Shanky's Whip

Whip is a whiskey bottled under the Shanky's label. The product details don't give a style, age statement, proof or origin, so check the bottle's label for those before you match it to a recipe. What follows is guidance for whiskey in general, written to help you taste and serve this one sensibly. Start with a small pour at room temperature, neat or with a few drops of water. Water loosens the aroma and tends to bring out the grain and sweetness underneath the alcohol. In most whiskeys of this kind, expect cereal notes from the grain, some vanilla and caramel from the cask, and a little baking spice. How heavy the oak, char or sweetness runs depends on the bottling, and a first neat pour will show you. Pour that first taste into a Glencairn or a similar tulip-shaped glass. The narrow rim concentrates the aroma, and it's the better choice for judging the whiskey on its own. Once you know whether it's sweet and soft or dry and spicy, move to a rocks glass. A single large cube chills the pour slowly and dilutes it gently. Smaller cubes melt faster and can flatten a lighter-bodied whiskey. If you're mixing, the classic recipes show a whiskey's character best. An Old Fashioned (sugar, bitters, a twist of orange peel) suits a whiskey with some oak and sweetness. A Manhattan with sweet vermouth and bitters gives the spice room to come through. For a Whiskey Sour, shake whiskey with fresh lemon juice and simple syrup, with egg white if you want a silkier texture. For a Highball, use a tall glass of ice, about two ounces of whiskey and three to four ounces of cold soda water, finished with a lemon peel. The Highball is the easiest way to find out whether you like the whiskey in a longer drink.