The World of Whisky Demystified

Given the diversity of flavours available across the Classic Malts range, it’s incredible that single malts are only made from three ingredients: barley, water and yeast."

In the first step of the process, the barley is soaked in water and then dried by heating in a kiln. This is known as malting and is designed to make the barley release the starches it contains, but not fully germinate. Think of it like getting a sweet out of its wrapper.

This stage has a great contribution to flavour. In many cases, peat is burned as part of the drying process, which gives a unique smoky flavour to the whisky.

The malted grain is milled and the resultant coarse flour, or grist, is mixed with hot water in the mash tun, causing the starch in the grains to convert to sugars. The sugary liquid, known as wort (a little like barley water), is then drained off through the sieve-like floor of the mash tun.

The wort is cooled and transferred into washbacks . It’s here that yeast is added and fermentation starts. The yeast converts the sugar in the wort into alcohol.

After two to four days, fermentation is complete, leaving a liquid called wash that it a little like a strong beer at 8 to 9% volume alcohol. The length of fermentation time has an important effect on the overall flavour of the spirit.

After fermentation, the wash arrives in the still room, ready for distillation.

Scotch whisky is typically distilled twice in copper stills. You might think of the still as a big kettle with a fire underneath it.

The size, shape and number of stills have a big influence on the taste of the whisky, due to the spirit’s interaction with the copper. Generally, the more the spirit interacts with the copper in the still, the lighter the spirit.

The final part of the process is to transfer the new-make spirit into oak casks.

The maturation is crucial in influencing the final character of a Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The oak casks remove some of the harsher tastes of the new make spirit and, at the same time, expose the spirit to a variety of flavours and aromas derived from the interaction with the wood.

Casks are either American oak, which previously held bourbon or European oak, which previously held sherry. The choice of American or European oak casks provides different colours & flavours.

European oak tends to produce sweet & fruity notes and a darker coloured spirit.

American oak tends to produce sweet vanilla notes, coconut notes and a lighter colour

After three years in the cask, the spirit is legally allowed to be called Scotch whisky. However, the Classic Malts, demand much longer than this to produce the Single Malt whiskies that truly embody the locations out of which they are borne.

BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

Defined under the Scotch Whisky Regulations as “a combination of one or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies with one or more Single Grain Scotch Whiskies”. These might include J&B™, Johnnie Walker Black Label™ or Bell’s™.

SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

This means a Scotch Whisky that is produced from only water, malted barley and yeast at a single distillery. It is distilled in batches and examples include the Classic Malts such as Talisker, Dalwhinnie and Lagavulin.

For those considering travelling further a-field, you can also find Single Malt Whiskies that have been produced in England, Wales, Ireland and even Japan.

IRISH WHISKEY

Irish whiskey differs from Scotch whisky (not only in the spelling) because it is typically distilled three times and, although Ireland is literally covered in peat, it is uncommon for peat to be used in making Irish whiskey. This is thought to make a smoother, more approachable drink than many Scotch whiskies.