07.04.2014 / 421

Whiskey. This drink is a real cultural dominant of Western civilization, especially the Anglo-Saxon part of it, which has now largely won the status of the number one global strong drink.

This happened largely due to the fact that whiskey is really worthy in every way “strong man”. But do not neglect the marketing myth of whiskey, as an indispensable attribute of Western alcohol culture, which allowed through many powerful brands to implant in the consumer's mind a love of the ancient Celtic drink on all continents.

A brief excursion into history

The word “whiskey” itself is a tracing-paper from the Celtic language uisce beatha / uisge beatha (in the transcription it sounds like “uishke beyatha” and literally means “water of life” - tracing-paper from the Latin expression aqua vitae.

It is believed that the art of distilling low-alcohol mash was brought to Scotland by Christian missionaries who had to replace grapes with barley in the British Isles. Having passed the chain uisge - uisce - fuisce - uiskie, as well as a number of technological and taste improvements, and finally becoming whiskey, the drink began to subjugate the tastes of the local population.

However, the copyright for the invention immediately began to challenge the Irish. According to them, a similar process on the Emerald Isle was launched by St. Patrick, who began to smoke immediately after the completion of the baptism of pagan Ireland.

Both peoples made a significant contribution to the development of the drink: the Irishman Enes Coffey significantly improved the distillation distillation cube in 1830, while the very first such installation was built by the Scot Robert Stein.

It was their joint work that caused the revolution in production in the second half of the 19th century - distilleries got the opportunity to significantly increase production volumes, it became possible to talk about the emergence of a new industry in the structure of the British and Irish economy.

It was then that the first large companies specializing in this segment appeared, and used a huge space for creativity, provided by new technologies for the production of whiskey drinks, regional traditions and a variety of ingredients.

It was then that the first experiments began on mixing various brands of barrel whiskey to create unique aromas and tastes.

But, like any technological revolution, the process had a flip side - the word “whiskey” was legally allowed to call young, three-year-old alcohols, and manufacturers began to replace barley with wheat and corn, adding malt varieties “for taste” to reduce costs.

It is these processes that have led to the abundance of varieties, brands and brands that make up the real galaxy of whiskey today.

Whiskey happens ...

In modern English, you can find two spellings of the word whiskey - that is produced in Scotland, Canada and Japan, usually referred to as whiskey.

Drinks from Ireland or America are most often referred to as whiskey. The addition of “e” took place at the end of the 19th century to highlight its products - that is, a purely marketing move that says nothing to us about the taste and quality of the product.

The standard strength of whiskey varies in the range of 40-50%, but nobody limits the scope for creativity of the creators of drinks, so you can also find varieties with a strength of 60%.

First of all, whiskey is malt (malt) - the drink is obtained from pure barley malt and aged, not mixed with other types of whiskey, such as grain.

The most ideological pure whiskey of this kind is single malt whiskey produced by one distillery, sometimes they mix different years of aging of one grade. This, in fact, is the gold standard of whiskey, the original.

Single malt whiskey is a gourmet delight offering a huge selection of original flavors, many of which will be appreciated only by people with very specific preferences. At the same time, single malt plants contain a rich layer of interesting drinks that can give many pleasant moments to the taste buds of a connoisseur.

This is the real soul of Scotland, drinks that require a thoughtful attitude to consumption, savoring either in the company of trusted people who will not distract from the process, or even alone.

The most famous brands are Laphroaig, Maccalan, Glenfiddich, Isle of Jura, Tallisker, Highland and many others, abundantly presented on the shelves of numerous Irish and English pubs and bars, as well as in alcoholic supermarkets in the Russian Federation.

Single malt whiskeys are usually the most expensive drinks compared to other whiskey classes. The production of many single malts is a small business, at least in comparison with the popular brands of widespread and more understandable blended varieties - the capacities are lower, the volumes of production are more modest, the production cycle is longer: all this in total is the reason that a good single malt starts cost from 1,500 rubles per bottle, and there are no limits to this indicator at all.

There is a class of collection single-maltsoviks of very long exposure, but in bars and shops it is extremely difficult to find them - these are gift drinks for very wealthy citizens.
One of the varieties of single malt drinks is single cask. Malt whiskey from a single barrel, not miscible with anything. That is, how they poured, how they left for aging, they also opened and bottled them, adding nothing and changing nothing.

There is a quarter cask whiskey - the same single cask malt whiskey, but from a smaller barrel, usually stronger (up to 50% - the so-called barrel strength - cask strength, which also indicates the originality of the drink and the absence of encroachments on its integrity).

There is also a mixed malt whiskey - blended malt, which is a mixture of malt whiskey from various distilleries. By and large, this same singlemolt - at least in taste. Only very big connoisseurs and deep domain experts will be able to distinguish mixed "mols" from the originals.

This technology allows you to get original tastes, combine in one bottle the best of several varieties of single malt drinks.

The place of manufacture of whiskey should generally be given the closest attention - for example, varieties made on the island of Islay are historically very different from most other varieties.

