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
Max. ABV of Scotch distillate
94.8%
[doesn’t seem to be a rule for Scotch, but most goes into cask at 63.5%. US mandates 62.5%]
Scotch Whisky GIs (5)
Highlands (Mull, Orkney, Jura, Skye)
Speyside (as of 2014)
Lowlands
Campbeltown
Islay
If listing distillation year, what other info must be on label?
- year of bottling
- period of maturation
- age (in years) of the whisky
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
Highland region’s Islands (4)
Mull
Jura
Skye
Orkney
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.
The 2009 Scotch Whisky Regulation established what 5 categories?
Single Malt
Single Grain
Blended Malt
Blended Grain
Blended
What factor limits the length of time that Scotch can be aged in barrel?
ABV - Scotch must be at least 40% so after 30ish years, due to evaporation most Scotch cannot continue to age in barrel and dilute the ABV
What Scotch region produces the least peaty whisky? Most peaty?
Most: the Islands (technically Highlands)
Least: Lowlands
Name 3 types of cask you might commonly Scotch as finished in?
Port
Sherry
Madeira
Burgundy
Sauternes
What 2 distilleries pioneered the style of specific cask (Sherry, etc) finished Scotch?
Balvenie
Glenmorangie
(creates a softer, fruitier crowd pleasing whisky)
What are the stages of malting grain?
- Germination: barley steeps in water to facilitate germination, until bud reaches about an inch (2-3 days). Barley is spread across the floor. This starts the conversion of starch to fermentable sugar.
- Drying: sprouts are placed in (sometimes peat-heated) ovens. Different types of peat from region to region impacts the flavor
- Once dry, ground to a course floor called the “grist” and is mixed with hot water in a mash tun
What is the wort?
A sweet liquid derived from mixing the grist with hot water to have the sugars dissolve
At what point is peat introduced in the process of making Scotch?
During the malting process: the germinated barley is placed in a peat-heated oven to dry
What is the name of the vessel that holds the grist + hot water?
Mash tun
Once the wort is created, it is taken out of the mash tun and put into the ______?
Washback
[a “washback” is a tall, cylindrical vessel where fermentation takes place, transforming the sugary “wort” into an alcoholic “wash” through the addition of yeast.]
What is a “washback”?
Brewing/distilling term -
the container in which the wort is fermented - after this, the wort will be moved to the wash still
Shorter ferment = nuttier flavors
Longer ferment = cleaner flavors
Once the wort ferments, what is it called? Approximately what ABV would it be?
Wash
~8% (for Scotch at least, unsure if it varies for other types of production/material)
In Scotch production, what is the “low wine”? What ABV would it be?
The product of the first distillation, around 20% ABV
In Scotch production, what is the term for the product of the first distillation? What ABV would it be?
Low wine, 20% ABV
(High wines = 60 - 70%)
After the grist mixes with water, what is the term for the spent grain solids that typically end up in cattle feed? What is the term for the discard after first distillation?
Draff
Pot ale
In Scotch production, what is the wash still and the spirit still?
Wash still: first distillation. Alcohol is separated from water, yeast, and grain residue. This creates the “low wines” which is about 20% ABV
Spirit still: second distillation. The feints and the foreshots are separated from the heart of the center, which is about 68% ABV, and then collected in the spirit safe.
What is the vessel in which the final distillation of Scotch is collected?
Spirit Safe
(the distillates pass through the spirit receiver and there’s a series of locks and levers, customarily controlled by Customs & Excise but now by a stillhouse worker, that let the spirit for aging into the safe)
What ABV is the final Scotch distillate as it enters cask for aging?
63%
What is the maximum amount of Scotch to evaporate each year as enforced by Customs & Excise?
2%
What are the 2 columns of a continuous still called?
Analyser: steam rises, wash descends
Rectifier: carries the alcohol in the wash, condenses to required strength
What is the northernmost distillery in Scotland?
Highland Park (Orkney Island)
The majority of Scotch Grain distilleries are in what region?
All are in the Lowlands, save for Invergordon in the Highlands
What is the southernmost Scotch GI?
Lowlands
What is the westernmost Scotch GI?
Islay
Rectifier column vs analyzer column: which does what?
- Analyzer: the first column where steam rises and wash descends through different levels
- Rectifier: carries alcohol from the wash, where it condenses to the required strenghth
Where is Jameson distilled?
New Midleton Distillery in Cork
Min. aging requirement for Irish Whiskey?
Min. 3 years in cask no larger than 700L
(just like Scotch)
What event drove the popularity of Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey in the 18th century?
1785 tax on the use of malted barley
*triple distillation arose as a need to extract more alcohol from the lower yielding mash bill
Examples of Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Redbreast
Green Spot
Power’s
3 Irish distilleries active in the early 2000s?
Cooley
New Midleton
Old Bushmill’s
Connemara
Peat-fired single malt Irish Whiskey produced by Cooley
How many times is Irish whiskey traditionally distilled?
