Whisky Beginners Series: Making Whisky

Whisky is not just a drink; it represents a vision and a blend of science and art. Knowing the whisky-making process and how each stage affects flavour can enhance your enjoyment, whether you're a novice or a connoisseur. Here’s a simplified outline of the key steps in the Scotch whisky-making process.

Harvest

The most common grain used for whisky, especially Scotch whisky, is barley. Out of over 5,000 strains, only 10 are approved for Scotch whisky production.

Malting

For malted Scotch whisky, barley undergoes a malting process to convert starch into fermentable sugars. This is now often mechanized, though it was traditionally done manually on large malting floors.

Kilning

Warm air halts germination, preserving the barley's starch. Here, you choose between peated or non-peated malt:

Coke or Coal fire doesn't add noticeable flavour to the malt.

A Peat Fire produces phenols that attach to damp malt, creating a peaty flavour, with exposure levels increasing the strength of the peat flavour and being measured in parts per million (PPM).

Milling

Malted barley is ground down to create Grist, which is ready to be used for fermentation.

Mashing - The Grist (ground barley) is added to hot water, dissolving starches into simple sugars for yeast fermentation, creating the sugary liquid known as Wort.

Fermentation – Yeast is added to the wort, a sugary liquid from water and barley, to metabolize sugars and release ethanol, typically taking about 48 hours.

Secondary Fermentation – Many distilleries now ferment for over 90 hours, producing a sweeter, fruitier spirit due to bacteria and wild yeasts in the mixture.

Distillation – Distilleries use copper pot stills to heat liquid, turning it into vapor and then back into liquid. Increased copper contact during this process results in a lighter, more refined spirit, while less contact produces a heavier, denser, and oilier spirit.

The Pot Stills at Penderyn Distillery

The Cut

The heart of the distilled spirit, containing all the desired flavours and compounds, is collected for maturation to preserve the master distiller's crafted essence.

The New Make Spirit

The distillation process results in a clear liquid with an ABV of about 70%, capturing the core flavours of the distillery, whether fruity and light or peaty and oily. It is then casked for maturation.

Maturation

All types of whisky (whisky/whiskey/Bourbon/Rye/Tennessee) mature in oak barrels, allowing the spirit to interact with the wood and absorb characteristics from previous contents. Legally, many whiskies must mature for at least 3 years and 1 day, often in ex-bourbon oak barrels. Some distilleries mature their whisky longer and experiment with various barrels, including ex-sherry and ex-wine.

Casks at The Lakes Distillery

The Angel's Share & Devi'ls Cut

The 'Angel's Share' refers to the 2-3% of distillate lost to evaporation annually during maturation, while the 'Devil's Cut' is the distillate absorbed by the cask wood.

Finishing

After maturing in oak barrels, distilleries often finish whisky in different casks for 6 to 18 months to enhance its character and flavor. These casks may have previously held rum, sherry, IPA, or peated whisky, creating a distinct profile.

Bottling

After maturation and optional finishing, whisky is ready for bottling. Typically, the ABV is around 60% and can be bottled at cask strength or diluted with water to the desired ABV, as determined by the master distiller/blender to maintain the whisky's profile and flavors. Whisky must be bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV.

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how whisky is made. keep an eye out for the next Blog in the Beginner Series that will go in to more detail about some of the key elements of the whisky making process.

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