A lot of smuggled whiskey was driven on the islands, and to speed up the production process, barley was dried on smoke from peat burned, the taste of the finished drink received, first of all, notes of smoke, the signature “smoked taste”, as well as marine, bright iodine aromas that cannot be confused either with what. This is a purely Scottish "chip", not used in Ireland. The malt for Irish whiskey is dried in the ovens, and the drink passes through a triple distillation - the necessary softness is reported, which is not characteristic of most Scottish “singlemolts”.

In general, Scotland's singlemolts are divided into regions into Highland Single Malts, Speyside Single Malts, the mentioned Islay Single Malts, Lowland Single Malts and Campbeltown Single Malts.

Grain whiskey - the so-called “technical” whiskey — is not to be confused with technical alcohol. The term means only the fact that the drink is almost never used in its pure form for sale, but is produced for further blending purposes.

If you try, you can find single grain whiskey for sale - pure grain whiskey by analogy with single malt, but the task is not one of the simple ones due to the specificity of the drink (the almost complete absence of smell and pronounced taste characteristic of classic whiskey). It should be understood that by grain we mean the same grains of malt, which are simply not germinated, as in the case of classics.

In Scotland, there are only four brands of pure grain whiskey in bottles: Glen Wolf, Black Barrel, Glen Clyde and Invergordon.

Blended whiskey - blended or blended whiskey. The most popular and common type of whiskey in the world. According to various estimates, today it accounts for up to 90% of global production. Not to be confused with the blended malt described above - the varieties of blended whiskey include different alcohols - malt, grain, wheat, rye - while blended malt is always a mixture of only malt alcohols.

The very concept of “whiskey” is associated with blended whiskey varieties among inexperienced consumer masses. It is the blend that fills supermarket shelves at an affordable price and misleads many alcohol lovers about the whole kingdom of whiskey. “I drank this your whiskey, rare rubbish,” says the average consumer in the Russian Federation, who tried some cheap “compote” of young spirits worth 499 rubles per bottle of 0.7 liters.

Brands John Dewar's, Johnnie Walker, Jameson, White Horse, Famous Grouse and many, many others (“thousands of them”) are the brightest representatives of this class, sometimes also called “table” or “consumer whiskey” (something like “homemade wine” "- affordable, high-quality drink without frills).

Nevertheless, there is a certain gradation inside blended whiskye - brands such as Red Breast or Chivas Regal are distinguished by a high content of high-quality malt alcohols in their composition, which leads to a very high level of drink quality and price. The addition of "Deluxe" (Deluxe) may be added to the name of such varieties.

The same Johnny Walker ranges from Red Label, a very modest drink by the standards of connoisseurs in taste, to quite high-quality by the standards of the same connoisseurs of Green, Gold, Blue or Platinum Label - extremely expensive and tasty whiskeys.

As a rule, in the production of blended whiskey in modern conditions, the traditional technology, aging time and many other nuances of the old distilleries are violated - the drinks are impersonal, standardized and indistinguishable from one another, but otherwise the world demand cannot be met.

Finally, bourbon is an American corn whiskey produced using special technology (aging in oak barrels burnt from the inside). Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Jack Daniels and numerous Canadian varieties. An honest drink for adequate money, but not as exquisite as the Old World varieties, and in Great Britain or Ireland they do not consider it for whiskey.

Two other important characteristics of the drink are aging time and, taking into account what has been said about the prevalence of blended whiskey, the actual blending process.

Excerpt

Whiskey is aged in oak barrels. Ideally, in sherry barrels.

If there are none (and it just physically cannot be enough for everyone today), then they are kept in containers made of American white oak, which previously contained bourbon, or simply processed with sherry. The barrel is the most important factor for the maturing of the future whiskey: in it, he gains strength and receives the very recognizable taste and bouquet of aromas.

By law, Scotch whiskey must be aged for at least 3 years. This is the minimum period after which the malt distillate after two or three times distillation gets the right to be called the proud word - whiskey.

As a rule, such “youngsters” are used for blending needs, after passing through which the cheapest temporal brands come into being, they are happily consumed as part of “whiskey and cola” cocktails, or those sold are sold under the “three bottles for two” promotion for 500 rubles and so on.

What goes on to create high-quality and elite varieties - single malt whiskeys are aged for at least 10 years. Classic - 10-12 years of aging, and then up to 21 years. These are already exclusive varieties, and if we talk about exotic, you can find 30-50 year old brands.

In the rest of the world, everything is simpler: good “Ireland” is maintained for an average of 5 years, “Canada” - for at least 6 years, of course, there are exceptions (12-year-old Jameson, for example).
After the aging is over, either the time comes to bottle it with subsequent sale, or mix it into new varieties through blending.

Different varieties of blended whiskey can mix different varieties of malt (from 15 to 50 varieties) and grain (3-4) whiskeys of different aging periods (again, at least 3 years).

After receiving the necessary mixture, the time comes to age whiskey again - but here we are no longer talking about years, there is enough time from several weeks to several months of aging.

