A Stand on No Age Statements
[UPDATE] On a NAS award-winning whisky
The Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask just won the Whisky of the Year 2015 in the Jim Murray Whisky Bible. A NAS released in 2013, it is described as “near incredible genius”, awarded 97.5 marks out of 100 for “nose of exquisite boldness” and finish of “light, teasing spice”.
What is a No Age Statement (NAS)?
A pretty controversial issue in the whisky world, the No Age Statement simply means that it consists of a blend of whiskies of all ages. The minimum age for a whisky to be classified as a whisky is 3 years old so a NAS whisky could contain a blend of whiskies from 3 YO onwards.
Why do distilleries create a NAS whisky?
Well, it gives them more flexibility in dealing with gaps in production. So, if you have a 12 YO standard bottling in the market, and the 12 YO casks can’t quite produce the flavour that you are looking for, you’re kind of stuck.
So, in developing the NAS, distillers have more space for innovation and can utilise a greater variety of their stock to develop a distinctive taste.
Why the controversy then?
Part of the romance of whisky is knowing that the golden liquid in your hand has been sitting in a cellar for 12, 18, 21 years old. So, selling young whiskies will deplete the stock of the whiskies that we have come to know and love, creating a void in that segment. For now, it seems like a good way to meet the short term demand for whiskies all over the world.
The current NAS whiskies in the market, especially the Japanese ones, are actually pretty good. The worry then is the temptation to play around with the formula (since the distillers have carte blanche to do whatever they want), so the quality of whisky declines. Regardless, we think that the distillers have a brand to protect and the quality would not deviate too far from their standards.
Then how?
We think the NAS whiskies are a good introduction to each whisky brand, especially since they have free reign to develop a distinctive taste. It becomes a calling card of sorts.
For example if you have not tried a Japanese whisky, the Yamazaki Distillers Reserve would be a good introduction to the Yamazaki range.
With more whisky drinkers (in all forms — neat, ice, highball etc), the spectrum of fanaticism will grow. The trend will then grow from single malt to single cask. This opens up the market to everyone who wants to set up more brands of whisky as they can choose casks, bottle it themselves and then brand it under their own brand. For us whisky warriors, that would be the ultimate dream ☺
So, take all the criticism with a pinch of salt, taste it for yourself and decide if the NAS is for you!
