Contents
The process of making whiskey, regardless of the region of production, consists of eight stages.
According to this scheme, whiskey is made in Ireland, Scotland, USA, Canada, Japan and other countries.
famous brands of whiskey
Whiskey malt preparation
Barley (rye, wheat, corn) is cleaned of debris and illiquid assets, dried.
The grain is poured with water, laid in a thin layer until sprouts appear. After 7-10 days, they move on to the next stage.
If the grain does not go through the malting stage, then the whiskey obtained from it will be called grain. In its pure form, it is practically not sold, but is used to create blends.
Whiskey malt drying
The malt is dried in its own way in different areas. In Japan and Scotland, smoke from burning peat, charcoal and beech shavings is used for these purposes.
The result is the so-called “smoked grain”. It gives the finished product a smoky-peaty character with notes of iodine.
It is noteworthy that the Japanese, in an effort to get closer to the standard, buy peat from the Scots.
In Ireland and other countries, drying is carried out without the use of smoke. The exception is Cooley Distillery.
Getting the wort for whiskey
The dried malt is ground to a coarse flour state (grist), combined with hot water and allowed to infuse for 8-12 hours, stirring regularly.
In this way, a malt wort is obtained, which is a sweetish light white gruel with a strong grain aroma (wort). After the flour has dissolved properly, the mixture is cooled.
Fermentation of the future whiskey
To activate fermentation, specially cultivated strains of pure yeast are added to the wort, the mass is well mixed until they are evenly distributed, and the mixture is sent to fermentation tanks.
Fermentation lasts an average of 2–3 days at a constant temperature of 35–37 °C.
The result is a low-alcohol mash (wash) – a drink that resembles beer with a strength of about 5%.
whiskey distillation
Braga is distilled twice (or thrice) in copper distillation apparatuses (pot still), similar in shape to retorts.
Copper for the manufacture of cubes and coils is not used by chance:
The material has excellent malleability, which makes it possible to make equipment of any shape from it.
It is characterized by high thermal conductivity, which ensures accelerated heating of distillation tanks (which means lower costs) and their rapid cooling, which is necessary for high-quality condensation.
If an open fire is used for distillation, uniform heat distribution is of particular importance: it prevents the mash particles (yeast sediment, lumps of malt flour) from burning.
It has a positive effect on the quality of the final product.
Copper ions effectively bind sulfur, which, when interacting with alcohols at high temperatures, can form foul-smelling organic compounds (mercaptans).
For the same reason, in the production of strong alcohol (cognac, tequila), sulfitation of the feedstock is prohibited.
During distillation in copper vessels, unlike distillation in tin or steel stills, many aromatic compounds are formed that are necessary for a quality drink: aldehydes, esters, furfural, furan compounds.
In addition, a number of complex reactions (dehydration of pentoses, polymerization of sugars, melanin formation, etc.) are more active, resulting in the appearance of a dark amber hue and a whole range of flavors in the drink: nutty, vanilla, chocolate, caramel, spicy.
After distillation in the first tank (wash still) with a volume of 700-2300 decalitres, a liquid is obtained, called “weak wine” (low wines). Its fortress: 25–30%.
Distillation in the second apparatus (spirits still) with a volume of 600-2100 dal after separation of the “heads” and “tails” gives whiskey with a strength of up to 70%.
The initial and final fractions are poured into “low wines” and again sent for distillation.
The design of distillation cubes significantly affects the taste of products. In each distillery, the devices are made according to their own scheme, observing a certain shape and volume.
It is believed that the higher and narrower the container, the lighter and thinner whiskey it produces.
When replacing equipment, they try to reproduce the exact shape of worn-out cubes, up to copying the slightest dents and bulges, so as not to “lose” the taste of the produced drink.
The main load during distillation falls on the upper section of the apparatus (“swan neck”) and the coil, which are in more contact with hot steam.
If possible, they try to make a partial replacement, not dismantling the cube completely, but updating the thinned segments. Detect problem areas using ultrasound.