The meaning of blending is to use cheap grain whiskey, get a product of standard quality and combine the best properties of different varieties of malt whiskey in one ready-made drink.

The first blended whiskey in the world is Old Vatted Glenlivet, and was developed by Andrew Usher in 1853.

There are two types of blending: various varieties of malt and grain whiskey are mixed in special vessels, where they are kept for 24 hours. This mixture is then placed in barrels and bottled after a few weeks. Thus, cheap whiskey is obtained (the one that is widely known for thanks to Famous Grouse, Johnny Walker Red Label, White Horse and others).

Another approach - blended mixtures are kept for 6-8 months in oak barrels. This period is called the "wedding." Thus produce a more expensive high-quality blended whiskey (Chivas Regal, RedBreast).

Brands Actually

10. Ballantine’s - A very common brand of Scotch whiskey, under which 7 different varieties are sold - Finest, Limited, 12 year old, 17 year old, 21 year old, 30 and 40 years old. In principle, within the line of this brand, you can explore all the main varieties, from the simple blended whiskey to the collectible 21-40 year old singlemolts. The basis of the ingredients is a bank of 50 singlemolt alcohols, four grain varieties. The brand is widely known for sponsoring sports competitions.

9. Imperial Blue  - Whiskey produced in India by the same company that makes Ballantine’s, one of the most popular among the audience with an average monthly income. Very few malt alcohols are used in the preparation, the base is molasses.

8. Jack Daniel’s  - The best-selling American bourbon in the world. Frank Sinatra is buried with a bottle of this drink. Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 is the most popular type of this bourbon, although the manufacturer is trying to distance itself from this class, claiming that the drink is filtered using a maple filter made of charcoal, which distinguishes it from the rest of the bourbons and makes it closer to traditional whiskey ..

7. Original Choice  Is another indian brand. Despite the prevalence within the borders of India, it is a premium product aged in real American oak barrels.

6. Old Tavern  - Another "Indian". Very soft drink at an extremely affordable price.

5. Royal Stag. And again, an Indian drink from Pernod Ricard (Imperial Blue and Ballantine’s). This is a blended variety of Scottish malt spirits and local material - molasses.
The taste is completely atypical for whiskey, but it is popular both at home and abroad.

4. Bagpiper. Yes Yes. India again. Exported to 10 countries, the official Bollywood drink ..

3. McDowell’s No.1  - whiskey with the scent of vanilla wood, reveals when you add a few drops of water. The most popular drink in the Middle East.

2. Officer’s Choice. Another and the last representative of India, not much different from his fellow tribesmen.

1. Johnnie Walker, sold wherever a man’s foot stepped, even in distant Central African powers. 18 million boxes in 2012 say a lot (box - a measure of the volume of sales of strong alcohol, 9 liters).

Green Label blend won three gold medals at the World Spirits Competition from 2005 to 2007, an excellent whiskey offering everything from the simplest “table-top” to exquisite varieties.

As we can see, there are only a couple of scotch in the ranking with the complete absence of Irish whiskey and exquisite singlemolts from Scotland. The vast majority of drinks presented in the ranking are sold in the markets of India, China, Latin America and the Middle East, as well as in Eastern Europe.

If we are talking about countries with an established national culture of consumption of whiskey, the picture will be completely different - in the USA Jack Daniels holds a confident first place, in Glenfiddich in Scotland, and Jameson in Ireland.

And if you do not take Indian whiskey into account, and look at sales of only Scottish brands, then for obvious reasons the already mentioned Johhny Walker and Ballantines will be found in the leaders, in third place are Chivas Regal, J&B Rare, Grant's, Famous Grouse, Dewar's, William Lawson's, Label 5, and finally Bell's.

Despite the fact that the lines of many of these brands sometimes feature excellent single malt varieties of classical aging, the main sales of Scotch tape also provide unpretentious running blended brands. The same situation in Irish whiskey.

These are the market realities determined by the culture of drinking: people want to consume simply, without ceremony: poured, drank, or poured, diluted cola, drank. And for this, refined whiskey is not required, it is only necessary that the drink, according to taste and strength, meet the average ideas and expectations.

Actually, this is where the watershed by brands passes - if a consumer wants something in the style of a party, to drink quickly and have the main effect of achieving fast alcohol intoxication - these are brands of the same category. As a rule, inexpensive (or slightly above average) lens hoods solve the problem once or twice.

If a person appreciates the process of researching tastes, bouquets, relishes the drink in accordance with the culture of consumption - you need completely different brands that satisfy the high gourmet aspirations of the individual.

Whiskey a la Russe

In Russia, relations with whiskey are special. Every year, they drink it more and more - and every year the proportion of counterfeit products increases in a growing volume.
Now its share is about 30% (data from the Center for Research on Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets (CIFRRA)).

