IHM KOLKATA

WHISKY
Introduction
Whisky is a general term referring to a distilled spirit that comes from grain. The grain
used may be of barley, rye, corn, wheat or all together in varying proportions. The name
whisky comes from the Gaelic expression ‘Uisge Beatha’, meaning ‘water of life’. The
Scots, Canadians, Australians, Japanese and other Commonwealth countries spell the
spirit as ‘Whisky’. The Irish and Americans spell it as ‘Whiskey’.
Definition
Whisky is the spirit distilled from grain. The grain used may be barley, corn, rye, wheat,
or a mixture of grains in varying proportions.

History
The history of whisky dates back to twelfth century when it was first made in Ireland
from barley beer. The Irish monks who settled in western Scotland introduced the art of
whisky making to Scots. Thereafter, the Scots improved the science of production. Two
major events in the history helped whisky to get popular outside United Kingdom. The
first was the vine pest phylloxera that destroyed French brandy vineyards in 1870.
Whisky filled the gap left by the unobtainable cognac. The second was prohibition of
alcoholic beverages in USA in the 1920s. During prohibition whisky from Ireland and
Scotland was smuggled into USA.

Whisky production

The initial stages of making whisky are similar to the production of beer except the
addition of hops. The fermented liquid is then distilled. The type of cereal or combination
of cereals, distillation method, type of wood used for ageing, period of ageing, and the
blending process used for production vary according to the style of whisky being
produced and these greatly influence the character of whisky.
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Scotch whisky

Scotch whisky is regarded as the world’s finest whisky. Several manufacturers have been
trying to imitate the scotch since the Middle Ages, but none has succeeded in reproducing
its character. The success of Scotch whisky is based on the factors listed below:

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 The cool damp climate of the Scotland.

 Minerals found in the soft water of Scotland.
 Quality of the malted barley.
 The use of peat that induce smoky flavour.
 Strict quality control regulations.

Regions of whisky production in Scotland

 Highland – the majority (80%) of Scotch whisky distilleries are from Highland.
 Lowland – these are the lightest in style and make excellent blending bases.
 Islay – the distilleries off the west coast produce some of the most fully flavoured
and peaty malts. This character comes from the local peat created from marine
vegetable matter.
 Cambell town – probably home to the first distillers in Scotland. However, only
two remain and produce smoky whiskies.
 Island – this includes all other islands scattered around the coast of Scotland.
They taste salty or have a sea-weed flavour.
 Speyside – the area produces some of the finest malts in Scotland, this is due to
outstanding natural resources found in and around the area.

Meaning of Scotch

By law Scotch whisky means whisky which has been:

• Distilled at a distillery in Scotland from malted barley to which whole grains or other
cereals may be added.

• Distilled at an alcohol strength less than 94.8 % by volume so that the distillate has an
aroma and flavour of the raw materials.

• Matured in an excise warehouse in Scotland in oak casks of a capacity not more than
700 litres for a period of not less than three years.

• Bottled at a minimum alcohol of 40 % by volume.

The quality and flavour of Scotch are greatly influenced by type of cereal used, malting
process, peat drying process, the quality of water, the air, the climate, the distilling
method and the skill of the distiller and blender. Many countries try to imitate scotch but
are not able to succeed. This is primarily attributed to climate, peat, and very fine quality
of water.

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Types of Scotch whisky

There are two distinctive types of Scotch whiskies - malt whisky and grain whisky. The
malt whisky is made from malted barley and is double distilled in pot still, whereas grain
whisky is made from corn or wheat and barley and distilled in patent still. However, most
scotch whiskies available in the market are blended and are a mix of grain and malts.

1. Malt whisky
Cleaning

The grain used in making whisky must be of top quality. Selected barley is cleaned to
remove any foreign matter and inferior grains.

Malting

Barley is soaked in a tank full of water for about 3 days. Grain absorbs water to its full
strength and expands in its body. Moist barley is spread on the malting floor and is
allowed to germinate. During germination process, the insoluble starch in the cereal is
converted into soluble maltose sugar by the action of diastase enzyme. The sprouted
cereal is called as green malt.

Kilning

The green malt is gently roasted in a kiln over a peat fire. The smoke the peat contributes
a pungent, earthy and smoky character to the spirit.

Milling

The malted barley is crushed in a mill to produce a coarse powder called ‘grist’.

Mashing

The grist is sent to mash tun and mixed with hot water to produce a sort of mixture called
mash. The mash is heated for a few hours at around 65⁰ C. The liquid at this stage is
termed as ‘wort’.

Fermentation

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The wort is then cooled and then passed into fermenting vats, where the cultured yeast is
introduced. The yeast converts sugar into a weak alcohol with strength of 7 – 10 %. This
alcohol-containing liquid is known as ‘wash’.

Distillation

Wash is distilled twice in pot still. The wash is put into a pot still and heated until the
alcohol vapourizes and rises through the neck of the still to the condenser, where it
precipitates as spirit.

