Whiskey Flashcards
Origins
Irish Celts are believed to be the first to produce a spirit from grains similar to current Irish whiskeys
1st written evidence last decade of 15th century in Scotland
Scotch Production
Must be produced in Scotland from a mash of malted barley and other cereal grains and aged in oak casks in an approved warehouse in Scotland for a minimum of three years
Irish Whiskey Production
Must be produced in Ireland from a mash of cereal and aged in wooden casks in Ireland for no less than three years
Bourbon Whiskey
Produced from a fermented mash of no less than 51% corn distilled no higher than 160 proof and stored at no more than 125 proof in charred new oak barrels
Tennessee Whiskey
Must be made with a minimum of 51% corn and distilled no higher than 160 proof (80% ABV) these whiskeys have to be stored in charred new Oak containers for at least two years and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof (40% ABV) must be produced in the state of Tennessee and produced using a charcoal filtering technique known as the Lincoln County Process
American Whiskey
Rye whiskey, wheat whiskey, malt whiskey, Rye malt whiskey
Produced from a fermented mash of no less than 51% rye, wheat, malted barley or malted rye grain respectively. These whiskeys must be distilled no higher than 160 proof (80% ABV) it must be stored at no more than 125 proof in charred new oak barrels
Corn Whiskey
Must be produced from a fermented mash of no less than 80% corn and at 160 proof (80% ABV) there is no requirement for corn whiskey to be stored in oak containers, but if it is, it must be stored at no more than 125 proof in used or uncharred wood
Grain Spirits
Neutral spirits distilled from a fermented mash of grain and stored in oak containers
White Whiskey
Can be produced from unaged corn whiskey, light whiskey, slightly aged whiskey, whiskey that has been filtered after a short time in wood to remove any traces of coloration, and grain neutral spirit
Steps of whiskey production
Preparation Mashing Fermenting Distilling Aging Bottling
Mash/wort preparation
Malting
Kilning
Milling
Mashing
Washing
Water importance
Water must be iron-free to prevent the whiskey from turning a black shade.
The presence of minerals in the water can impacts the whisky’s flavor.
Extraction
When an oak barrel is untreated, very little extraction of congeners can take place this is why the oak is exposed to heat which changes the composition and extraction can happen more readily
Evaporation
Both water and alcohol will evaporate through the pores of the barrel resulting in a loss of volume. Depending on the temperature and humidity levels, the alcohol percentage will either increase or decrease
Oxidation
Air drawn into the barrel during evaporation process slowly oxidizes the spirit’s components. Over time, additional esters are formed and aldehydes and acids increase due to the oxidation of the spirit’s components.
Concentration
All of the chemical, physical, and extractive processes are concentrated in the decreasing volume of the whiskey because of evaporation through and soaking into the wooden barrel. This is the reason why aged whiskeys are typically more expensive
Filtration
If the barrel has been charred then the interior of the barrel can act as an activated charcoal filter, absorbing some compounds and smoothing the spirit
Coloration
The charring process somewhat degrades the tannins in the woods which can give the spirit a reddish color the deepens with age. The spirit color may change from oxidation and is also dependent on the level of barrel toast. Spirits that are aged for a brief period of time will typically have a lighter color than those aged for a longer time
Blended whiskey
Blended whiskeys are the largest category they are made up of blends of whiskeys from different barrels, distilleries and of different classifications.
Single barrel bottlings
In some cases a selected single barrel is first diluted with water until it is at bottling strength which may be 80 proof or higher and then bottled without blending it with other barrels.
Cask strength or barrel proof bottlings
In the case of cask strength or barrel proof bottlings no water is added to the whiskey before bottling
Definition of whiskey - US
- Distilled spirit produced from the fermented mash of grain. -Distilled at less than 190 proof (95% ABV).
- Produced in a manner such that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whiskey.
- Bottled at no less than 80 proof (40% ABV)
Definition of whiskey - EU
- Must be produced by the distillation of grain mash made from malted cereals (May include malted grain).
- Distilled to less than 186.9 proof (94.8% ABV) so that the distillate has an aroma and taste reflective of the raw materials.
- Must be aged in wooden casks no larger than 185 gallons for at least three years.
- Bottled and a minimum strength of 80 proof (40% ABV).
True or false: the distiller carefully preserved the heart of the distillation run by passing the spirit through a spirit safe where it can be sampled, have it’s alcoholic strength measured, and be classified
True
Malting
barley is soaked in water which causes it to sprout. Known as green malt when its ready.
Kilning
green malt is transferred to a heated kiln where the germination is stopped
Milling
the roasted (kilned) malt is screened and ground into grist in the mill room
Mashing
ground malt and any other milled grains according to the grain recipe is mixed with hot water heated to 135 to 107°F. The vessel used in this step is referred to as a mash tun or mash cooker. The grain is soaked until the sugars are dissolved and most of the remaining starch is liquefied.
Washing
- in Scotland and Ireland the sugary liquid is washed from the malt and drained off, this liquid is known as the mash or wort.
- In the United States the sugary liquid and ground grain are generally allowed to remain together in the mixture this mixture is called a cook or mash
