Whiskey 101

Whiskey, or whisky, depending on your geographical persuasion, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Grains used in the process include barley, corn, rye, and wheat. The amber spirit's name is derived from the Irish and Scottish Gaelic term "uisge beatha" or "usquebaugh", meaning "water of life."

The History of Whiskey

Monasteries of Ireland and Scotland in the early 15th century, a period when distilling techniques were brought over from continental Europe to make perfumes. When the monasteries lost their influence due to the reformation, the art of distillation made its way to the common folk, who promptly realized that these techniques could be used to produce a rather delightful spirit from grains.

- 1608 founding of Bushmills, the world's oldest licensed distillery, we see whiskey transitioning from a home-brewed potion of the peasants to a refined drink of the noble class.

-19th century in America was marked by the infamous Whiskey Rebellion and the introduction of continuous, or column, stills, which allowed for more efficient production. Later, the American whiskey industry faced its toughest challenge yet - Prohibition.

- 21st century has seen an explosion in the popularity and diversity of whiskey. Craft distilleries are blossoming worldwide, and innovation is leading to the creation of whiskeys that challenge and intrigue the palate in previously unimagined ways.

The Production Process Of Whiskey

The process of making whiskey is an art as old as time, combining science, patience, and a good deal of skill. Here's how it all happens:

1. Malting: This initial stage is crucial for whiskey made from barley, particularly single malt Scotch whisky. The barley is soaked in water and then spread out on a malting floor to germinate. It's turned regularly to maintain a consistent temperature. The purpose of this process is to convert the insoluble starch in barley into soluble sugars to prepare it for fermentation. When germination is just right, it's halted by drying the grain in a kiln.
2. Mashing: The dried malt is then ground into a coarse flour called 'grist'. This grist is mixed with hot water in a mash tun. The water dissolves the sugars in the grist to create a sweet liquid known as 'wort'. The remaining solids, known as 'draff', are often used as animal feed.
3. Fermentation: The wort is transferred into a large vessel called a washback, where it's cooled and yeast is added. Yeast consumes the sugars in the wort and converts them into alcohol, producing a liquid known as 'wash', which is essentially a type of beer with an alcohol content around 6-8%.
4. Distillation: This is where the magic really starts. The wash is distilled in large copper stills. The first round of distillation occurs in the 'wash still', which removes impurities and increases the alcohol content to about 20%. The liquid, now called 'low wines', is distilled a second time in the 'spirit still'. Only the 'middle cut' or 'heart' of this second distillation, which has the desired flavors, progresses to the next stage. This distillation process is what gives whiskey its alcohol content, which can range from 40% to 60%.
5. Aging: The distilled spirit is then aged in wooden casks, traditionally oak. This is an incredibly important step in the whiskey-making process because the interaction between the spirit and the wood is what gives the whiskey much of its flavor and its distinctive brown color. The length of aging can vary widely, but by law, all whiskey must be aged for a minimum of three years. Note that the whiskey only ages in the barrel; once it's bottled, the aging process stops.
6. Bottling: After aging, most whiskies are diluted before bottling, though some are bottled at cask strength. Sometimes, whiskies from different barrels are blended together to create the final product.