In addition to the classic “pot still”, continuous distillation apparatus (“coffey still” or “patent still”), invented in 1831 by the Irishman Aeneas Coffey, is used for distillation. Such constructions speed up the process by 15–20 times, but are mainly used to obtain light grain alcohols that are part of blended whiskey.
Whiskey obtained by double (or triple) distillation is diluted with spring water to a strength of 50-63,5% and proceed to the next stage.
whiskey aging
The distillates are aged in oak barrels for at least 3 years. The best are the containers in which sherry was previously stored. The reuse of barrels used to import Spanish wine was tried in the XNUMXth century to save money. The experiment was successful and entered the technology.
Today, aging in sherry containers testifies to the high quality of whiskey. Due to the lack of such vessels, American white oak barrels are used, in which bourbon was previously stored.
An alternative is to treat fresh containers with cheap sherry.
Interaction with wood provides whiskey with characteristic properties: it makes it darker, softer, and gives additional accents to the bouquet.
The tannins, lingins, vanillin and wood sugars contained in the oak, formed during the roasting of the barrel, impart a sweetish aftertaste and aroma to the distillates.
Alcohols, aldehydes and esters that make up whiskey penetrate through the pores of the wood, oxidize and form complex compounds.
Part of the distillate, evaporating during aging through the pores of the oak, received a poetic name – “angel’s share” (“angel’s share”, “la part des anges”). A similar process is observed not only during the maturation of whiskey, but also other alcoholic beverages: cognacs, rums, armagnacs, wines.
The number of annual “divine losses” depends on the humidity and temperature of a certain area and is in the range of 1,5–7%. Based on these data, the recommended aging times for various alcohols in a particular climate were determined.
In hot countries, drinks rarely mature in barrels for more than 10 years due to huge product losses.
Each locality has its own whiskey aging traditions:
In America, spirits mature exclusively in new containers.
In Ireland and Scotland, the distillate only ages in used casks (bourbon, sherry or port).
Vessels differ in size and shape. There are 6 categories of casks in Scottish distilling:
butt – holds up to 110 gallons (approximately 500 liters)
Puncheon – the volume is the same as that of “butt”, but the barrel itself is lower and wider
Hogshead – capacity: about 56 gallons (250 l)
Barrel – up to 40 gallons (about 180 liters)
Quarter – Holds up to 30 gallons (127-160 L)
Octave – smallest keg, 10 gallons (45-68 l)
Spanish containers from Oporto are highly valued. Barrels from local port wine have an elongated shape that looks like a cigar.
Whiskey blending
To create blended drinks (blends), 15–50 varieties of malt and 3–4 types of grain alcohols of different ages are mixed separately. Two categories are combined into one and the mixture is kept for several more months.
Some blending recipes have a long history, others are modern developments created on the basis of old technologies or “from scratch” in accordance with market demands.
The purpose of blending is to obtain a product of established quality by combining the best characteristics of different whiskeys in one drink.
The first blend recognized by the masses was compiled in 1853 by Andrew Asher. It was Old Vatted Glenlivet.
The master blender in the process of mixing different varieties of single malt and grain whiskey has to solve two problems at once: to create a unique taste characteristic of a particular brand, and over the years to monitor its consistency.
Each spirit selected for the blend must be tasted not only after distillation, but also during maturation.
To obtain blends, 2 methods are used:
Different varieties of malt and grain spirits are combined in special containers (equalizers), where they are kept for 1 day. The mixture is then poured into barrels in which it spends several weeks before bottling. This is how cheap whiskey is made.
Several varieties of single malt whiskey are selected, combined with grain alcohols in equalizers. To improve the properties of the blend, the components are “married” (“wedding”): the mixture is kept in oak for 6–8 months. This is how you get an expensive whiskey of excellent quality.
If the label of a blended drink indicates the aging period, it refers to the youngest spirit that is part of the blend. Whiskey with a significant proportion of old single malt components (single malt) is labeled “de luxe”.
Whiskey bottling
Before bottling, whiskey is driven through membrane or cellulose filters at a temperature of 2-10 ° C. If necessary, the drink is diluted with spring water to the desired strength parameter.
whiskey cocktails
Relevance: 05.05.2019
Metki: Whiskey and bourbon