Explaining The Class System With Whisky

By Maltmannie

There’s nothing like a good debate over a dram or two. Recently two friends were at my place for an evening of catching up and whisky. One way or another the discussion came round to the class system. June didn’t understand the class system so we set out to explain it in terms of something she does understand: Whisky!

The Working Class As A Whisky

The working class’s equivalent in whisky terms is a blended whisky, plentiful and wide-ranging. From the Asda own brand to Johnnie Walker the whiskies are dependable, but nothing special.

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The Lower Middle Class As A Whisky

Laphroaig 10 year old is a great analogy for the lower middle class. A whisky that is relatively common and accesible, but has a good deal more reputation in the world of whisky.

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The Upper Middle Class As A Whisky

The distinction between lower and upper middle classes is often blurred, so we chose Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban to portray this subtle difference to June. The Quinta Ruban is matured in bourbon casks and “finished” in port casks, giving it that little extra edge over its contemporaries.

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The Upper Class As A Whisky

The whisky equivalent of the upper class is exclusive and inaccessible to most. The most fitting whisky we had to illustrate this was the 125.13 bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. This whisky is from a single cask and is only available to Society Members, there were only ever 300 bottles of it and they are now all sold.

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Summing up

I love whisky in general, the fact that there are classes of whisky doesn’t mean any of them are less worthy than others. Some whiskies are just a little more special, on that point we all agreed!