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Whisk(e)yAn Introduction
Overview
●What is Whiskey?●Types of Whiskey ●How Whiskey Is Made●Taste!
"Water of Life"
Uisge Beatha
What is Whiskey?
Whiskey or Whisky refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden casks.
Types of Whiskey
MALT
Made solely from malted barley in copper pot stills. Malted barley is barley that has been soaked in water and sprouted. This is considered the original whisky of the Scottish Highlands. (Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, MacAllan)
Types of Whiskey
GRAIN
Typically made from wheat or corn (maize), along with unmalted and/or malted barley. Mostly used for blending, but some are bottled and sold as grain whiskey. (Cameron Brig, Hedonism)
Types of Whiskey
BLENDS
A mix of malt whisky and grain whiskey. Most blends are 40% malt whisky and 60% grain whiskey. However, some premium blends are as high as 70% malt whisky. Some blends can be as low as 10% malt. The age indicated is the youngest whisky in the bottle. (Johnnie Walker, Chivas, Jameson)
Types of Whiskey
SINGLE MALT
Malt whisky from one distillery. Single malt whisky can be blended whisky of different ages, strengths, and tastes. (MacAllan, Highland Park, Talisker)
Types of Whiskey
VATTED MALT
Blended malt whisky from multiple distilleries. Also known as blended malt, pure malt and 100% malt whisky. (Johnnie Walker Green Label, Famous Grouse Pure Malt).
Types of Whiskey
PURE POT STILL WHISKEY Made from a mix of malted and unmalted barley. Unique to Ireland. (Redbreast, Green Spot)
Types of Whiskey
SCOTCH
Whisky that is distilled and bottled in Scotland. By law, Scotch must be matured for a minimum of 3 years, but typically 10 or more. Nothing but water and caramel coloring may be added at bottling. Blends account for 92% of all Scotch. (Johnnie Walker, Famous Grouse, Chivas)
Types of Whiskey
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH
Malt whisky produced at an individual distillery in Scotland. This can be blended from multiple expressions and varieties of malt whisky produced at the same distillery. (Balvenie, Glenrothes, Ardbeg)
Types of Whiskey
IRISH
Whiskey distilled and bottled in Ireland. Most Irish whiskey is blended, but there are a few Irish single malts. Irish whiskey is triple distilled and unpeated for a smoother and lighter taste. (Jameson, Bushmill's, Tullamore Dew)
Types of Whiskey
CANADIAN
Made from rye, barley, wheat or corn, or any mixture (no minimums of any one grain). All Canadian whiskey is blended, and each blend may contain between 15 and 50 whiskies. Must be matured for at least 3 years, and typically 6-8 years. (Crown Royal, Seagram's, Canadian Club)
Types of Whiskey
BOURBON
Made from at least 51% corn, along with barley, wheat or rye. Most bourbon is made in Kentucky. Matured in new, charred white-oak casks for at least two years. (Maker's Mark, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey)
Types of Whiskey
TENNESSEE WHISKEY
Similar to bourbon, but with the unique difference being the charcoal filtering step between distillation and maturation called mellowing. (Jack Daniel's)
Types of Whiskey
RYE
At least 51% rye. Relatively rare today, but rye was the original American whiskey. Canada produces a lot of rye whiskey today, but to different standards than American rye. (Pikesville, Rittenhouse, Sazerac)
Types of Whiskey
JAPANESE
Japanese whiskey is modeled after Scotch malt whisky. It began in the 1920s and has become popular in recent years. Japanese distilleries do not trade whiskies for blending, so they are mostly single malt whiskies. (Suntory, Yamazaki, Hakushu)
How Whiskey Is Made
● Malting● Mashing● Fermenting● Distilling● The Cut● Filling into Casks● Maturation● Blending● Bottling
How Whiskey Is Made
MALTING
Soaking the barley to make the grains germinate and produce shoots. The malted barley is then kiln dried. If peat is used in the drying process, the malt will have a smoky flavor. Malting maximizes the starch content which is converted to sugar and later alcohol.
How Whiskey Is Made
MASHING
The malt is then milled to produce a course flour called grist. The grist is mixed with hot water in a mashtun to extract soluble sugars. This mixture of water and sugars is known as wort, which is piped into a washback for fermentation.
How Whiskey Is Made
FERMENTING
Once in the washback, the wort is mixed with yeast and heated. The yeast feed on the sugars in the wort and convert it into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This takes about 48-72 hours and results in a relatively strong beer called wash which is then piped into the still.
How Whiskey Is Made
DISTILLING
The wash is then boiled in a still. Since alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, it is separated into a vapor which is then condensed back into liquid. Most whiskey is distilled twice. The first still is called the wash still and the second still is called the spirit still. Irish whiskey get distilled three times. The resulting liquid is a much stronger alcohol content called spirit, at about 70% alcohol.
How Whiskey Is Made
THE CUT
After the spirit has been made, the first and last parts of the "run" are not pure enough for use. The "middle cut" or "the cut" is the usable spirit, which is called "new make." The new make is drinkable at this point and will exhibit some characteristics of the final whiskey, but without the complexities, depth and color which come with maturation.
How Whiskey Is Made
FILLING INTO CASKS
The new make will be reduced in strength to about 64% alcohol by volume, and piped into oak casks for maturation. American whiskey goes into new, charred barrels, while Scotch goes into used barrels.
How Whiskey Is Made
MATURATION
The clear, new make will slowly develop into a dark colored, complex whiskey over years of maturation. Scotch is aged a minimum of 3 years by law. A portion of the whiskey is lost to evaporation, about 5-10% a year. This portion is known as the angel's share.
How Whiskey Is Made
BLENDING
After maturation the whiskey is then blended with other whiskies to balance and combine flavors and provide consistency. These whiskies can be from other distilleries to form a blend, or from the same distillery to form a single malt.
How Whiskey Is Made
BOTTLING
The blended whiskey is then reduced to bottling strength by adding water. Most whiskey is bottled at around 40-43% ABV (80-86 proof). Cask strength bottlings are also released by some distilleries, and are not diluted at all. Bottling and labeling may be done automated or by hand for smaller batches.
Taste!
Slàinte maith!