Creating Your Ultimate Scotch Whisky List

Everybody's doing it.

Everyone is talking about, exploring, and drinking single malt whisky. Are you and your bar up to speed? Do whisky lovers linger lovingly or do opportunities to satisfy their curiosity and palates go begging?

As with most worthwhile ventures, building a better whisky list at your establishment requires a thoughtful plan. You have to know what you want to accomplish. You have many concerns, not the least of which are budget and concerns of physical space (both in regard to your back bar and storage.)

When I work with bar clients, I always start with the seemingly simple question, "What do you want to achieve?" It's simple but vital; if you cannot envision and articulate your ultimate goal — whether it be higher sales, new clients, media recognition or keeping pace with the market — you will never succeed.

Bigger is not necessarily better. Many buyers or managers point to a competitor in the market place and cite the competitor's huge selection as an insurmountable obstacle to whisky success. Few establishments have the budget, commitment, and physical space to offer 100 plus whiskies. However, the biggest mistake that you could make is to believe that a triple-digit offering of whisky is your only path to success. A list that offers a few dozen choices can be just as appealing to the whisky aficionado, as most bars still offer just the usual suspects.

In the case of single malt whisky's usual suspects, the bar is set pretty high, as these labels offer both quality and high recognition. The usual suspects are found in most any bar with a clientele over the age of 25 and not attached to a bus station. They are: Glenfiddich, Macallan, Glenlivet and one or several of The Classic Malt line (Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Lagavulin, Oban, and Talisker) in the single malt category.

As I said, "usual" does not mean ordinary, and in fact I would be happy to sip any of these. However, the fact remains that these are the labels that are found most everywhere. While it's a good idea to offer these brands, if that's all you offer, you aren't a serious whisky destination.

So if you have determined to raise your whisky game and you know you can't offer every label for sale in your market, seek balance. A good whisky list offers a balance of price points, age statements (which typically directly correlate to price), style and familiarity.

The matter of price is rather simple, as you have these concerns in every aspect of your operation. Knowing your customers and your market is vital here. In all categories, patrons gravitate to the middle, so offer a good portion of your whisky menu in this zone.

Style is an important consideration for the whisky drinker. In some respects, style can be determined by the whisky's region. In Scotland, Island malts tend to be robust and peaty, while Lowland malts are most often delicate. Highland malts are full-bodied, while the Speyside malts tend to be slightly sweet with malt accents. Of course, this is a broad generalization, but with a little investigation you can unearth a whisky's style. Offering a variety of styles is a not-so-subtle cue to the whisky fan that you are tuned in to the world of whisky.

Then there is the issue of familiarity. It is important to offer the usual suspects, as these will act as your list's core soothing the novice whisky drinker while enticing them to look further at your impressive collection.

A good portion of your selections should come from the next tier of familiarity including malts such as: Ardbeg, Bowmore, Clynelish, Glenfarclas, Highland Park, Laphroaig and many more. Those who frequently drink Scotch whisky know malts in this tier.

To raise the stakes further, I always recommend offering something rare and unexpected. For this I like to offer whiskies from distilleries that have long closed but still have scant supplies in the marketplace.

Another way to offer something special is to serve a few whiskies from independent bottlers. Independent, or merchant, bottlers most often offer unique expressions (age statements) of whiskies from both famous and obscure distilleries.

Training

As it is always my mantra, I will now hit you with the obligatory training reference. More unique products surely will generate more questions from your patrons. Questions are good. They are definite buying signals and validate that your customers see something different or unusual that has sparked their interest. However, if your staff can't answer the questions, or worse yet, appears to be bothered or intimidated by the questions, the sales opportunity is likely gone, along with any goodwill that you have worked so hard to generate with your thoughtful selection.

Presentation should not be overlooked. An attractive display is always an eye-catcher and impresses even those who would never drink whisky. Your best tool, outside of a knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff, is a great menu. If your menu clearly outlines attributes such as style and key flavor and aromatic qualities you have gone far to raise the patrons' comfort level and with it, sales.

The final aspect of presentation is service. The best whisky bars utilize dedicated whisky glasses. These are not terribly expensive, and in many cases your suppliers can help with these. Also, be sure to bring your whisky customers a full water glass and ideally a small water pitcher so they may dose their whisky with the desired amount of fresh water. This small step really impresses the whisky drinker.

No corn stalks in sight here; building a great whisky list won't ensure that they will come to see your new whisky list (please excuse the gratuitous "Field of Dreams" reference). Talk with your suppliers and see about hosting regular whisky-oriented events at your establishment. Go to whisky events in your region and spread the word. It's a unique opportunity to learn more about your customers and those who should be your customers.

Sean Ludford is founder of BevX.com, a lifestyle magazine with a beverage (wine, beer, and spirits) focus, published exclusively online. He also is a judge at the San Francisco International Wine Competition and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.