Spirits: Scotch Whisk(e)y/Irish Whiskey Flashcards
Scotch without an age statement would have been aged for at least how many years?
Min. 3 years
What is the significance of the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland
Contained the first (known) written mention of Scotch whisky in 1494.
*The Rolls record crown income and expenditure - the King ordered 8 bolls of malt to be made into aqua vitae by a certain Friar John Cohr
traditional Gaelic name for Scotch whisky
uisge beatha or usquebaugh
(“water of life”)
1st legal license for a Scottish distillery?
A farmer, George Smith, working under the Duke of Gordon - founded Glenlivet in 1824.
*was the first to take out a license under the new Excise Act which made it more difficult for illegal distillers to operate while also easing restrictions for legal distilleries
What was the most recent set of law to regulate/control the production and sale of Scotch Whisky? Who oversees it?
Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009
The Scotch Whisky Association is the regulatory body
min ABV for Scotch
40% ABV
US 80 Proof
Scotch allowed additives
Water and (E150A) Caramel coloring
Type of caramel color is allowed for use in the production of Scotch?
E150A
Max size barrel allowed for aging Scotch?
700L
Max ABV that Scotch may be distilled to?
94.8%
Basic definition of a single malt Scotch?
A whisky distilled at a single distillery as a batch process using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of 100% malted barley. Must be made and bottled in Scotland.
Basic definition of a blended malt Scotch?
A blend of single malts from different distilleries
What is the general ABV range for a bottle of Scotch whisky? What about cask strength?
40 - 46%
60 - 63% for cask strength
What would the term “natural” indicate on a bottle of Scotch whisky?
That it hasn’t been chill-filtered
What is the best selling single malt Scotch in the world?
Glenfiddich with about 14 million cases annually
Give 3 examples of Scotch independent bottlers.
Cadenhead
Duncan Taylor
Master of Malt
Gordon & McPhail
In reference to Scotch, what is “tea-spooning” and why is it done?
Adding a dash of another distillery’s whisky to the blend.
- prevents a 3rd party bottler from using that distillery’s name as they can’t regulate the quality of the whisky sold
- by regulation, this becomes a blended malt which can be exported in bulk format… unlike a single malt, which must be bottled in Scotland to be exported
Single malt Scotch must be made in what type of still?
Pot still
What is the basic definition of a Single Grain Scotch?
Basically, any Scotch whisky from a single distillery that doesn’t qualify as a single malt.
- must contain some proportion of malted barley to be called Scotch - but might also have a mix of other grains
- “single” in this case refers to a single distillery
- can be made in a continuous still
- theoretically could be made entirely from malted barley and continuously distilled
A Scotch whisky made entirely from malted barley and distilled in a column still would be considered what type?
Single grain Scotch whisky
What 3 types of blends are defined for Scotch whisky?
- Blended malt: two or more single malt whiskies blended from different distilleries
- Blended grain: two or more single grain whiskies blended from different distilleries
- Blended: one or more single malt is blended with one or more single grain
What does regulation 5 of the 2009 Scotch Whisky Regulation (SWR) mandate?
Only whisky that may be manufactured in Scotland may be Scotch Whisky.
** definition of “manufactured” prevents there being a “whisky product of Scotland” category
What do the terms “Double Wood” and “Triple Wood” indicate on a bottle of Scotch?
That the whisky has been aged in 2 or 3 types of cask
How many times in Scotch distilled?
2x in a pot still - except the Lowlands which have a tradition of triple distillation
The now prohibited terms “pure malt” and “vatted malt” were synonyms for what type of Scotch?
Blended malt Scotch
(terms banned from 2011 on)
Two examples of Blended Malt Scotch?
Monkey Shoulder
Jonnie Walker Green Label
Give 3 examples of Blended Scotch Whisky?
Ballantine’s
Chivas Regal
Cutty Sark
Dewar’s
Famous Grouse
What is the 5th and most recent region to be recognized as GI in Scotland?
Speyside in 2014
What are the 3 active distilleries in Campbeltown?
Glen Scotia
Springbank
Kilkerran/Glengyle distillery
What is the largest region in terms of both size and production for Scotch whisky?
Highlands
The Islands is an unrecognized Scotch region that is grouped in what ________?
Highlands
What islands make up “the Islands” part of the Highlands Scotch region?
Mull
Jura
Skye
Orkney
Arran
Jura
Where is Highland Park Distillery located?
Isle of Orkney
Name 3 Highland distilleries (from the mainland).
Aberfeldy
Edradour
Ben Nevis
Dalmore
Oban
Glendronach
Old Pulteney
Tomatin
Where is Talisker located?
Isle of Skye
Tobermory Distillery is located where?
Isle of Mull in the Highlands region
What is the oldest distillery in Islay?
Bowmore, opened in 1779
Name 3 of Islay’s 9 distilleries?
Ardbeg
Ardnahoe (the most recent), Bowmore (the oldest, having opened in 1779)
Bruichladdich
Bunnahabhain
Caol Ila
Kilchoman
Lagavulin
Laphroaig
Name 3 Lowlands distilleries?
Annandale
Auchentoshan
Bladnoch
Glenkinchie
Ailsa Bay
Daftmill
Eden Mill
Kingsbarns
Rosebank
What is peat?
An accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. Peat forms in wetland conditions, where flooding or stagnant water obstructs the flow of oxygen from the atmosphere, slowing the rate of decomposition.