Scotch Production Flashcards by Kathryn Exline

Production

What are the 4 high level stages of producing scotch whisky?

Mashing
Fermenting
Distilling
Filling/Maturing

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Maturation

What is the most common type of cask used for whisky and how much does it hold?

hogshead

Holds 55 gallons/250 liters

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Malting

At what point in the germination process to maltsters want to capture the barley?

When the cell walls have been broken down, but before the starch begins to be used by the growing plant.

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Malting

How do maltsters stop the growth of green malt?

By drying it in the kilning process.

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Fermentation

What amount of yeast is typically used for eight tons of mash?

175kg

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Fermentation

What have modern distilleries fitted in their washbacks to help control fermentation?

They fit them with mechanical switchers to break the foam up.

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Fermentation

What is the fermenting vessel called?

A washback

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Fermentation

Do scotch whisky distillers typically use a brewers yeast or a cultured yeast?

cultured yeast, grown from a single cell

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Fermentation

What percentage of the weight of malt mashed is “pitched” with yeast?

2.2%

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Distillation

Which type of condenser affords more copper-contact?

shell-and-tube condensers

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Distillation

What are the two main types of condensers?

worm-tub and shell-and-tube

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Distillation

What can distillers do to a worm-tub condenser to encourage more copper-contact?

They can hold back the water in the worm-tub so it becomes hot to slow the liquification process.

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Distillation

Why do distilleries typically use copper in the distillation process?

Copper is a purifier

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Distillation

Would a distiller cool a condenser with warm water or cold water to get a purer, lighter spirit and why?

A distiller would use warmer water to get a lighter spirit because the spirit would take longer to liquify in the condenser, resulting in more contact with the purifying copper.

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Distillation

What is the flavor profile of a spirit distilled with a condenser in very cold water and why?

The resulting spirit would be heavier and more “traditional” in flavor because it liquid was condensed quickly in the cold.

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Production

What season does distilling traditionally occur and why?

Distilling was traditionally done in the winter for two reasons:

Because the cooler temperatures allow for slower liquification
Because of climate change, water levels tend to be lower during July and August

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Production

What is the “silent season” and when does it typically happen?

It’s a time when the distilleries close down their site for maintenance and holidays. It typically happens during the summer because winter is preferred for distilling.

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Malting

How many times is barley immersed in water to increase moisture content and activate the enzymes?

3 times

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Malting

How many times is barley steeped in water to increase moisture content and activate the enzymes?

3 times

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Mashing

How long does the steeping process typically take and what 5 things can that depend on?

2-3 days

nitrogen level
temperature of the water
ambient temperature
size of the grains
their capacity for absorption

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Malting

What can a maltster do to remediate under-steeped grain? Over-steeped?

if under-steeped they can spray the grain with more water

if over-steeped they can dry it out in a tumble-drying process

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Malting

What two reasons to maltsters aerate the barley when steeping?

To ensure equal uptake of water and to prevent clumping.

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Malting

At what depth do malsters spread the barley on the concrete floor during germination?

~30 cm

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Malting

What two things do maltsters check to ensure the grain is correctly modified?

taste and texture

They want it to taste sweet and for the texture to be chalky and smooth when biting

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# Malting Floor malting has been primarly replaced by what "centralised" system.

pneumatic malting systems

# Malting What company developed the SGKVs and when did they create it?

Moray Firth Maltings in the late 1970's. (Since merged with Bairds malt)

# Malting What are the two types of pneumatic systems operating today?

Rotary Drums & Steep, Germinate and Kilning Vessels (SGKV)

# Malting Describe how a rotary drum is used in the malting process?

It is charged with 9-50 tons of steeped grain and is rotated 9 times a day while humidity and temperature is controlled.

# Malting What are the two types of modern kilns and how do they work?

direct fired: gases of combustion pass directly through the malt indirect fired: air is heated by oil fired-burners or steam-heated-radiators before passing through the malt

# Production Why do malt whisky distilleries often have the pagoda-style roof?

The kilns have tapering roofs to draw out heat from the furnace and they've been capped with pagoda roofs since the 19th c.

# Malting What are the three stages of the kilning process and what are their purposes?

1. Free drying phase: evaporate moisture on the surface of the green malt 2. Forced drying phase: reduce mooisture content of malt to~ 5% 3. Cooling phase: prevent further curing of the malt

# Malting At what stage of the kilning process to maltsters add peat?

During the free drying phase

# Malting Does a lower temperature in the free drying phase translate to higher or lower peatiness if peat is used during kilning? Why?

A lower temperature results in higher level of peatiness. Phenols only adhere to the barley husk when they are damp, so keeping smoke high and heat low translates into this flavor.