The Synovate Comcon Research Center found that in 2012, 9.8% of Russians over 18 years old used whiskey. For comparison: in 2000 - 1%, in 2006 - 3.1%.
According to the National Alcohol Policy Development Center, the most fake whiskey brands in Russia are Johnnie Walker: Red Label and Black Label, as well as Jack Daniels. A bottle, which in the original costs 1-2 thousand rubles, can reduce the cost to only 200-500.

Actually, this is all you need to know about whiskey in Russia: fake what is popular. For the vast majority of compatriots, there is no knowledge about what whiskey can be and how it is drunk - it is the same drink as vodka, which you need to drink in one gulp, or mix it with a sweet carbonated drink a la Cuba Libre.

On the other hand, among economically successful people, the culture of consumption of whiskey is undoubtedly developing - in the premium alcohol segment, whiskey confidently bypasses expensive varieties of vodka.

Bars and pubs are developing, in the lines of which you can find varieties for every taste and color - from pure Black Beast cocktail whiskey (it’s difficult to say it in pure form) to sophisticated Laphroaig Quarter Cask 10 year or Ardberg 10 year.

The staff of the institutions in a large number of cases is well versed in the types and grades of whiskey, will tell you where to start acquaintance, will give tips on proper consumption.

True, there is no need to talk about the displacement of vodka yet - the cumulative consumption of whiskey, rum, tequila, gin in the Russian Federation is insignificant against the background of consumption of vodka, which drinks about 1 billion liters a year.

So, it’s difficult and simple to sort out a host of brands at the same time. It is unrealistic to learn them all - only 2,500 items (!!!) are sold in Scotland alone.

You are determined with a goal. If this is a feast, holiday and entertainment format of the evening, then take simple, understandable blends / blends. As we have already indicated, there are a great many of them, and in their mass they are quite similar, both in terms of characteristics and price.

The varieties of Bushmills Original, Feckin, Finian "s, Jameson, Kilbeggan, Merry" s, Power and Son, Tullamore Dew, Paddy, as well as Scottish blends Ballantines Finest, Cutty Sark, Dewars White, Grant "s 8 can do an excellent job. year, J&B, Lauder "s, Chivas 12 year, Famous Grouse 12 year, Highland Harvest Organic, Johnnie Walker Black Label.

Bourbons of Similar Flight Height - Gentleman Jack, George Dickel No. 12, Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Black Label, George Dickel Special Barrel, Jack Daniels Single Barrel, Ancient Age, Benchmark, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Early Times, Jim Beam White, Ten High, Wild Turkey 101, Baker "s 7 year, Basil Hayden" s, Blanton "s Single Barrel, Bulleit, Four Rose" s Single Barrel, Jim Beam Black, Knob Creek Small Batch, Maker "Mark, Old Rip VanWinkle 15 year and Woodford Reserve.

Canadian varieties - Canadian Club Classic 12 year, Canadian Mist, Black Velvet, Forty Creek Barrel Select, Mountain Rock, Pendelton, Windsor Canadian, 8 Seconds, Canadian Club Sherry Cask 8 year, Crown Royal, Forty Creek Three Grain, Tangle Ridge Double Cask .

All this is an honest “canteen”: that is, a good, even table whiskey / bourbon, for which it is not a pity to give even more money than requested. It is also not at all shameful to pour cola into it and add ice and citrus fruits. Get high-quality Cuba Libre or Old Fashion and get a quick hop.

Next, there are more elegant drinks - Bushmills Black Bush, Clontarf Single Malt, Jameson 1780, Michael Collins Single Malt, The Irishman The Original Clan, Tullamore Dew 12 year, Connemara Cask Strength Peated Single Malt, Greenore Single Grain, Jameson 18 year, Red Breast 12 year, The Tyrconnell 10 year Single Malt.

Beautiful whiskey, which is not ashamed to put on the table for an anniversary, a wedding or other special occasion.

Bushmills 1608, Bushmills 21 year, Middleton Very Rare, Jameson Rarest Vintage, Ambassador 25 year, Buchanan 's 18 year, Johnnie Walker Green, Tomintoul Oloroso 12 year, Chivas 18 year, Compass Box Hedonism, Wild Scotsman, Ballantine' s 30 year , Chivas Regal 25 year, Johnnie Walker Blue, Kings Crest 25 year, The Antiquary 21 year, Booker "s Small Batch, Eagle Rare 17 year, Jefferson" s Reserve, Michter "s 10 year, Noah Mill" s 15 year, AH Hirsch 16 year, Longrow Cask 10 year, Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 20 year, Willet 28 year.

More or less luxury drinks are made in Canada - Seagrams VO, Wisers Deluxe 18 year, Crown Royal Special Reserve, Glen Breton Rare Single Malt, Canadian Club 30 year, Crown Royal XR, J.P. Wiser "s Red Letter - all this is already an elite, despite the popular brands, the drinks of the most serious, gourmet class, suitable for savoring in the quiet office or at the bar counter.

