As you have read from the topic of this article I will be writing about Whisky. Many of you have must heard and some of you have tasted this alcoholic beverage as it is really popular in some regions in the world. But there could be some facts that even the most devoted whisky fans may have not known. So here I am with the tale of how whisky is made.
Whisky is an alcoholic beverage made of grains such as Barley, Corn. Rye and Wheat. Unlike beer or wine whisky is a distilled beverage.
There are several types of whisky can be found around the world. But there are five whisky types that I will talk about in this article. Over the years more than 20 countries have started distilling their own whisky. I believe that each of them have their unique taste and character in their whisky. In the market you will be able to find various types of whisky such as Bourbon, Blended whisky, Japanese whisky, scotch whisky and malt whisky. These are only a few among many of the varieties of whisky found around the world.
Whisky is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from grains such as Barley, Corn, Rye, and Wheat. The history of the whisky is an interesting one. It has its own story that runs into the ancient history while intertwine with science and medicine.
After reading this article you will find the answers to following questions.
- What is distillation?
- History of Distillation
- History of Whisky distillation
- Modern whisky production
Before getting into whisky production it is better to be informed about distillation.
What is Distillation?
Distillation is a process of separating components from a mixture by boiling, evaporating and then condensation. Each component in a mixture has different boiling temperatures. Which means that a component in liquid state turn into gas state once the mixture obtain a certain temperature. The component vaporize, the vapor is collected into a separate vessel and then the temperature is decreased. When the temperature decreases the component turn back into its liquid state.
Usually cold water runs around the condenser to cool down the hot vapor. But within the condenser water does not mix with the vapor so the end solution does not have water from the cooling step.
History of Distillation
The earliest evidence of distillation was found in ancient Babylonia in 2nd millennium BC. The ancient Babylonians had made aromatics and perfumes through distillation. After that in ancient Greece have used distillation in 1st century AD. The earliest record of distillation for alcoholic beverages was found in Italy during 13th century. During the 15th century the distillation for spirit alcohol was done. But even that was for medical purposes only.
The evidence suggest that distillation was used in Scotland during 15th century while in Ireland it had started in 17th century. According to the pages in history books King James IV of Scotland fancied scotch whisky. But during this period there was a monopoly in whisky production. Only the monks in monasteries knew and had the authority to make this alcoholic drink which was used for medical purposes. Due to the dissolution of monasteries by the king Henry VII during 1530s the monks were left behind without an income and into the public. These newly independent monks who knew how to make whisky started distillation in homes as their new source of income.
the whisky made in that period was not aged well therefore it tasted more bitter and harsh compared to the whisky that are being made today. That is why it probably tasted like medicine.
For a long time whisky distillation was done as a small domestic business without a license. In 1608 the first license for distilling whisky was issued. The old Bushmills Distillery is the oldest licensed distillery in the world. After that whisky grew into a proper licensed business which included in tax. But in 1707 the tax for the whisky increased dramatically which forced whisky production into a more secretive business. Because of the high tax rates many distilleries closed their business while many moved their distilleries into an underground production. Illegally distilled whisky was hidden under alters or inside coffins to avoid getting caught by excise officers and revenue officers. Homemade whisky was continued distilling during the night time. The smoke of the burners was harder detect during the foggy nights. At the time whisky was known as “Moonshine”.
During the period of colonization the along with other alcoholic beverages whisky was introduced to British territories all around the world.
America has their own story of whisky. During the American revolution whisky was used as currency. Farmers used to take their crops to the nearest whisky factory and in exchange they got whisky. It was easier for them to exchange their corn into whisky than going down to the city market. Between 1920-1933 there was a nation wide ban was issued for alcoholic beverages. But whisky was an exception as it was used for medical purposes. At the time whisky was sold in licensed pharmacies.
Whisky Production
The main two ingredients of the whisky production are water and grains. The grains include Barley, Oats, Rye and Corn. Some whisky is made from the malted barley. The malting process is also important when producing malted whisky. Let’s look at the malting….
Malting
Malting is the process of steeping, germination and kilning of barley grains. First the harvested barley is transported to the malt house where the barley is stored in huge silos. When the grains that have more than 13% moisture are dried and while drying the workers make sure that the grains do not lose the ability to germinate as the excessive heat can burn the grains. The grains are dried by circulating a hot air current(500C).
Then they are cleaned to remove the dirt. Grains are put through a sieve to remove large materials like straw and stones. Sometimes magnets are used to remove iron metals from the grains. Once the grains are dried and cleaned they are stored in huge cylindrical silos until taken out for the process of malting.
the first step is steeping. The barley grains are soaked in water until the moisture level is increased from 12% to 40-45%. During this stage the grains are called wet sand because of how they look. Air is bubbled periodically while the grains are submerged in water to help the growth of the barley. At the end of steeping the grains are lift from the water level kept for germination.