# Malting About how many hours does the process of kilning take? What three things affect this time?

20-48 hours 1. the type of kilning process 2. the size of the kiln 3. the amount of malt

# Mashing What are the three things distillers test when malt arrives to the distiller before it is accepted?

1. moisture (<= 12%) 2. viability for germination (99% viable) 3. Insect infestation

# Mashing What is the purpose of the two sets of rollers in a mill?

One roller cracks the husks Other roller grinds the malt

# Mashing What happens if ground malt is too fine? Too course?

If it's too fine, the mash tun will not drain quickly enough. If it's too coarse the liquor will drain too fast and you won't get maximum extraction.

# Mashing Fill in the blanks. Mashing reawakens the enzyme ____ and this allows it to complete the conversion of ____ into ____.

amylase starch (dextrin) maltose

# Mashing What is the name of the large circular vessel where mashing takes place? What material(s) is it typically made of?

mash tun Typically made of stainless steel or cast iron and covered with a copper top.

# Mashing What is the liquor drained through the perforated floors of the mash tun called?

worts

# Mashing What is the typical size of a mash tun and what is this size related to?

1-15 tons Their size is related to the size of the fermenting vessels they fill.

# Mashing 1 ton of malt is expected to create how many litres of worts?

5000 litres

# Mashing What german invention have most distilleries adopted to their mash tuns to increase extraction.

Lauter tuns

# Mashing How many waters or "extractions" are used in the mashing process?

# Mashing What are the typical temperatures and times for the three stages of mashing?

1. 63-64 C @ 20 mins 2. 70 C @ 30 mins 3. 85 C @ 15 mins

# Mashing What do the worts in the underback pass through before heading to fermentation? What two important things does it do and why?

a heat exchanger it recudes the temperature to below 70 C to prevent decomposing the maltose and killing the yeast

# Fermentation What is the name of the vessel where fermentation occurs?

washback

# Fermentation What 3 materials are washbacks made from? Why?

Larch, Pine (Douglas Fir), and stainless steel. The pines grow tall and have a tight grain with few knots,

# Fermentation How is the process of fermentation in whisky production different from brewing beer?

The process with whisky is non-sterile

# Fermentation Describe the principles of fermentation

Yeast requires oxygen to multiply. When it is deprived of oxygen, it extract oxygen from the sugars in the wash, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide.

# Fermentation What does it mean that there are anaerobic conditions during fermentation?

It means there is an absence of air. This forces the yeast to extract oxygen from the sugars in the wash.

# Fermentation How high is the spirit typically filled inside the washback?

About 2/3 full

# Fermentation What form is yeast typically added and when is it typically added?

The yeast is tyipcally in the form of a solution and is added as the worts enter the back.

# Fermentation When do the worts become wash?

Once the worts are filled in the washback and the yeast is pitched in.

# Fermentation Describe the three main phases of fermentation

1. "log phase": the yeast acclimates to its surroundings (couple hours) 2. yeast multiply rapidly, consume sugar and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. Temperature increases. 3. Alcohol inhibits activity of the yeast and bacteria grows. Second bacteriological fermentation occurs. (~12 hours)

# Fermentation How hot can the wash get during the second phase of fermentation?

35 C / 95 F

# Fermentation Describe the bacteriological fermentation that occurs during the final stage of fermentation.

Bacteria mainly comes from the malt in the form of lactic acid/lactobacillus. They lower the pH/acidity and allow further flavors to develop.

# Fermentation Describe the characteristic of a spirit produced from 48 hr fermentation vs 60+ hr fermentation.

2 day: malty and cereal like 60+: complex, fruity and floral

# Fermentation What is the typical lifespan of a wooden washback?

~ 40 years

# Fermentation How much alcohol are distillers expected to extract per tone of malt.

420 litres / 92 gallons

# Fermentation Secondary fermentation may increase ____ and ____, but can reduce ____.

flavor complexity extraction

# Fermentation What are some claims that distillers make about the benefit of wooden washbacks?

1. Beneficial reaction between alcohol and bacteria in the wood 2. Well seasoned wood adds esteriness to flavor 3. Better insulation in winter months

# Distillation Distillation separates the ____ from the ____ in the ____ and ____ it.

alcohol water wash concentrates

# Distillation What is the name of the vessel where distillation takes place?

pot still

# Distillation What is the name of the narrow neck that connects the pot still to the condenser?

"lyne arm" or "lyne pipe"

# Distillation How many distilleries still use worm-tubs?

# Distillation How many stills does malt whisky require? Are there ever more?

2 Occasionally a third is installed

# Distillation What are the names of the two stills required in distillation?

1. wash or "singling still" 2. low wines or "doubling still"

# Distillation Which of the two stills is tyipcally larger and why?

The wash still because it's required to hold greater amount of liquid.