And remember - only for such a relish are Scottish singlemolts suitable. Let's list the main ones: Deanston 12 year, Glenfiddich 12 year, Speyburn 10 year, Aberlour 10 year, Ardmore Traditional Cask, Glenlivet 12 year, Highland Park 12 year, Laphroaig Quarter Cask 10 year, Macallan Fin Oak 12 year, Scapa 14 year, Ardberg 10 year year, Bowmore 16 year, Bruichladdich 15 year, Glendronach 12 year, Highland Park 18 year, Old Pulteney 17 year, Scapa 16 year, Glenfarclas 25 year, Highland Park 40 year, Macallan 25 year, Springbank 15 year, The Glenrothes 1975, Aberfeldy , Balblair, Ben Nevis, Dalmore, Dalwhinnie, Glen Ord, Glenmorangie, Oban, and Old Pulteney, Arran, Jura, Tobermory, and Talisker, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin.

They need to drink. On purpose. Not in the bite. Not in one gulp, without diluting any Coke (for a decent pub you can earn the bartender's contempt for eternity). Not getting drunk (or doing it extremely slowly and elegantly).

Singlemolts, unlike the simpler American, Irish or Canadian varieties, drink according to the rules - the Irish traditionally do not dilute their whiskey (it is extremely soft - Jameson, Paddy as vivid examples), while some scotch tape is flavored with ice or refreshed with several drops of water are recommended (otherwise they may stand in the throat).

Singlemolts are poured into special tulip-shaped glasses, as it is believed that it allows you to better reveal the aroma of the drink.

No glasses, shots, piles, bowls - only old fashion or a toggle switch. For cooling whiskey, it is considered good practice to use, in addition to ice, which still affects the taste, diluting the whiskey with cubes of the so-called soapstone (good luck finding it in bars in Moscow or St. Petersburg).

Singlemolts are expensive drinks: a shot in a pub will cost 400-500 rubles (however, there are varieties ranging from 300-350 rubles), and a bottle will cost from 2.5 to 15-16 thousand (we do not consider the super-elite segment of 30 and above years of aging, these are presidential drinks, and even then not all presidents of the world probably had the good fortune to try them)

You need to understand that for this money you do not always (far from always) get what you like. Singlemolts are often very original drinks that only very big connoisseurs and lovers will appreciate, so paying money quite large by the standards of modern salaries in modern Russia for tasting experiments, with the goal of just relaxing after a working day, is probably unreasonable.

But if you want to pamper yourself with something like that, destroy your alcohol routine and open up a new space for research, study and compare - then singlemolts are an excellent subject area for such tasks.
It is worth remembering that the world of whiskey brands is not a static hierarchy, where nothing new happens and everything froze in the eternal harmony of peaceful coexistence.

New brands appear - Japan is very worthy (for a long time, but in our menu of bars the famous Suntory is not so easy to find, though they are sold in stores), many Canadian varieties become a pleasant discovery in terms of price / quality ratio (completely untwisted brands save on marketing and do not raise the price tag for a big name, offering a quality drink practically for nothing), manufacturers are trying to improve the existing varieties, to create something original based on the classics.

In the end, well-known varieties in the West are making their way to the Russian market - not so long ago the excellent Scottish singlemolt AnСnoc appeared - it is not in the bars, and in the shops an excellent drink is sold for unexpectedly low money with excellent quality of the softest taste of the real Scottish single malt.

And such surprises - for the most part pleasant - are full of whiskeys in the world.

Even the raw materials in different countries use different things: in Canada, as in the USA, wheat, rye and corn are used to make whiskey, in Ireland - barley and rye, and in Scotland, barley grains.

Stages of whiskey production

In the technology of making whiskey, one can identify the main stages, among which:

• preparation of ingredients;
• malposition;
• drying malt;
• wort preparation;
• fermentation;
• distillation;
• shutter speed;
• blending and bottling.

It makes sense to consider these steps in more detail.

Ingredient preparation

The taste that whiskey will later have depends on the quality of the raw materials! Today, alcohol can be obtained from any product that contains carbohydrates and proteins. Wood, banana peels, potatoes, beets, crops, milk, glucose, ethanol (natural gas) can serve as the basis for the production of alcohol. It is worth noting that for the preparation of high-quality whiskey, experienced blenders of the world use only fresh and natural raw materials.

Cereals, including rye, barley, wheat, rice, buckwheat, are excellent raw materials for making real whiskey. The most important condition for obtaining aromatic alcohol is the selection of high-quality raw materials by hand. The best raw material for the production of elite alcohol is barley, the grains of which contain a huge amount of the necessary enzymes. That is why today any grain mixture consists of 10-20% of barley malt.

Grains suitable for making whiskey are selected by professional malting plants. They evaluate grains ranging from one to nine points and select only three higher categories for further malting. Thus, about twenty percent of the crop goes to whiskey production.

It should be noted that the strength of alcohol directly depends on the starch content in barley grains. According to the recommendations of specialists, only mature barley grains should be collected, after which they should be dried in a dry place for three days, where sunlight can be exposed.

