There’s a lot about whiskey that we find confusing. You too?
That may sound odd coming from a whiskey company. Let’s back up. When we started Misunderstood we had a passion for whiskey, a deep interest in the process, and… that’s about it. So. Clearly we had some learning to do.
We wanted to know if clear liquor really is better for you than dark liquor. Or, for that matter, if there were any health benefits to whiskey. We asked, is whiskey gluten free? What about vegan? Does it go bad? Is it actually liquid sunshine? (Just kidding— we already knew the answer to that one was yes.)
Luckily we like to learn just as much as we like to drink. (Okay, maybe almost as much). Educating ourselves on all things whiskey not only helped us craft the best quality product we could make, it also gives us the chance to answer the same burning smokey whiskey questions we once had. Thus, here are your whiskey 101 questions, asked and answered.
**Feel free to take a shot for each whiskey question you don’t know the answer to.
Is whiskey gluten free?
If you saw this on a school quiz, you might’ve called it a trick question. Because perhaps you heard whiskey is made from things like barley, wheat, rye. And perhaps you knew that gluten is a protein found mainly in things like… barely, wheat, and rye. So, answering that whiskey isn’t gluten free could be considered an educated guess.
But, if you’re playing our little drinking game (which, we’d make the educated guess, wasn’t part of your teacher’s recommended study methods)— now’s about the time for you to have a shot.
As it turns out, whiskey IS considered gluten free.
We imagine the gluten-intolerant people who just took a shot are taking a sigh of relief. While you do that, let us tell you why. The answer’s in the whiskey-making process, specifically, how it separates the alcohol from the solids.
To make this easily digestible, AKA the opposite of gluten to someone with an intolerance, let’s slow it down a bit and use an example, oh I don’t know, let’s just use Misunderstood Whiskey.
So at Misunderstood we take our midwestern corn mash bill (our mix of ingredients mashed together and fermented), and distill it. The distillation process separates the components based on their boiling points.
Heat makes the alcohol vaporize first, so it rises and leaves all the rest behind (including those pesky gluten proteins).
Then the alcohol condenses back into a liquid (without those pesky gluten proteins.)
We age it in used American oak barrels, where, you guessed it— there aren’t any pesky gluten proteins.
Or, if you don’t care about all that and just want to know what the experts say: the Celiac Disease Foundation, the American Dietetic Association, and a consensus among scientists consider pure, distilled whiskey to be gluten-free.
Now, we don’t want to speak for all whiskey, as it’s possible that some add flavorings containing gluten after the distillation process. So it’s important to be mindful. We can speak for ourselves though, and here at Misunderstood we’re proud to raise a glass to our clean process and to the scientists.
Is whiskey vegan?
This one is simple. The answer is yes, whiskey is vegan. Usually. Or depending on what kind of vegan you are. Fine, it can be a bit more complicated.
But we’ll make it simple for you by letting you know that Misunderstood whiskey is vegan. So all you animal-loving, health conscious, environmentalist do-gooders who deserve a toast (and a drink) can rest easy knowing they’re cheersing with a vegan friendly product.
Still wondering about the complicated bit?
Well some whiskeys add honey, which the Vegan Society doesn’t deem vegan, as it comes from an animal. And there are also some vegans who do use bee products. So it comes down to personal preference. If you don’t eat honey, and it’s not Misunderstood Whiskey, just keep an eye out for labels.
One of our favorite perfect-for-fall recipes is our Ginger Hot Toddy. And we don’t want vegans to miss out on the deliciousness of this cocktail, so we suggest swapping the honey for maple syrup. It’s an easy substitute that adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Does whiskey go bad?
Unopened whiskey doesn’t go bad.
It also won’t get better. Unlike wine, whiskey stops aging once it’s bottled. So don’t save a bottle of whiskey thinking it’ll enhance the taste.
An already opened bottle is a different story. It won’t become unsafe to drink, but exposure to oxygen will change the flavor over time— and not in a good way. And the more you drink, the more oxygen in the bottle, the shorter that “good whiskey” window becomes.
If you’re saving a bottle, or have an opened bottle, here are some best practices to follow. Or, since we find it a little unholy to deplete the quality of a good bottle of whiskey, let’s call them commandments.
* Please note: the sacred Whiskey Scripture indicates a separate shot be taken for every commandment you were previously unaware of. (Feel free to say a prayer before each one.)
WHISKEY COMMANDMENTS
Thou shalt keep bottles upright— Sideways might be fine for wine, but whiskey’s high proof content will deteriorate the cork which will suck for the taste of your whiskey.
Thou shalt avoid putting a bottle of whiskey in direct sunlight— It messes up the flavor and the color.
Honor thy dark spaces— A cupboard, a cabinet, a cardboard box. These are heaven-sent spots for storing your whiskey.
Honor thy below-room-temperature rooms— It’s best to keep your whiskey somewhere cool to slow oxidation.
Honor thy rooms with a consistent climate even more— Cool spaces were the cool thing, like, a commandment ago. However, even more important is a space with a stable temperature. Fluctuating temps cause the whiskey to expand and contract, at which point it would take a miracle to control the amount of oxygen seeping in.
Once opened, thou shalt keep a bottle sacred— by moving the remaining liquid to a smaller sized, sealed container.
Thou shalt not kill the quality of an opened bottle of whiskey by waiting too long to drink it— Some say it’ll stay good for a year or two, while others recommend finishing an opened bottle within six months.
Thou shalt not bear witness to thy neighbor who claims to have aged a bottle of whiskey for years— remember: once bottled, that’s the best that whiskey is gonna be. Anything else is what we’d call Immaculate Aging.
If thou finds thouself coveting thou’s own bottle of whiskey… forget the special occasion thou is saving it for and pop that sucker open. The whiskey gods will thank you.
Is whiskey good for you / does whiskey have health benefits?
As a matter of fact, it’s been scientifically proven that a glass of whiskey a day increases your dopamine levels, strengthens your core muscles, enhances your ability to run a marathon, ups your chances of getting a promotion, and—
No, none of that’s true.
But if you’re a whiskey 101 beginner who has been playing our drinking game: Did you believe us for a second?
Look, liquor is liquor. There’s the ongoing myth about clear liquor being better than brown liquor, there have been studies claiming some liquor has heart benefits, other studies claiming no amount of alcohol provides health benefits.
Our personal belief? Well, despite what possibly could be considered as encouragement to do shots above, It’s all about moderation.
And quality ingredients.
Going the extra mile to ensure the same amount of care that goes into what you eat is going into what you drink.
You already know now that Misunderstood is gluten-free and vegan friendly. We also use natural, non-artificial ingredients. Because we genuinely care about giving you the best tasting, best quality product. Who else would jump into this with no knowledge base?
Since whiskey’s been good for us, it’s important to us that it’s good for you too.
Or if you don’t care about our spiel on health, once again, take it away expert:
Grace Jones became the oldest person in Great Britain when she turned 112 in 2018. She has since passed, but when she reached that milestone age, Jones credited whiskey as the key to her long life. Her words at the time:
“I started having a nightly tot of it when I turned 50 so I’ve been having it every night for the last 60 years and I certainly have no intention of stopping now.”
In conclusion, we’d like to raise our glass to all you new masters of Whiskey 101, to Misunderstood, and to not stopping now. Cheers!