The second step is germination. During the germination the seeds produce more heat. If not controlled it can lead to a fire. To control the temperature in the room cool air is circulated around the barley grains. It is important to control the temperature as there are enzymes that are being produced within the grains and they could be destroyed because of the high temperature. These enzymes are important in a future stage while making whisky. So the temperature is kept between10-160C by a constant supply of fresh humid air. While germinating seeds start to grow little roots.
The third step is kilning. After a while the seeds are dried once again to stop the further germination. It is done in a huge oven like room which is called “a kiln”. The grains are dried by a heated smoke. In the making of Scottish whisky the smoke is made from burning peat. It also contributes to the flavor of the final product. But many countries the smoke is made from burning the coal instead of peat.
After drying the little roots from the germinated grains are removed. These roots make excellent cattle feed. So either they are either sold or processed as animal feed.
After the malting process the grains are taken into the next step which is called “Mashing”.
Mashing
The cleaned and malted grains are grinded while water is added little by little to this grinding grains. Then this mixture is stirred for several days. And the enzymes that were produced during the germination convert the starch into sugar. At the end of this step a mashed sugary mixture comes out which is called “wort”.
Fermentation
The wort is cooled and pumped into washback where yeast is added to it. Then the fermentation begins. The yeast convert the sugar in the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2). Because of the carbon dioxide that is produced the mixture froths violently. After the fermentation the final wash contain 6-8% alcohol in the mixture.
Distillation
A still is used to distil and extract the alcohol in the fermented mixture. Mainly there are two types of stills are used. A pot still and a column still/Coffey still.
The traditional method is to use a pot still. Usually copper stills are used. The copper in the still helps to remove Sulphur based compounds from the product. When pot stills are used the percentage of the distillate it less than the column still. Because of that the distillate is distilled once again until the desired alcohol percentage is received.
Shape of the still can affect the character of the whisky. Therefore many traditional distilleries keep their stills for a long time. Unlike a column stills a pot still influence which aromatic molecule goes up in the still and reach the end. Distillers monitor the distillate constantly. The best part of the distillate is called “heart” and the most initial part and the ending parts are called heads and tails. Heart is extracted while heads and tails are distilled again or discarded.
When pot stills are used the distillate has to distil twice or more. Each time the still has to be cleaned and filled the distillate. While in a column still the distillate is rich in alcohol therefore the distillate does not re distilled. Because of that a column still can operate 21*7 without any disturbances and produce a massive amount of distillate.
The distilled mixture has 70-71% alcohol. Then it is diluted into 63% by adding clean water before filling into barrels for aging.
Aging
After distillation the whisky is usually aged for 2-3 years in a wooden barrel. After distillation whisky is transparent without any color. It is aging that gives whisky its signature colors, flavors and characters. Whisky does not age in bottle. So once whisky is bottled a 50 years old whisky is similar to a recently bottled whisky. It does not change the quality over time. But when a whisky is aged for 50 years it has different qualities that to a whisky that has been aged for two years. The more the whisky spends time in a barrel the darker the color.
Aging methods, time and casks differ from the product to product. For aging the whisky usually barrels made from oak wood are used. But occasionally maple wood barrels are used. Production of these barrels is a whole different story. I hope to write about it soon.
The barrels takes something from the spirit while giving some other things. The different whisky types require different barrels. For an example, brand new white oak charred barrels must be used for aging bourbon. The charcoal made inside the barrels while charring helps to filter the whisky while inside the barrel. It helps to remove bitter and harsh flavors while giving it flavors and aromas unique to bourbon. For Scotch whisky most of the time old bourbon barrels are used. Sometimes for aging old sherry or rum barrels are used. Each of these helps distillers to add a unique character to their whisky.
The type of barrels affect the taste of the whisky. For an example American oak barrels give a soft vanilla caramel like taste while European oak give a spicy and bitter taste to the whisky. In Canadian whisky there are two types of whiskies are made one is called the flavoring whisky and the other one is base whisky and at the final step in the production the two whiskies are blend together. The flavoring whisky is aged in brand new barrels while the base whisky is aged in used barrels. Distillers use this method to maximize the effect from the barrel to the flavoring whisky and to minimize the effect from the barrels to the base whisky.
After aging for the desired period whisky is set to bottling. This is how the whisky you see in the market gains life. I believe that this article has helped you in gaining some knowledge on whisky.
Thank you for reading ❤
Facts and DIY 