Barley, sprouted in Scotland, is most suitable for making quality whiskey. This is facilitated by the climate of Scotland - frosty winters do not allow pests to survive in the soil, and sunny summer gives the plant strength, filling it with a unique taste.
  The most important ingredient in high-quality whiskey is water - soft or hard. The first helps to soften the taste of whiskey, the second - gives it spice.

Malting (making barley malt)

After collecting barley, it is processed, thoroughly cleaned and dried. After that, you can proceed to the most important stage in the production of whiskey - malting. For this, barley grains are pre-soaked for seven to ten days, in order to germinate it. Then the malt is dried again. Professional malting specialists with the experience and necessary skills are given to this hard business.

The peculiarity of the malting process lies in the ability of the professionnel to catch the moment of breaking the grain walls, when the sprout has not yet begun to absorb the starch necessary for making high-quality whiskey.

Drying malt

To prevent the appearance of unwanted sprouts, the grain is dried again in warm chambers. Drying barley without the intervention of technology (under the rays of the sun falling into the large windows of the attic) is the best option. There are other ways to dry the malt. In Scotland, for example, smoke from burning chips of beech, charcoal or peat is used for this purpose. A drink from such malt acquires a special aroma that distinguishes it from whiskey from other countries.

At the next stage of preparation, the barley is cleaned and soaked so that the grain absorbs water. Excess moisture is eliminated from the grain using a tumble dryer.
  At the final stage, the grain is dried in an apparatus with heated peat. Peat and gives the finished whiskey a specific and beloved by many smoke aroma.

Wort Preparation

Cooking wort experts call the birth of whiskey. This process takes place in an equipped workshop, called "malting". In such a workshop, the prepared malt is cleaned of foreign particles by rotating it in a vibrating apparatus. The waste remaining at each stage of the preparation of whiskey goes to livestock feed.

the peculiarity of this tank is its structure: the base of the tub is stainless steel or cast iron, and the top coating must consist of high quality copper. This structure Masb tun allows you to retain heat for a long time. Cooked wort (malt milk) is drained using a special faucet built into the vat. The volume of such a tub is usually fifteen tons, and its internal structure contributes to the mixing of malt. This mixture is aged for eight to twelve hours. One ton of malt emits about fifteen liters of wort.

Fermentation (fermentation)

For fermentation, there are huge fermentation tanks with a volume of about a thousand liters. In the process of fermentation, whiskey in no case do not use sterilization. The best material for making a fermentation tank is Oregon pine. Also for such purposes use pine, larch and, even, stainless steel. It should be remembered that a container of metal, of course, transmits a copper taste to the liquid, which distinguishes low-quality whiskey.
  At the beginning of fermentation, two-thirds of the fermentation tank is filled with wort with the addition of the required amount of yeast, previously dissolved in water. This solution is called "mash."

It is customary to distinguish three stages of fermentation. The first is the stage of yeast getting used to the new environment and the beginning of their interaction. It lasts about two hours. The second is the stage at which the yeast cells multiply rapidly, turning sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This process is accompanied by active drilling inside the vat. The temperature, in this case, can reach values \u200b\u200bof thirty-five to thirty-seven degrees. The third stage is characterized by the process of accumulation of alcohol, inhibiting fermentation until the action of yeast is completely stopped. This final stage lasts 12 hours. Important at this time is the observation of specialists so that the liquid does not become infected with bacteria. In case of infection, repeated fermentation is carried out, which negatively affects the aroma and quality of the finished whiskey.

The final product resulting from the fermentation (fermentation) process is an alcoholic beverage with a strength of 5% vol.

Distillation (distillation)

Elite alcohol from mash is obtained by distillation. By heating, alcohol evaporates faster than water (due to the difference in boiling point) and, passing through the condenser, becomes liquid again. The distillation process is carried out using distillation apparatus, necessarily consisting of copper. The interaction of alcohol and copper, helps to cleanse the first of all kinds of impurities, so the time that the liquid spends in a copper tub is of great importance for the quality of the final product.

Distillation of whiskey can be divided into two stages. First, the mash, under the influence of temperature, moves into the distillation cube. Here, the mash is still heated with hot steam and the alcohol evaporates. To heat the mash with steam, under the distillation apparatus is a container with hot oil, forming a stream of hot air. Next, steam flows through the pipes into the distillation cube.

Under the influence of high temperature (ninety-five degrees), alcohol vapors are understood and, in contact with cold air in the cooler, takes the form of a liquid. Liquid alcohol containing about twenty percent alcohol is transported to the receiver. The next batch of liquid entering the receiver has a greater strength. The result of the distillation of mash is twenty-eight percent alcohol.

In the second stage of distillation, the alcohol obtained earlier is transferred to the second distillation cube, where it is again heated. It turns eighty-two percent alcohol. But even this is not whiskey!

Excerpt

Whiskey acquires its unique taste, delicate aroma and golden color precisely at the aging stage. The minimum period is three years of aging whiskey in a wooden barrel. Only in this case, whiskey can be considered real. As for glassware, whiskey does not continue aging in glass.