Maturation

The newly distilled spirit is pumped into oak casks where it is matured for at least three
years. On aging, wood contributes the colour, flavour and aroma to the whisky.

Blending

After completion of required period of aging, whiskies of different qualities are blended
to make a standard product. There may be as many as 30–40 whiskies blended to make
one brand. Then the whisky is rested to get the components married together. At this
stage, a little amount of caramel colour may be added to obtain the desired colour in the
drink. Spirit is reduced to potable strength – 40 % alcohol by volume and bottled.

2. Grain whisky

Grain whisky is made from corn, wheat, barley and a little amount of malted barley. The
unmalted cereals are ground to powder, and then steam cooked to release the starch into
slurry solution. The solution is then placed in mash tun and malted barley is added along
with hot water. The mixture is mixed well to get wort. The wort is then cooled and then
passed into stainless steel tanks, where the cultured yeast is introduced. The yeast acts on
the sugar to produce alcoholic wash. The wash is then distilled in patent still. This
process of distillation removes most of the congeners (flavouring agents), resulting in a
milder and smoother spirit. The spirit is then matured in oak casks for a minimum period
of three years. whisky is then blended, reduced to potable alcoholic strength, coloured
with caramel and bottled.

Popular styles of Scotch whisky

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 Blended Whisky

It is a mix of malt and grain whiskies in varying proportions. Each blended whisky is
different and has its own profile. The quality of the whisky chiefly depends on the
whiskies selected for blending, their varying proportions, and the skills of the blender.

 Single Malt Whisky

It is the pure malt whisky from single distillery. It may be a mix of whiskies from
different casks and different years of a single distillery.

Brand names of Scotch whiskies

Blended whisky Single malt whisky

Teachers Glenfiddich

Chives Regal Glenmorangie

Johnnie Walker Highland Park

Black Dog Isle of Jura

VAT 69 Glenlivet

Irish whiskey

It is from Ireland, distilled, from a wash of malted and un-malted barley with some
grains. The germination of the grains is stopped by heating grains in kiln by anthracite

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coal. This is thrice distilled in pot still, which produces a lighter and smoother spirit. It is
matured for a minimum of 5 years. Traditionally Irish whiskey is not blended.

Irish whiskey brand names

John Jameson

Paddy

Murphy

Tullamore Dew

Middleton Rare

Canadian whisky

It comes from Canada. This whisky is made from a blend of grains – corn, wheat, malted
barley, and rye. This whisky is generally patent still distilled. It is a blended whisky with a
lighter body and delicate flavour. It should be aged for a minimum of three years in
charred oak barrels.

Canadian whisky brand names

Canadian Club

Windsor

Seagrams

Crown Royal

Canadian Five Star

American whiskey

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All American whiskies are patent still distilled from a mixture of various grains and aged
in oak barrels (except for corn whiskey which may not be aged).

Bourbon whiskey

It is named after the county Bourbon in Kentucky and is produced from alcoholic wash
consisting of corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley. The minimum corn to be used for this
mixture must be 51%. Usually, the mash mixture consists of 70% corn, 15% rye & 15%
malted barley. It is distilled in patent still and matured in charred oak casks for a
minimum period of two years. Usually, Bourbons are generally aged for 6 to 10 years.
The charred barrels contribute special flavour to the whisky. The main feature of
Bourbon whiskey is that both ‘Sweet Mash’ and ‘Sour Mash’ yeasting is done.

• Sweet Mash – use of freshly cultured yeast.

• Sour Mash – at least 1/3rd mash left over from previous fermentation, so that each
new batch is ‘related’ to the previous batch and develops more complex flavours.
Tennessee whiskey

It is a sour mash whisky produced from mixture of grain consisting of minimum 51 %

corn, distilled in Tennessee. After distillation it is filtered / seeped very slowly through
vats packed with charcoal made from wood of sugar maple tree. This gives it a smoother
character. It is matured in charred oak barrels. Most Tennessee whiskies are made from
the mash of corn (80 %), rye (10 %) and malted barley (10 %).

Rye whiskey

Rye whiskey is made from mash containing not less than 51 % rye. This whisky is
matured in charred oak casks for a minimum period of 2 years. It mainly comes from
Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Corn whiskey

Corn whiskey is made from a mash containing 80 % corn. This whisky may or may not be
aged.

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Brand names of American whiskies

Bourbon whisky brand names Tennessee whisky brand names

Old Crow Jack Daniel’s

Old Granddad George Dickel

Jim Beam Pritchard’s

Rye whisky brand names Corn whisky brand names

Copper Fox Old Gristmill

Old Overhaul Georgia Moon

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Source adapted from:

 Grossman’s Guide to Wines, Beer and Spirits, ISBN 0- 684-17772–2.
 Food and Beverage Service by R. Singaravelavan, OUP, India, ISBN-13: 978-0-
19-806527-2 & ISBN-10: 0-19-806527-2.

 Food and Beverage Simplified by Vara Prasad & Gopi Krishna, Pearson, India,
ISBN-978-81-317-7052-8.
Authorship: Saurabh Haldar

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