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CSP Level 1 Exam > Scotch Ingredients > Flashcards

Scotch Ingredients Flashcards

1
Q

It is frequently stated that the best malt whisky is made from what kind of water?

A

soft water

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2
Q

What characterizes “soft water” vs. “hard water”

A

soft water has a low pH value, whereas hard water has a high pH value.

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3
Q

What is the benefit of water that runs over granite as opposed to other types of rock.

A

Granite is a hard rock and does not impart minerals into the water the percolates through it or runs over it.

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4
Q

What are three distillers that use hard water? What do they claim the hard water does to the spirit?

A

Glenmorangie, Glenkinchie, Highland Park.

They claim the additional minerals in hard water impart “spiciness” on the finished product.

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5
Q

What three minerals are essential for good fermentation? What are the two main sources of those minerals?

A

Calcium, magnesium and zinc.

They mostly come from the malt and the water.

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6
Q

What is “moss water”?

A

Used by many Highland and Western distilleries (especially on Islay), this is a peaty water.

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7
Q

Which distilleries use distilled water?

A

No distilleries use distilled water, although this may be forced on the scotch whisky industry by the European Community.

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8
Q

Is most of Scotland’s water soft or hard and why?

A

Scotland’s water is famously soft for two reasons:

  1. Few near neighbors that produce air-borne pollution
  2. Westernly and Southwesternly winds contribute to its purity.
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9
Q

What three water-related factors influence a distilleries choice in site?

A
  1. Water purity
  2. Water availability
  3. Water temperature
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10
Q

What are the four main uses for water in a distillery?

A
  1. Cooling the condensers
  2. Cleaning the plant
  3. Producing the spirit
  4. Reducing the spirit
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11
Q

On what scale is barley graded? And which grades are suitable for malting?

A

It is graded on a scale of 1-9. Only the top three are suitable for malting.

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12
Q

What percentage of graded barley is suitable for malting?

A

~20%

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13
Q

What percentage of graded barley is suitable for malting?

A

~20%

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14
Q

Do distillers want lower or higher starch content in barley? Why?

A

Distillers want higher starch content because starch -> sugar -> alcohol, so it yields more alcohol.

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15
Q

Do distillers want lower or higher protein content in barley? Why?

A

Distillers prefer lower protein content because the higher the protein the lower the starch.

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16
Q

What is the threshold of tolerable protein content in barley?

A

<= 1.5% protein

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17
Q

What is the tolerable threshold for nitrogen content?

A

<= 1.7% nitrogen

18
Q

What are 6 factors distillers look for in ideal barley?

A
  1. High starch content
  2. Low protein content
  3. Low nitrogen content
  4. High likelihood of germination
  5. Easy to process (mill & mash)
  6. Well-ripened, plump, & dry
19
Q

At what percentage of moisture is barley more likely to go moldy in storage?

A

> = 16% moisture

20
Q

What are the three main sourcers for barley?

A
  1. Direct from farm
  2. On the “spot market”
  3. Through a grain merchant
21
Q

What are the top producers of malting barley?

A

Scotland (75%)
England (15%)
Overseas (10%) France and Denmark

22
Q

What is the most popular variety of barley currently? What was its predecessor, that is gaining popularity again?

A

Laureate
& Golden Promise

23
Q

How does MacLean believe the barley variety affects the taste of the whiskey?

A

He believes there is little to no difference in taste since the distilling process is so fierce.

Golden Promise can make spirits richer and more oily.

24
Q

How many barley regions are there? What are they?

A

5 regions

Northwest (including Northern Ireland and Wales), Northeast, Central, Southwest, Southeast

25
Q

What are the three main ingredients in scotch?

A

Water, barley/grain, and yeast

26
Q

What congeners does yeast produce that can contribute to the flavor of the whisky?

A

esters, aldehydes, acids, and higher alcohols

27
Q

What two parts comprise the barley seed and what are their purpose?

A

The embryo: living structure that turns into new plants
The endosperm: starch store to feed the young plant

28
Q

What is the soluble form of starch called?

A

dextrin

29
Q

During mashing the soluble starch, dextrin, is converted into what kind of sugar?

A

maltose

30
Q

What is “green malt”?

A

Barley that has been germinated.

31
Q

Dry barley has < 12% moisture. At what percentage must it be raised for enzymes to be activated?

A

46%

32
Q

At what rate per day does grain lose moisture in the germination process?

A

~ 0.5 percent a day

33
Q

What is the process of “modification” referring to in relation to barley germination?

A

The extent to which the endosperm is broken down.

34
Q

At what temperature are the phenols in peat that lend the smokey characteristic destroyed?

A

60 C or 140 F

35
Q

What three conditions does peat need to develop?

A

High rainfall, cold atmosphere, and poor drainage or aeration.

36
Q

What are the characteristics of lowland peats vs. peat bog peats?

A

Peats in the the lowland have more vegetable matter, are looser and softer so they burn more rapidly and give off dust. Peat closer to the sea become saturated with salt spray.

37
Q

What are the three broad categories of peating intensity and their phenol measurement?

A

lightly peated: 1-5 ppm phenol
medium peated: 10 -20 ppm phenol
heavily peated: 30-50 ppm

38
Q

What does it mean when malt is “dressed”?

A

It will have been passed through a wire mesh to remove the “culm” or withered shoots and rootlets created during malting.

39
Q

What is the maximum percentage of moisture allowed when malt arrives and is tested at the distillery?

A

Maximum of 12%

40
Q

What percentage breakdown of husk, flour, and grist must be produced when malt is milled?

A

10% flour
20% husk
70% grist

CSP Level 1 Exam (6 decks)

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