The technology of exposure is as follows. First, the alcohol from the distillation apparatus is diluted with pure water from the spring until its strength decreases to sixty-five degrees. With a high alcohol content, its maturation process will be significantly delayed. Stronger alcohol is insisted by economical manufacturers seeking to reduce the cost of production.
  “The proportion of angels,” as the professionals call alcohol evaporation during aging, depends on many factors, not the least among which are the humidity and temperature of the cellar. Fewer vapors result in low temperature and humidity. Thus, maintaining optimal temperature and humidity is the main task in the aging process.

Blending and bottling

The final stages of making whiskey are blending and bottling. Before starting the spill, the whiskey is filtered. The temperature, in this case, remains in the range from two to ten degrees. Filtration occurs through paper membranes. Next, the resulting liquid is diluted with water from the source to obtain the desired strength and bottled, where the exposure lines of the youngest whiskey are indicated (in case the whiskey is obtained by mixing). About a significant proportion of single malt whiskey in the blend is evidenced by the word De luxe in its name.

Thus, we conducted a fascinating excursion into the production process of one of the most famous drinks in the world - whiskey.

Whiskey is a world-famous strong alcoholic beverage made from grain. Because of the right to be called his homeland, two countries argue - Scotland and Ireland, however, despite this small conflict, both Scotch and Irish whiskey are popular. Also, this drink is produced in some other countries - America, Canada, Japan. Whiskey is made from wheat, barley, rye and corn. The color of this alcoholic product ranges from light golden to amber brown.

What is whiskey

There are several main varieties of whiskey:
  1. "Malt whiskey" - malt whiskey. It is obtained from barley malt. Distinguish:
  - "single malt" - one-malt, made on one distillery;
  - "single cask" - malt taken from one barrel;
- "quarter cask" - malt taken from one smaller barrel, stronger and more saturated;
  - "vatted malt" - a mixture of malt whiskey made in different distilleries.

  2. "Grain whiskey" - grain whiskey. This drink is usually made for further blending. In Scotland, it is made from corn with malted barley. Grain whiskey has almost no flavor and is usually not found on sale.
  3. "Blended whiskey" - blended or blended whiskey. This drink is obtained by mixing malt and grain whiskey.
  4. Bourbon - American whiskey made from corn.

How to make whiskey

The production of whiskey from barley includes the following stages:
  1) The state of barley, that is, the preparation of a malt from barley. Grains are sorted, cleaned and dried, and then soaked and scattered on the floor in a special room - a malt house - for a week or longer for germination. Germinated grains - this is malt. It should be noted that barley is not germinated to obtain grain whiskey.

  2) Drying the malt. After malting, the barley is dried. In Scotland, at this stage, hot smoke is used from burning charcoal, peat and beech chips - the result is "smoked grain". In other countries, in the production of whiskey, smoke is not used during the drying of malt.
  3) Getting a wort. Malt is ground into flour and mixed with hot water. Then, the resulting mixture is kept for 8-12 hours, after which a wort is obtained - a liquid with a sweetish taste.

  4) Fermentation (fermentation). Yeast is added to the wort and the mixture is left to ferment at a certain temperature for a couple of days. It turns out mash - a low-alcoholic drink that resembles beer.
  5) Distillation of mash into alcohol. The mash obtained as a result of fermentation is distilled two or three times in special apparatuses. The taste of the finished drink depends on the shape and size of the distillation apparatus. Each distillery has its own distillation systems, and therefore the taste of whiskey varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. The alcohol obtained by distillation is diluted with water so that its strength is about 50-63.5% vol.
  6) Extract in oak barrels. For the production of high quality whiskey barrels are used after aging sherry. Barrels after bourbon or simply processed with inexpensive sherry can also be used.

During aging, whiskey acquires its noble shade, taste and aroma. The aging times for different varieties vary:
- Malt whiskey is not for blending aged from 5 to 20 years;
  - Original whiskeys can withstand 10-12 years;
  - collection (exclusive) - for 21 years;
  - especially rare - 30-50 years old.
  Scotch whiskey is aged for at least three years, Canadian - at least six years, and Irish - five years.

  7) Blending - the stage necessary to obtain a "Blended whiskey". There are two methods of blending:
  - to get cheap whiskey, different varieties of malt and grain whiskey are mixed, aged for a day, then poured into barrels, kept for several weeks and bottled;
  - to obtain high-quality whiskey, several varieties of malt whiskey are taken, which are mixed with grain and aged in oak sides for six to eight months.
  8.) Bottling. Aged whiskey is filtered or cleaned in a special mechanical way, and then diluted with spring water to the desired strength and bottled. Some whiskeys are filtered before aging. If on the label you see the inscription "De luxe" - this means that a significant proportion of the blend is old whiskey, aged 12 or more years. The age of the drink indicated on the bottle means the age of the youngest whiskey from the blend.

