Stage 5
Spirits & Liquors
Whisky
Malt Whisky
Malt whisky is made is exclusively from barley. There are 6 main steps to making Whisky:
- Malting - The barley is soaked for about 48 hours. This causes the seed to germinate and when it does this it converts the starch contained within it into sugar, which is intended to feed the new plantlet. The sprouted barley is put into a kiln, which is fuelled by peat. This stops the germination and the peat also contributes to the flavour.
- Milling - The next stage is to grind the barley after which it is known as grist.
- Mashing - The grist is then added to hot water and put into a mash ton in order to dissolve the sugar. After mashing the water is separated from the solids.
- Fermentation - fermentation takes place resulting in a liquid called Wort, which is around 8% alcohol.
- Distilling - Malt whisky is distilled in a pot still usually twice but occasionally three times.
The spirit is matured in oak barrels that are often old American oak Bourbon barrels for a minimum of 3 years and up to 25 years with the average being 8 to 12 years. During this time the whisky will mellow. Other vessels are often used such as Port pipes, sherry butts, and wine and Madeira casks.
Malt whiskies fall into 4 groups:
- Lowlands - made south of an imaginary line drawn from Dundee to Greenock. These whiskies are light-medium bodied and have a nose of hay/grass
- Highlands - made north of the imaginary line and include the islands and Speyside. These whiskies are medium bodied with a light-medium smoky nose.
- Cambletown - from the town on the mull of Kintyre. These whiskies are very similar to Highland. Medium bodied with a light-medium smoky nose
- Islay - from the island of the same name, med bodied with a strong peaty nose.
Blended Whisky
The base for blended whisky is a grain whisky, which is made from a mixture of oats, wheat and rye with a little barley. This whisky is then blended with a proportion of malt whisky.
Irish
The difference between Irish whiskey and Scottish whisky is that Irish is made with a mixture of malted and un-malted Barley and other grains. The malted barley is malted using coal and not peat and the spirit is distilled 3 times in a pot still. By not using peat the taste will be different and by distilling 3 times the alcohol level will be higher and the spirit will contain less congeners.
Bourbon & Tennessee Whiskey
Bourbon is a whisky made with at least 51% corn grain. Producers usually use a little barley to assist with the fermentation. It is distilled using a continuous or patent still and must be aged in American oak barrels for a minimum of 4 years.
See the Scotch Whisky Association.