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Scotch whiskey is traditionally associated with barley malt. Single malts (single malt whiskeys) are at the top of the premium segment, as drinks in this category have a pronounced taste and character. Most of the whiskey of the mid-price segment is blends (blends), with the addition of a distillate from unsprouted grains – barley, wheat or corn. Sometimes the lowest quality crops are used in production, which are mixed with a small amount of malt to speed up fermentation. It is these drinks that belong to the category of grain whiskey.
What is grain whiskey
Single malt whiskey is made from malted barley. The vast majority of distilleries have abandoned the independent processing of grain crops and purchase malt from large suppliers. In malting houses, the grain is first sieved to remove foreign matter, then soaked and laid out on a concrete floor for germination. During the malting process, germinated grains accumulate diastase, which accelerates the conversion of starches to sugars. Distillation takes place in onion-like copper pot stills. Scottish factories are proud of their equipment and publish photos of workshops in the media, as the entourage of ancient buildings works well to increase sales.
The production of grain whiskey is fundamentally different. The appearance of the factories is not advertised, because the picture destroys the ideas of the inhabitants about the process of making whiskey. The distillation is a continuous process and takes place in distillation columns Patent Still or Coffey Still. Equipment, as a rule, is taken out of the enterprise. Water vapor, wort and ready-made alcohol circulate in the apparatus at the same time, so the design looks bulky and unattractive.
Scottish businesses mostly use unmalted barley, less often other cereals. The grain is treated with steam for 3-4 hours to destroy the shell and activate the release of starch. The wort then enters the mash tun with a small amount of malt rich in diastase, which speeds up the fermentation. In the process of distillation, alcohol of high strength is obtained, which reaches 92%. The cost of producing grain distillate is cheap, as it takes place in one stage.
Grain whiskey is diluted with spring water, poured into barrels and left to age. The minimum term is 3 years. During this time, hard notes disappear from alcohol, and it becomes suitable for mixing.
Often, Grain Whiskey is compared to vodka, but this is not entirely correct. Barley distillate does not have such a rich taste and aroma as the single malt spirits of real whiskey, but it has a characteristic bouquet, albeit slightly pronounced, which is not found in classic vodka.
Difficulties with terminology
The continuous distillation apparatus was invented by winemaker Aeneas Coffey back in 1831 and actively used it at his Aeneas Coffey Whiskey plant. Producers quickly adopted the new equipment, as it reduced the cost of distillation by several times. The location of the enterprise was not decisive, so the new plants were located near ports and major transport hubs, which reduced logistics costs.
In 1905, Islington London Borough Council passed a resolution banning the use of the name “whiskey” for drinks made from unmalted barley. Thanks to connections in the government, a large alcohol company DCL (now Diageo) was able to lobby for the lifting of restrictions. The Royal Commission ruled that the term “whiskey” could be used in relation to any drink made in the distilleries of the country. Raw material, distillation method and aging time were not taken into account.
Scotch and Irish whiskey have been declared trade names by lawmakers, which can be used at the discretion of the producers. With regard to single malt distillates, legislators recommended using the term single malt whiskey. The document was approved in 1909, and for the next hundred years no one obliged Scottish producers to disclose the composition of their drinks.
Aged grain distillate became the basis of blends, the so-called blended whiskey. Cheap grain alcohol was mixed with single malt whiskey, which gave the drink character, flavor and structure.
Blended varieties have managed to find their niche in the market for a number of reasons, including:
- affordable price;
- well-chosen recipe;
- the same taste that does not change depending on the batch.
However, starting in the 1960s, the popularity of single malts began to increase exponentially. Over time, demand grew so much that distilleries began to abandon their own production of malt, as they could not cope with the volumes.
The preparation of raw materials was taken up by industrial malt houses, which took over the centralized supply of germinated barley. At the same time, there was a drop in demand for blends.
To date, there are only seven Grain Whiskey distilleries left in Scotland, while more than a hundred enterprises in the country produce single malt.
Features of marking in the USA
In the United States, the issue of terminology was solved radically at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. In the north of the continent, whiskey was distilled from rye, and in the south – from corn. The variety of raw materials has led to confusion with the labeling of alcohol.
President William Howard Taft initiated the development of the Whiskey Decision in 1909. The document stated that grain whiskey (bourbon) is made from raw materials, where 51% is corn. According to the same law, rye distillate is distilled from cereals, where the proportion of rye is at least 51%.
Modern marking
In 2009, the Scotch Whiskey Association adopted a new regulation that eliminated the confusion with drink names.
The document obligated producers to label products depending on the raw materials used and divided whiskey into five categories:
- whole grain (single grain);
- mixed grain (blended grain);
- single malt (single malt);
- mixed malt (blended malt);
- blended whiskey (blended Scotch).
Producers of changes in classification apprehended ambiguously. A number of enterprises that practiced mixing single molts were now forced to call their whiskey blended, and grain spirits received the right to be called single grain.
One of the most outspoken critics of the new legislation, Compass Box owner John Glaser noted that the association, in its desire to bring consumers information about the composition of alcoholic beverages, achieved exactly the opposite results. According to the winemaker, in the minds of buyers, the word single is associated with high quality, and blended is associated with cheap alcohol. Glaser’s prophecy about the rise of interest in grain whiskey has come true in part. In connection with the change in the law, the production volumes of Single Grain Whiskey have increased, and products with a longer aging period have appeared in the range of eminent companies.
Famous brands of grain whiskey
Most popular brands:
- Cameron Brig;
- Loch Lomond Single Grain;
- Teeling Irish Whiskey Single Grain;
- Borders Single Grain Scotch Whisky.
The production of grain whiskey has mastered the St. Petersburg enterprise “Ladoga”, which produces Fowler’s Whiskey based on a distillate from a mixture of wheat, barley, corn and rye. The five-year-old drink won a silver medal at The World Whiskey Masters 2020. Grain Whiskeys are separated into a separate category in world competitions.
How to drink grain whiskey
In advertising materials, producers emphasize the soft and light nature of grain whiskey, especially aged for a long time in ex-bourbon, port, sherry and even Cabernet Sauvignon casks. However, most of the products are still used exclusively as the basis for blends, and tasting such spirits will not bring the slightest pleasure. Aged monograin whiskeys remain a rarity, although well-known brands have recently launched many worthy products in this category on the market.
Fans note that premium grain whiskey is not bad in its pure form, although it is still recommended to drink it with ice or mix it with soda or ginger lemonade.
Often grain whiskey is used in cocktails with the addition of cola, lemon or grapefruit juice. That is, where unique notes of aroma and taste are not required.
There are no bright smoky or peppery shades in the organoleptic grain whiskey. As a rule, in the process of exposure, they acquire fruit, almond, honey and woody tones.
