North American Whiskeys Flashcards
Why do American whiskeys have different flavours from UK and Irish ones?
- very different ingredients
2. different techniques of production
Where is bourbon made?
Mostly in Kentucky but can be made anywhere.
Describe flavours of bourbon.
full-bodied sweet vanilla coconut citrus toffee spice
What is the mash bill for bourbon?
Must contain 51% corn - this gives the sweetness. Most distillers use 65 to 75 % corn.
Remainder is rye or wheat and malted barley
What are the aromas of rye? And wheat?
Lemon-accented and slightly dusty when young. In bourbon is detected in middle of the palate when an acidic, slightly oily quality begins to bite.
Wheat in bourbon gives notes of honey.
Explain the making of bourbon.
Corn ground and cooked in water to hydrolise the starch. Then rye or wheat added. Malted barley then added (temperature has to be below 65C or enzymes will die).
Use of backset in the fermentation. Helps yeast; evens out variations in batches.
Each distillery very proud of its own yeast and thinks it makes major contribution to style.
Double-distilled, first in single column and then in a pot still known as a doubler or thumper.
What is the role of the second, pot, still in bourbon distillation?
Not to gain higher abv but to refine congeners.
Bourbon maturation.
Goes to barrels at 65% or less (so often has to be diluted).
Alcohol levels rise in Kentucky during maturation because of hot dry conditions.
Wood: new oak, charred. typically 200 litres.
No minimum ageing requirement.
No colour or flavouring may be added to a straight whiskey
What flavours/aromas does bourbon take up from its time in new charred oak?
vanilla coconut pine sweet spices tobacco cherry
How does position in rackhouse play a role in bourbon maturation?
Gives distiller a range of different temperatures to put his barrel at. High temperatures force more of the bourbon into the wood.
What is bourbon bottling strength?
40% or higher.
What in law defines Tennessee whiskey?
Must be aged in Tennessee.
Must be filtered through MAPLE CHARCOAL before ageing.
Otherwise it is as bourbon.
Who is the dominant producer of Tennessee whiskey? And who is the second one?
Jack Daniels
Deorge Dickel
Explain charcoal filtering in Tennessee.
Spirit goes through 3 metres bed of sugar-maple charcoal. Charcoal can take out nearly everything but here it just takes out some of the harshness.
What is rye whiskey?
Regulations identical to bourbon except the mash bill must contain 51% rye.
Almost extinct in the 1990s, it has now made a comeback.
High rye content gives it a pronounced spicy edge.
