How Is Whiskey Made:
Whisky is a distilled potion made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different classes and types, such as barley, corn, rye and wheat. It’s typically produced in a pot still and aged in wooden casks.
A pot still is a sexy-looking apparatus, normally fashioned out of copper or stainless steel with copper lining, found in most high-end distilleries. Why copper? It plays a crucial role in distillation, by removing sulfur-based compounds from the alcohol. Without that, trust me, you wouldn’t want to consume this stuff! Pot stills actually resembles a traditional pot, with its heated chamber and a receptacle that accumulates purified alcohol. A column still is another common vessel, frequently used in the production of Bourbon and other New World whiskeys.
Unlike wine, whiskey does not age in the bottle, so its maturity is determined by the time spent in the cask; from distillation to bottling. Paradoxically, after a decade or two, extra aging doesn’t necessarily improve the whiskey. Extra aging can sometimes inhibit the developed flavors. If you see an older bottling, it may well be rare, but isn’t automatically superior in quality to a newer one.
Where Is Whiskey Made:
Whiskey is best known as Scotland’s claim to fame. Principal producing areas are Campbeltown, the Highlands, Isle of Islay and the Lowlands. Each region shows a distinctive flavor profile. Canada is another robust producer and exporter, with over half of its production winding up in the US. Frankly, where grain grows, whiskey is fashioned. I can’t vouch for consistency or quality, but there sure are a lot of countries engaged in whisky-making.
Types of Whiskey:
There are essentially two types of whisky:MALT and GRAIN. Malt is made primarily from barley, grain from many types of grains.
Barrel select whiskies are quite unusual, only the ultimate whiskey expressions are bottled that way.
Blended malt whiskey is a blend of single malt whiskies from various distilleries.
Blended whiskey is a mixture of malt and grain of whiskey that also incorporate whiskey from several distilleries.
Single barrel whiskies are bottled from a single cask, often the bottles are numbered.
Single malt whiskey is a whisky from a single distillery made from a specific malted grain, usually barley. Whiskies are blended from multiple casks and/or vintages and are crafted in “house style.”
Scotch is typically aged in used, uncharred barrels. Bourbon is aged in new charred oak barrels. Some corn whiskey is aged, some isn’t aged at all (moonshine, anyone?). If these whiskies types are aged for two years or more, it bears an additional designate: straight whiskey.
Whiskies for Beginners:
Whiskies are quite common as solo sippers, however, they are also frequently used as a primary cocktail component. Well-known classic concoctions such as Irish Coffee, Jack and Coke, Manhattan, Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Rob Roy, Rusty Nail, Sazerac, 7&7, Whisky Sour and several more use whiskey as a main ingredient.
There is a great event that takes place in March, Whiskes of the World. It gives spirits lovers an amazing opportunity to taste dozens upon dozens of craft whiskies from around the globe.
