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!