# Distillation What are the three basic designs of stills? Which is most common?

1. plain/onion 2. boil-ball 3. lantern The most common is the plain or onion shape

# Distillation What vapors do very tall stills allow for?

Allows lighter, volatile vapors to be collected and heavier more oily vabors to fall back as reflux.

# Distillation Which is more important, the shape of the stills or how they are operated?

How they are operated

# Distillation Copper is a purifier that removes what two undesirable compounds? Which distillation does this occur?

sulphury and vegetal compounds during first distillation

# Distillation Does a smaller still result in more or less copper contact?

A smaller still results in greater surface area of copper per unit of vapour

# Distillation How does a narrow neck affect the speed of the ascending vapors and the resulting copper contact?

A narrow neck accelerates the velocity of the vapor and reduces copper contact

# Distillation What did distillers change in the distillation process during the 60s & 70s to allow for better heat control?

All but a handful of distilleries switched from direct firing (flame) to indirect firing (steam-heat or coils in the body of the still)

# Distillation What are direct fired stills fitted with to prevent solid particles from scorching in the still? What are they made of?

rummagers copper chain mail

# Distillation The wash pumps from the ____ to the ____ and thence to the ____.

washback wash charger wash stil

# Distillation The wash still is charged at what capacity in order to allow for expansion as the wash is heated.

Between 1/2 - 2/3

# Distillation What is the ABV and temperature of the wash as it enters the wash still?

~8% ABV 26 - 32 C / 79 - 92 F

# Distillation What is the name of the window on a still that distillers use to check the behavior of the wash?

sight glasses

# Distillation Why does a distiller not want too much foaming? How do they prevent that?

Because the foam might carry over the neck of the still and into the distillate. They reduce the heat once they see the foam in the sight glass.

# Distillation Will a wash with a longer fermentation be more or less frisky/volatile than wash with a shorter fermentation?

A longer fermented wash will be less frisky and might settle in 15 mins

# Distillation What does it mean when the wash is said to "come in"?

When it has settled during it's first heating

# Distillation What does it mean to "break the head" and how does the distiller do it?

When the distiller mixes up the foam by gradually increasing the heat a few times.

# Distillation What oily, yeasty compound can collect in the neck and worm if there is too much action? What taste can it impart? Is this tyipcally removed?

furfurol burnt and acrid taste No, because some amount is said to be good for flavor

# Distillation The wash still is run until the remaining liquid is at what ABV%?

~1%

# Distillation What are three names for the residue from the first distillation? What percentage of it is solid?

pot ale burnt ale spent wash ~4% solid

# Distillation The high protein spent wash is converted to a syrup and combined with ____ to turn into ____ for livestock fodder.

draff dark grains

# Distillation The low wines are about what ABV% before and after they pass through the low wines and feints charger? What is used to fractionate this in the charger?

21% before at least 28% after The foreshots and feints (heads/tails) from previous low wine distillation.

# Distillation The second distalltion further ____ and ____ the spirit.

purifies concentrates

# Distillation What are congeners? Do distillers want them eliminated?

Organic chemicals like esters, aldehydes, furfurol amd other compounds of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon that are impurities. No they impart flavors to the whisky. Distillers want the right amount.

# Distillation What are the three runnings or fractions of the second distillation called?

1. The foreshots or "foreshows" 2. The cut 3. The after-shots or "feints"

# Distillation At what temperature and ABV do the foreshots come over?

84 C / 183 F ~75-80% ABV

# Distillation What is the brass-bound glass fronted box that the runnings flow through?

The spirit safe

# Distillation What two ways does the distiller test for purity?

1. The demisting test where they add water to see if the spirit goes cloudy 2. Checks the hydrometer for strength

# Distillation While the point at which distillers make the cut varies, what is the ABV strength and how long does it typically take to get there?

72 - 75% ABV ~ 15 - 30 mins

# Distillation What are the 2 most important esters from an aromatic/chemical point of view?

isoamyl acetate ethyl caprylate

# Distillation Describe the three key aromatic groups in malt whisky?

esters: fragrant, fruity, pear, bananas, roses feints: biscuity, porridge, leather, honey phenols: peat

# Distillation The acceptable cereal feints are organo ____ compounds while the unacceptable feints are organo ____ compounds

organo-nitrogen organo-sulphur

# Distillation If a distiler wants a more robust whisky, do they run the cut shorter. or longer and why?

They would run it longer to include more of the feints.

# Distillation If distillers look for a lighter whisky character, do they cut at a lower or higher ABV? What percentage might that be?

higher as high as 69%

# Distillation At what point to the esters, feints and phenols appear in the second distillation?

esters at the beginning feints half way through phenols about a third of the way

# Distillation Where does the spirit from the latter part of the second distillation go?

To the low wines and feints receiver

# Distillation What is the name of the liquid run down to 1% at the end of the second distillation and where does it go?

The "spent lees" they are waste

# Distillation What fraction of the charge to the still is produced as feints or spirits in the second distillation?

1/12 - 1/13

# Distillation The saved spirit from the low wines still goes into what vessel before filling? What. isthe ABV at this stage?

