Chapter 5 Flashcards
What countries have an established reputation for premium whiskies?
The USA
Canada
Scotland
Ireland
Japan
What are the two things that all whiskies have in common?
They are made from grains
They are matured in oak
———— are seeds that are produced by a number of different species of grass.
Grains
What are the most important grains used to make whisky?
Barley
Corn
Wheat
Rye
Distillers are interested in the store of starch in each grain that needs to be converted into sugar. There are two techniques to convert starch into sugar. What are those?
Malting
Cooking
How is Barley used by distillers for the production of Whisky?
Typically malted
How are corn, wheat, and rye typically used by distillers?
They are cooked and then mixed with malted barley
The grains of barley are placed in a warm, damp room and as a result they start to grow. As they grow, the new plant releases chemicals called enzymes. After a few days the plant has done its job and the growth in the grain, now called green malt, is stopped by heating the grains. What is the name of this process?
Malting and the barley is called malted barley
Who will determine the type of still that should be used by whisky producers?
Local laws
When is peat aromas added to whisky?
When the green malt is heated
In Whisky making corn, wheat, and rye are not malted. The grains are crushed mixed with water and cooked at a high temperature. What is the outcome of this process?
The heat converts the starch into soluble form
Why do whisky distillers add some crushed malted barley to their crushed cooked grain liquid?
The enzymes in the malted barley convert all the starch that is present to sugar.
What does the liquid that is sent for fermentation and production of a spirit called?
Wort and it’s sugary
What is the goal of maturation in Whisky production?
To balance the oak flavors with those that come from grains.
In blending whiskies, a distiller may choose to use pronounced spirits, what are these called?
Flavouring spirits
What are the three different types of whiskies produced in the USA?
Bourbon
Tennessee
Rye whiskey
True or false?
Bourbon can be made anywhere in the USA, but the vast majority of production is located in the state of Kentucky.
True
What is the minimum amount of corn required for the production of Bourbon?
51%
What are the main characteristics of a spirit that is made with a minimum 51% corn?
Corn makes a relatively soft whiskey with sweetcorn aromas
Why do Bourbon distillers use flavouring grains?
To bring extra character to their whiskeys
What is the role of malted barley in whiskey production?
It’s enzymes are used for converting starches of other grains into sugar
What flavors does rye bring to bourbon?
Spicy notes and rye-bread aromas
What contribution does wheat make to Bourbon?
Wheat brings a soft and smooth texture
What does the combination of grains called in Bourbon production?
Mash bill
What still is commonly used in Bourbon production?
Column still called beer still. It doesn’t have viewing windows.
What are the characteristics of a Bourbon spirit coming out of a still?
Bourbon by law is relatively low strength
What kind of cask should be used for bourbon maturation?
New charred-oak barrels
What flavor characteristics does a new charred oak barrel impart into a spirit?
A lot of intense aromas of vanilla, coconut, and sweet spice
The legal controls that require a high percentage of corn, low strength and the use of new charred oak means that Bourbon typically has…
Pronounced flavors and a warming and sometimes sharp texture
What makes a whiskey, a Tennessee whiskey?
Can only be made in Tennessee
It must be made from 51% corn
Filtered through maple-wood charcoal
Then be matured in new charred-oak barrels
The law requires the newly made spirit for Tennessee whiskey should be filtered through maple-wood charcoal before going into barrel. What does this process called?
Lincoln County Process
What contribution does filtration make to Tennessee whiskey?
Softens and smooths the spirit
How is Rye whiskey made?
In an almost identical way to Bourbon except that 51% of the grains used must be rye
Rye whiskey is characterized by———-
a spice flavor/aroma particular to rye, lemon zest, rye bread
True or false
Canadian whisky is dominated by blends.
True
What kind of whisky is this?
Distillers typically produce their brands by blending a small amount of a pronounced whisky with a light-flavoring whisky normally made using corn and distilled to a high strength.
Canadian
The most commonly used flavouring whiskies used in Canadian Whisky are made from ———
Rye
What is a Canadian Rye Whisky/ Rye Whisky?
A Canadian whisky with Rye Flavouring in the final blend
Large Canadian whisky brands have a very soft character, why is that?
This is due to the high percentage of corn used
What are the two most important whiskies of Scotland?
