Whisky Basics

Whisky is a spirit of at least 40% ABV, made from fermenting a cereal and aging it in wooden barrels. If a spirit is less than 40% ABV (Alcohol By Volume) not made from a cereal or not aged in barrels for a minimum amount of time, it cannot be legally called a whisky. Barley is the grain of choice for most Scotch whisky, however corn, rye, wheat or other grains and combinations can all be used. The grain of choice was often a product of what was readily available in the area of production. Whisky from Ireland and America is usually spelt whiskey (with an ‘e’) whilst whisky from the rest of the world is spelt without the ‘e’.

Single Malt means a whisky that has been produced at a single distillery. This does not mean the whisky in the bottle is all the same and is often a mix of whiskies of different ages all from the same distillery.

An Age Statement, is the age printed on the whisky label and refers to the youngest whisky used in the bottle, even if only a small percentage of the whisky is that age.

Single Cask or Single Barrel means that every bottle in a particular batch came from a single cask or barrel.

Cask Strength means that the whisky was bottled at or near the ABV that is was inside the barrel. Whisky other than Cask Strength, has had water added to it to bring the final product down to a specific ABV for bottling.

Blended whisky, means made from mixing a variety of whisky from multiple distilleries, often with at least one grain whisky.

Grain whisky, is made using a column still (also called a continuous or Coffey still) rather than a pot still and predominantly a grain other than malted barley. Typically, grain whisky is made using wheat, but a small amount of malted barely is added for its plant enzymes. Grain whisky can be made in large quantities quickly and cheaply, but has less complexity of flavour than malt whisky distilled in a pot still.

Whisky is made all over the world but the main whisky producing countries are Scotland, Ireland, the USA, Canada and Japan.

Whisky can only be referred to as Irish, if it is produced in Ireland.

Whisky can only be referred to as Scotch, if it is produced in Scotland.

The recognised whisky producing regions of Scotland are Highlands, Speyside, Islay, Campbeltown and Lowlands, although the other whisky producing islands such as Orkney, Skye, Mull, Jura and Arran are often grouped together and referred to collectively as the Islands region. Despite being grouped into regions, there is no true regional signature since any style of whisky could be technically made anywhere.

Whisky does not have a vintage in the same way wine does. Whisky production is not affected by seasonal weather in the same way that wine is.

Malt is a general term for a grain after it has undergone the malting process.

Malting is when grain has been steeped (soaked in water), undergone germination (sprouted) and dried. This process causes hard starches within the grain to be converted into soft starches. Unlike hard starches, these soft starches can be converted to sugar by enzymes within the grain. Malted barely is added to corn and rye when making Bourbon because it is rich in enzymes that convert soft starches to sugars. In the production of Canadian Whiskey, only the isolated enzymes are added, rather than barely.

Kilning is the process of heating and drying the malted grain. The heat halts the germination process when the soft starches have been unlocked within the grain but before they have been converted to sugars by the plant enzymes. This is also the time when peat can be used to add a smoky character to the malt. Peat is burnt and the aromatic smoke is infused with the damp malt.

Peat is layers of partley decomposed plant material that builds up and is compressed over thousands of years. Ground water prevents the peat from rotting and the dense plant material can be cut from the ground, dried and burnt. In parts of Scotland where there are few trees, peat is a readily available, free alternative to fire wood. Peat can be found on all continents except Antarctica, but has different aromatic properties depending of the makeup of the plant material that forms it.

Fermentation is the anaerobic (in the absence of oxygen) decomposition of sugars and starches contained within organic material (cereal) into alcohol and carbon dioxide by microorganisms such as yeast.

Distillation means purifying a solution through a process of heating and condensing and in whisky production refers to separating alcohol from water to create a spirit.

Newmake is the name given to the clear, freshly distilled spirit, prior to being placed in a barrel for ageing.

Once removed from the barrel, whisky ceases to age. Whisky does not age in the bottle, nor does it become better or worse over time.

Whisky is typically aged in oak barrels that are charred on the inside. The charcoal layer on the inside of the barrel acts as a natural filter for the whisky, filtering out unwanted chemical components.

Bourbon, is a whisky, however it has another set of requirements in order to be called a bourbon. By law, Bourbon must be aged in new American oak barrels, once used, these barrels can be re-used to age other types of whisky such as Scotch. An ex-bourbon cask, is an American oak barrel that has previously aged bourbon. Ex-bourbon barrels are re-charred before being used again.

Another common barrel used to age whisky is an ex-sherry cask. These barrels are made of European oak and have previously held sherry. The insides of ex-sherry casks are shaved and charred before being filled with whisky. Barrels that have held wine, port and beer are also used.