients

I am purely just saying that whisky provides a different class of range of flavours in one drink (one single malt for example) rated at about 4 times greater than wine (the 2nd largest range of flavours). One beer doesnt have that depth or range... maybe 10 - 100 might cover the range?

[ClubSmed]

I am purely just saying that whisky provides a different class of range of flavours in one drink (one single malt for example) rated at about 4 times greater than wine (the 2nd largest range of flavours). One beer doesn't have that depth or range... maybe 10 - 100 might cover the range?

I am confused, is the question about range of tastes in a single glass or about the spectrum of tastes over the range of a drink?

[Caledonia]

I am purely just saying that whisky provides a different class of range of flavours in one drink (one single malt for example) rated at about 4 times greater than wine (the 2nd largest range of flavours). One beer doesn't have that depth or range... maybe 10 - 100 might cover the range?

I am confused, is the question about range of tastes in a single glass or about the spectrum of tastes over the range of a drink?

Both sadly

[Liechtenstein]

I still say the winner is rum.