3x
(many are made in continuous now)
Min. alcohol for Irish whiskey?
40%
Oldest distillery in the world?
Kilbeggan Distillery
*not continually operating however. est. 1757 and still operating under original license which was paid continually even when not running
Fastest growing spirit category in the world?
Irish Whiskey
Making a huge comeback from having 2 distilleries left in 1972 (Cooley and Old Midleton - which became New Midleton) to much much more today
Standards for Labelling Japanese Whiskey
- main 4 rules
Effective April 1, 2021; rules by Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association
* must contain malted grains
* fermentation to bottling must occur in Japan
* min. 3 yrs in cask; max 700L
* min. 40% ABV
82 members, including Suntory and Nikka. This is an association, so non-members are still free to do whatever they want.
1st commercial Japanese whiskey distillery
Suntory, 1923
(Shinjiro Torii, Masataka Taketsuru)
Labelling for Japanese whiskey that doesn’t comply with Association’s new standards
“world blended whiskey”: ex: Suntory AO - Japan, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, US
“blended whiskey”: imported grains + Japanese grains
“product of Japan”: purchased whiskey aged/finished in Japan
Japanese rice whiskies
Shibui, Ohishi, Fukano and Kikori
Schochu
Traditional Japanese distilled alcohol drink
- rice, barley, sweet potatoes, brown sugar, buckwheat
- 25% - 40% ABV
Soju
National drink of Korea; Soju = burned liquor
- traditionally rice or wheat; potatoes, tapioca became common when rice was banned
Still for Japanese whiskey
Pot still (cause it is like Scotch)
“invention” of Bourbon
Elijah Craig: 1st to age whiskey in charred oak
Jacob Spears: 1st to label as bourbon
* neither of these are probably true. It was more of an evolution; Not one single person invented it.
Sour Mash process
Uses material from an older batch of mash to adjust the acidity of a new mash fermentation
- acid introduced controls bacterial growth and creates a proper pH balance for yeast to work
US Definition of Bourbon - the 5 main rules?
- at least 51% corn (remainder = any cereal grain)
- Aged in new, charred oak
- Distilled to 80% ABV
- goes into barrel for aging at max. 62.5% ABV
- Bottled at min. 40% ABV
Bourbon aging requirement
Mostly, none
* except Straight Bourbon.. min. 2 years
* any bourbon younger than 4 years must include an age statement
** age applies to youngest WHISKEY in the blend (and excludes age of NSG in a blended whiskey)
Straight Bourbon
Bourbon that has been aged for at least 2 years and has no added coloring, flavoring or other spirits
Bottled-in-Bond
- definition
- abv
- aging
- product of 1 distillation season by 1 distiller at 1 location
- must age in bonded warehouse for min. 4 years years, bottled at 100 proof, must identify distillery
- reaction to the adulteration of American whiskey; the act made the fed govt the guarantor of authenticity and also ensured tax collection. Applies to all spirits.
What type of Bourbon can contain additives?
Blended - may have coloring, flavoring, other spirits etc. Min. 51% must be straight bourbon
Min. age of whiskey by EU standards
Min. 3 years
Kentucky’s “signature step” in the bourbon process
Area’s natural filtration of iron-free water through high concentrations of limestone
Mash bill
The materials used to produce the wort that will then be distilled into alcohol
White dog
Clear spirit fresh from distillation, before it heads to barrel. A whiskey term.
ABV of Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
always 50%/100 proof
Lincoln County Process
TN Whiskey requirement since 2013
* Filtering step: whiskey is steeped in or filtered through maple charcoal before going into new charred oak to be aged
*named for original location of Jack Daniel’s distillery before boundaries changed
* Benjamin Prichard’s is exempt (the only distillery in Lincoln Cty, ironically
Tennessee Whiskey
- definition
- aging
- 3 examples
“Straight bourbon whiskey produced in TN”
- required to undergo Lincoln Cty Process
- can reuse barrels for aging
- straight = min. 2 yrs aged, no colors, flavoring, additions
George Dickel, Jack Daniel’s, Uncle Nearest
Benjamin Prichard’s (no LCP)
Rye whiskey rules
Literally the same as bourbon but with rye
- min 51% rye
- distilled to max 80%, goes into barrel at 62.5%, sold at no less than 40%
- straight = min 2 yrs aging and no additives etc
Canadian whiskey aging
min 3 years in oak no larger than 700L
(like Scothc & Irish)
Doubler
Most associated/key to bourbon production
* type of copper pot still. Receives low wines (already condensed liquids), heats and vaporizes the alcohol/flavors again
- concentrates flavors, increases proof, removes impurities
* doubler has a heating source.. it takes low wine at ambient temp and heats them. A thumper collects heated vapor which heats the liquids inside rather than having its own heating source. Thumpers increase flavor/ABV but doublers increase ABV more and act as a purifier and strengthener