The intermediate spirits receiver ~70%

# Distillation What is the spirit called prior to it being aged?

"new-make spirit" or clearic

# Maturing What ABV is the optimum strength for maturing

63.5%

# Maturing Will filling at a higher strength increase or reduce the number of casks required? What's the tradeoff?

reduce the number of casks, but will take longer to mature

# Maturing Contemporary sensory scientists estimate that maturation can account for what percentage of the flavor in whisky?

80%

# Maturing What year was it made a legal requirement to use casks made of oak?

1990

# Maturing How old do trees have to be to be used for casks?

At least 80 years old

# Maturing What are the two types of oak used and the flavors they can impart?

American oak: sharp, turpentine, pine European oak: resinous, fragrant, astringent

# Maturing Describe the chemistry of oakwood and how it affects the spirit

cellulose: little contribution hemicellulose: carmelises adding sweetness and color lignin: blending agent, pulls together, vanilla, tannins: astringency, delicacy wood extractives: bourbon sherry

# Maturing Oakwood facilitates oxidation which has what effect on the spirit?

removes harshness increases fruitiness adds complexity

# Maturing What is a "straight whiskey"?

A spirit filled and aged in new casks

# Maturing Nowadays the term "sherrywood" refers to what kind of oak?

European oak

# Maturing Ex-bourbon casks account for what percentage of casks coming into the system?

~90%

What are the two categories of ex-bourbon casks?

after-bourbon barrels: aka american standard barrels 180-200 litres re-made hogshead: aka dump hogshead 250 litres

# Maturing 5 ASB's can be reassembled to create how many hogshead casks?

# Maturing What are the names of two types of 500 litre capacity casks that used to hold sherry?

butts and punchen

# Maturing What type of sherry is typically used to season? What other type is sometimes used?

oloroso fino

# Maturing How long are casks seasoned with sherry before use?

1-4 years

# Maturing What is an "ex-solera" cask?

A cask that was used to mature sherry

# Maturing What wine is typically used for ex-wine casks?

Port

# Maturing Will smaller casks mature at a slower or faster rate? Why?

Smaller casks will mature faster because there is a higher surface to volume ratio

# Maturing Which wood can be used beneficially more times?

sherrywood

# Maturing What is the average stock of casks in Scotland?

20 million

# Maturing The cask performs what three vital mechanisms in maturation?

1. additive: add flavors 2. subtractive: remove unwanted flavors 3. interactive: allow spirit to interact with environment and oxidize

# Maturing What is "toasting" and what does it do?

Oak staves are heated to be bent into shape and alter the chemical structure of the casks' inside surface.

# Maturing Toasting degrades what two chemicals that produce caramel, vanilla, and coconut flavors that leech into spirit?

hemi-cellulose lignin

# Maturing What is "charring", what benefit does it provide and when does it occur?

When. theinsides of the barrel are set on fire. The carbon char acts as a purifier to remove sulphuric compounds. It happens after toasting?

# Maturing What types of casks are not charred?

Sherry casks

# Maturing Even if a cask previously housed bourbon or sherry, the first time a cask is filled with scotch spirit it is referred to as what?

a first fill

# Maturing After a scotch cask has been used for a first-fill, it is referred to as what?

A refill cask

# Maturing Why is a refill cask desirable for longer maturation?

A first fill cask is more active and can dominate the flavor of the spirit.

# Maturing Are most of the casks used by the scotch industry first-fill or re-fill casks?

re-fills

# Maturing How many fills is a cask tyipcally good for before it is considered "exhauseed" or "spent"?

3-4 fills

# Maturing How can casks be rejuvenated?

They can be reamed out, re-toated, and burnt to reactive the layer below.

# Maturing What is the process of re-toasting a casks called?

"de-char, re-char"

# Maturing What are the two types of warehouse?

bonded or "dunnage" warehouses modern "racked" warehouse

# Maturing What percentage of volume is lost per year as the angel's share?

~2%

# Maturing Which type of warehouse sees more humidity and air circulation? How does that affect the volume, strength and taste?

Dunnage high volume, lower strength, more mellowness

# Maturing Does scotland see more temperature fluctuations on the coast or inland?

inland

# Maturing How does whisky differ from wine in the bottle?

Whisky does not continue to mature in the bottle

# Maturing Whisky cannot be called Scotch until it has matured for ahow many years?

# Maturing Generally, which whiskies mature more quickly? Lighter or heavier malts?

lighter

# Maturing Does whisky steadily mature or does it occur in fits and starts?

fits and starts