Whiskey is a strong alcoholic beverage that is obtained by distilling fermented beer wort and then aged in wooden barrels. The raw materials for whiskey are barley, rye, wheat and corn.
Whiskey has long been the favorite drink of the Celtic peoples. For Scots and Irish, it has the same meaning as vodka for Russians and Poles. Scotland and Ireland continue to argue over which of them belongs to the right to be called the birthplace of whiskey, but there are no laws restricting the use of the word "whiskey" only for drinks produced in these countries. That is why, along with the famous Scotch (it is often called so - "scotch") and Irish whiskey, Canadian and American, as well as Japanese and Indian whiskeys are also produced.
The name of this drink comes from the Gaelic language (spoken in Ireland): uisge (or uisce) beatha means "water of life". The first written records of whiskey date back to the 15th century, although it is assumed that Irish and Scottish monks were able to distill mash from grain several centuries before that date.
Whiskey production is an interesting process with several stages.
Malting - heat treatment and fermentation. The production of malt and grain whiskey is slightly different. For the first, the stage of malting is required, that is, germination of barley. During this process, enzymes are activated - enzymes that are needed to convert starch into sugar and ultimately into alcohol. For grain whiskey, wheat or corn is cooked to convert the starch into breakdown sugars. Then the wort is prepared from the ground grain and water. After about two days of fermentation, the wort gains 6-8% alcohol and is ready for distillation.
Distillation. The whiskey wort is distilled twice, usually in copper stills. The product of the first distillation no longer contains yeast and other sediment, and the alcohol level rises to 20%. During the second distillation, three fractions of alcohols are allocated - the first ("head"), middle ("heart") and the last ("tail"), but only the middle one will be used for further production of whiskey. The alcohol level in it is about 68%.
Excerpt. The next stage is aging in wooden barrels. During aging, the whiskey acquires its characteristic amber color, and the taste becomes richer and softer. Some of the alcohol evaporates. Scotch whiskey is legally required to be kept in barrels for at least 3 years, but manufacturers increase this period to 8, 10, 12, 15 or more years for expensive brands. After bottling, the natural aroma and taste of whiskey does not change.
Blending. The aging is followed by the stage of blending, that is, the preparation of the final, "final" drink (not to be confused with blended whiskey!). Different batches of malt whiskey or grain and malt whiskeys can be blended together. After the blend, the drink is again given a little "rest" so that different tastes have time to unite.
Types and varieties
The raw materials for whiskey are barley, rye, wheat and corn.
- Malt whiskey is a whiskey made only from malted barley.
- Grain whiskey is made from wheat, rye and corn.
- Blended whiskey is produced by mixing malt and grain whiskey.
In addition to the classification by raw material, it is customary to distinguish the following types of malt whiskey:
Vatted malt is a blend of malt whiskeys from various distilleries. Such a drink may be labeled pure malt or blended malt on the label.
Single malt - malt whiskey from a single distillery. If the label does not indicate single cask (separate barrel), then such a whiskey is a product of blending of different batches inside the distillery.
Single cask - malt whiskey from a separate barrel. The bottled beverage can retain its cask strength or be diluted to the standard alcohol content of 40 or 43%.
Cask strength - Cask strength malt whiskey. Quite a rare drink that retains its cask strength, which is from 50 to 65% alcohol.
