Food and Beverage Service R. Singaravelavan

PART IV 32. Whisky

Chapter 32 Whisky At the end of the class, you will understand various types of whiskies and their characteristics

Whisky Whisky is a spirit distilled from grain by pot still or patent still method. The grain used may be barley, maize, rye, wheat, or the mixture of grain in varying proportions. The mixture may contain malted grain, unmalted grain, or both. The distilled drink is then aged in wooden barrels, especially those made of oak. These barrels may be new or used and charred or uncharred on the inside, depending on the style of whisky being produced.

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

Production of Whisky

Scotch Whisky By law, scotch whisky means whisky that has been Distilled at a distillery in Scotland from malted barley to which whole grains of other cereals may be added Distilled at an alcohol strength less than 94.8 per cent 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 the minimum alcohol of 40 per cent by volume

Scotch Whisky Malt Whisky: is made from malted barley and then double distilled in pot still. Grain Whisky: is made chiefly from corn or wheat with a small percentage of barley and barley malt and distilled in a patent still. Blended whisky: Blended whisky is a mix of malt and grain whiskies. Most of the scotch sold in the market is blended scotch. The proportion of malt to grain whisky is between 20 and 40 per cent.

Irish Whiskey The Irish spell whisky as ‘whiskey’. Irish whiskey is distilled in Ireland from a wash of malted and unmalted barley with some grain. The germination of the grains is stopped by heating the grains in a kiln by hot air. Irish whiskey is distilled thrice in pot still and matured for a period of five years. Today, most Irish whiskeys are patent distilled. The traditional Irish whiskey is unblended. Standard Irish whiskey is a blend of malt and grain whiskeys.

US Whiskey The Americans spell whisky as ‘whiskey’. All American whiskeys are made from cereal,distilled mostly in patent still at no more than 90 per cent and aged in oak barrels (except for corn whiskey which may or may not be aged) and bottled at not less than 40 per cent abv.

Types of US Whiskey Bourbon whiskey: It is named after the county Bourbon in Kentucky. It is made from alcoholic wash of corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley and the minimum corn in the mixture should be 51 per cent. Most bourbon whiskeys are made from the mash of corn, rye, and malted barley in the proportion of 70 %, 15 %, and 15 % respectively. It is distilled in patent still and matured in charred new oak casks for a minimum period of two years. The charred barrels contribute special flavour to the whiskey.

Types of US Whiskey Tennessee whiskey : Tennessee whiskey is sour mash whiskey produced from mixture of grain consisting of minimum of 51 % corn, distilled in Tennessee, filtered through sugar maple charcoal before being matured in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of two years. In sour mash process, along with the fresh yeast, some mash from the previous fermentation is added to the new mash for fermentation. This will impart the flavour and style of the previous fermentation.

Types of US Whiskey Most Tennessee whiskeys are made from the mash of corn, rye, and malted barley in the proportion of 80, 10, and 10 per cent respectively. Tennessee whiskey is the protected name for a sour mash of American whiskey.

Types of US Whiskey Corn whiskey It is distilled from a mash of minimum of 80 % corn. It may or may not be aged. If aged, it is usually for a period of six months. Rye whiskey It is distilled from a mash consisting of at least 51 % rye and aged in charred new oak barrels at least for 2 years. Most rye whiskeys are made from the mash of rye, corn, and malted barley in the proportion of 51, 39, and 10 per cent respectively.

Canadian Whiskey Canadian whisky is often referred to as rye whisky. Canadian whiskies were primarily made from rye, but today most Canadian whiskies are made using corn, wheat, and other grains with a very small portion of rye for flavouring. Canadians, whatever may be the composition of grains used, call their whisky as rye whisky. In some cases, the ratio of corn to rye will be as high as 9:1. More corn is used in the mash than the rye, yet it is called as rye whisky. Canadian whisky should be aged for a minimum period of three years in oak barrels, not necessarily new or charred.

Japanese Whiskey Japanese whisky is distilled from millet, corn, and rice and both the patent and pot still methods of distillation are employed. Japanese produce malt and blended whiskies and their single malt whiskies are as good as the scotch.

Points to Remember Whisky is distilled from cereals and matured in oak barrels. The cereals used may be single type or mixture of cereals, pot or patent distilled, short or long period of ageing, etc. Scotland, Ireland, the USA, and Canada produce whisky. American and Irish distilleries spell this spirit as ‘whiskey’. Of all the whiskies, scotch whisky is considered to be the best for its unique characteristics attributed by the climate, water, and peat drying. Scotch employs pot distillation for its malt whisky and patent still for grain whisky.

Points to Remember Scotch is matured for a minimum period of three years. Most scotch available in the market is the blend of malt whisky and grain whisky. Traditional Irish whiskey is produced from malted and unmalted barley, with or without some other grains. It is pot distilled thrice and matured for a minimum period of five years. Whiskeys from the USA are produced from the mash of mixed grain, mostly in patent still and aged for a minimum period of two years in oak barrels. Bourbon, Tennessee, Rye, Corn are the types of whiskeys produced in the USA, each having its own characteristics.

Points to Remember Canadian whisky is called as rye whisky though the proportion of cereals used in the mash may have small quantity of rye. Canadian whisky is aged minimum for a period of three years.