Single Malt Scotch
Blended Scotch
What are the requirements of Single Malt Scotch
Can only be made using malted barley
Must be distilled using a pot still
Most of them are double distilled
Must be matured for a minimum of three years in oak barrels
It’s a product of one distillery
They are complex blends made from a mix of older and younger spirits
What is the main characteristics of a single malt whisky?
Barley gives a distinct flavor of malt and cereal
What is peat?
Damp, partly decayed vegetation that is cut from the ground. Once it is dried it can be burned to produce a very aromatic smoke
True or false
Pot stills do not create flavours.
True
How does the shape of a pot still influence the style of the spirit?
The shape and the height of the still can influence the style of the spirit
How does a short pot still affect the flavor of a spirit?
Short pot stills create more pronounced aromas than taller ones, which produces a lighter style of spirit
True or false
New oak is rarely used in Scotland
True
Where are the barrels for scotch whisky production come from?
The US bourbon industry
Jerez in southern Spain where sherry is made
What flavor and aromas do sherry barrels bring to the spirit?
Dried fruit & orange peel
What is wood finishing?
A technique used in the production of malt whisky. This technique is used during the final stage of maturation. The finishing barrel will have previously contained a wine or a spirit and some of the previous contents will still be absorbed in to the staves of the barrel. This liquid in the stave will come out and add flavor and somethings color to the spirit.
What is a blended scotch whisky?
It is a blend of malt whisky and grain whisky
What is a grain whisky?
Made from a blend of grain whisky that is distilled to high strength in a column still and has a light flavor intensity
True or false
Grain whiskies are rarely sold on their own.
True
What is the minimum age requirement for a blended scotch whisky?
3 years
True or false?
The majority of Irish whiskeys are blends.
True
What still is used in the production of Irish whiskey?
Both pot still and column still/ but there are some pot-still malt whiskey
True or false?
Irish whiskeys are lighter in style than Scotch and use of peat is rare.
True
What is special about Irish Pot Still whiskey?
They are triple distilled
What is a common feature of Irish whiskeys?
They are made with unmalted barley
What are the main aromas of unmalted whiskey?
Spicy
Fruity
With an oily texture
What style do Japanese distillers use for their whiskies?
Scotch
What kinds of stills do Japanese use in whisky production?
Grain whisky in column
Malt whisky in pot still
What’s the difference between Scotch and Japanese whiskies?
Japanese style tend to be purer and do not have the same level of malty cereal flavor that are common in Scottish Whisky.
In Scotland and Canada the spelling is ———, in Ireland and the USA the spelling is ———.
Whisky
Whiskey
What are the five whisky regions of Scotland?
Islay
Highland
Campbeltown
Speyside
Lowland
What does the appearance of a whisky region on a label tell the consumer?
That where the distillery located
True or false?
The vast majority of whiskies produced on Islay have a distinct smoky aroma of peat.
True
When does chill-filtering happen?
Immediately prior to bottling
What is the effect of chill-filtering?
This technique stops a whisky becoming hazy but some believe it removes flavors and texture too.
What are the two most important states for whiskey production in the US?
Kentucky
Tennessee
What does the word straight means on American Whiskeys?
Two years maturation
What are three conditions that make a whiskey a bourbon?
51% corn
Distilled to no more than 80% abv (160 proof)
Matured in new oak barrels
Why do distillers use the term small batch on their labels?
It’s an indicator of a higher quality product
True or false
What constitutes a small batch is not legally defined.
True
What does straight on American Whiskeys mean?
Matured for at least 2 years
No colour or flavour had been added.
What does straight rye mean?
Matured 2 years, no color or flavor has been added
True or false
If a Bourbon is made using a whiskey that is less than four years old, an age statement must appear on the label.
True
What is proof?
This is a system used in the USA for expressing the alc content of a spirit.
2 proof = 1% abv
90 proof = 45% abv
A straight Bourbon that has been made and matured in the state of Tennessee that has gone through the charcoal filtration process.
Tennessee Whiskey
What producer is the biggest name in Tennessee whiskey production?
Jack Daniel’s
Describe Old No. 7 texture and aromas
Made using the Lincoln County Process
It has a notably smooth texture
With aromas of sweetcorn, vanilla, banana
What is the name of this production method: the acidic residue in the base of the column still has been added back to the fermenter
Sour mash
