APPEARANCE
Any spirit that has been aged in a wooden barrel for any length of time will take on a brown-ish colour for the wood. However, there are huge differences within each of the categories of whisky, brandy and rum.
For instance, brandy can range from straw yellow to dark tan and can even have greenish tints. Rum, however, can be completely clear in the case of white runs, with aged caribbean rums taking on a deep deep mahogany hue. Whisky tends to be described as amber in colour, but it can be lighter or darker depending on how long it has been barrelled.
FLAVOUR
The flavour and aroma is where you will immediately notice the differences between brandy, whisky, and rum. With endless brands and varieties to choose from, you really can experiment with finding your favourites. However, while there are infinite differences, any spirit that has spent time aging in a wooden barrel will have characteristics of oak, spice and vanilla.
In general, brandy has a fruity flavour and a subtle sweetness then ultimately depends on the fruits used to make it. It is also often described as oaky and can have hints of vanilla, spice and even tobacco.
Regardless of the variant, the underlying flavour profile of rum is sweet, toasted sugar. Light rum tends to be fresher and sweeter while dark rum has richer, deeper qualities.Flavours rums are incredibly popular, and producers often add additional ingredients to rums including citrus, spice, coconut, banana, and other tropical fruits to meet this demand.
The flavours of whisky can be complex with descriptions including smoky, sweet, floral, oaky, peaty, nutty, and nutty. These differences are determined by, where the whisky has been produced and how it has been aged. For example, Ballantine’s Finest, our blended scotch whisky has a subtle, sweet taste with flavours of milk chocolate, red apple, and vanilla. However, our 18-year-old whisky is characterised by sweet orange and blackcurrant flavours, with creamy notes and a texture of honey.
Serving
When it comes to how to drink whisky, there really are no rules. You can enjoy it neat, over ice, or create classic whisky drinks such as an Old Fashioned or Penicillin cocktail.
Rum is very similar in this way. It’s perfect on its own, especially if you simply want to enjoy the nuances of the drink. To mellow out the alcohol vapours, you can add a splash of water too. If cocktails are more your bag, rum is a key component of a Piña Colada, Mai Tai and Daiquiri.
Brandy is typically served at room temperature, neat in a snifter glass and is considered an after-dinner or late-evening drink. If straight spirits aren’t your thing though, brandy can also be used as the basis for many great cocktails.
Of course, you can combine brandy, rum, and whisky in various ratios and with the addition of other ingredients to create your own cocktail recipes. For example, our Apple Old Fashioned uses just four ingredients, including whisky and brandy, for a drink that is fruity, spicy and seriously tasty.