It is unlikely that we will ever find out the name of the person who invented the whiskey. With the geography of invention and technology, things are simpler. Scots and Irish claim for authorship, and the production process is similar in all countries.

The Irish claim that St. Patrick himself gave the monks a recipe for whiskey. The Scots, however, refer to the first documented mention of whiskey in their sources and insist that for the first time this strong alcohol could appear only in them. The disputants forget that in those days they were a single people - the ancient Celts, living on two neighboring islands. Nowadays, it does not matter who first started making whiskey, the main thing is that the drink exists, is successfully distributed around the world and is gaining more and more new fans.

Whiskey in the world

Whiskey is produced in most countries that do not have legislative restrictions on the release of the drink. Manufacturers can conditionally be divided into two groups. Scotland leads the list of leading manufacturers, followed by Ireland, the USA, Canada and Japan. Tightly compete with the leaders of India, Australia, France and Taiwan.

The list is far from complete. For example, the cheapest whiskey in the world is made in Laos - the cost of a bottle here is less than one dollar. Of course, there is no economic sense in such production - cheap types of alcoholic drinks, according to the manufacturers, should attract tourists.

Many manufacturers adhere to the Scottish recipe. An example is the Japanese, who have been using it for almost a hundred years, copying original recipes in detail. Production in Japan did not stop even during the war. The demand for whiskey is very large, the output lags behind domestic demand, so local alcohol is almost not exported.

Often, manufacturers bring their own nuances to classical production technology. As a rule, this applies to raw materials. For example, the French make whiskey from buckwheat, the Germans from corn, and in Austria they prefer rye and oats.

The undisputed leaders in the production of scotch whiskey. Today in this small country there are more than a hundred factories producing about two thousand varieties of this strong alcohol. Most of them produce alcohols from malt, and only eight from grains. At the same time, no more than 8% of malt alcohol is produced, the rest is blended varieties.

How to make whiskey in Scotland

The technological scheme consists of several stages that have specifics depending on the manufacturer's formulation. Brief description of the process:

• Malt preparation

At this stage, barley decomposed and soaked in a container is germinated, maintaining a certain temperature and humidity. The grain is constantly turned over - this is required for the uniformity of the process.

• Drying malt

Scots dry malt with heat from burning peat. The “fumigation” of malt, which gives the whiskey a smack of smoke, is an important feature of the product.

• Wort making

The dried malt is coarsely ground, poured with hot water and mixed thoroughly. Wort (mash) for distillation is a thick cloudy liquid with the smell of malt.

• Wort fermentation

After adding yeast and mixing, the wort ferments in special containers for 2 to 7 days. Ready for distillation, the mash contains up to 6% alcohol.

• Distillation

The fermented wort is distilled in copper still (pot still). Copper conducts heat well and is well processed by forging, which makes it possible to make apparatuses of any shape and complexity from it. After distillation in the apparatus of the first stage (wash still), a “weak wine” (low wines) with an alcohol content of 25-30% is obtained.

In the second distillation apparatus (spirits still), the initial and final fractions containing many fusel oils, ketones and aldehydes are separated. They are returned to the "weak wine" and distilled repeatedly.

In addition to two-stage installations, patent still continuous apparatuses are used. The process in them is much faster, and this equipment is used to distill blended whiskey from grain.

The alcohol obtained after the second distillation is diluted with spring water to 50-63.5% vol. and poured for aging.

• Excerpt

They stand the distillate in oak barrels - barrels from the Spanish sherry Oloroso are better suited. You can use barrels of bourbon, cognac, wine, rum. During aging, the drink gains the necessary properties: it darkens, acquires a saturated color, aroma, taste, softness. Part of the alcohol “flies” through the pores of the tree, and the strength of the product decreases slightly. “Share of Angels” - such a romantic name was given by manufacturers of whiskey to this process. The capacity of the barrels does not exceed 700 l, the aging period of 3 years - it depends on the recipe and the region.

• Blending

Blended whiskey is obtained by mixing up to 50 types of malt and up to 5 types of grain alcohols. Blend Master combines whiskey to create a unique taste of the drink and maintain its constancy for many years. Barrels with blends are aged for about six months for thorough mixing. This is called a “married whiskey”. The aging time of the blended product is the age of the youngest single malt component in the blend.

• Spill

Before bottling, whiskey is filtered at a temperature of 2-10 o C and diluted with spring water to the desired strength.

For the domestic market, Scottish manufacturers dilute the drink to a fortress of 40%, and export a slightly stronger product - up to 43%. True lovers are sure that it is right to drink undiluted whiskey from a barrel, reasonably believing that they will be able to cope with the dilution themselves if necessary.

Differences between Irish and Scotch whiskey

The raw materials and recipes for the production of scotch tape and Irish whiskey have their own characteristics, which makes the taste quite different.

• Rye, barley, oats and wheat can serve as raw materials for Irish whiskey, but rye is the basis.
• In Scotland, whiskey is boiled from barley malt. For this, selective barley of special varieties is used. Additionally, other types of whole grain cereals specially processed and fermented can be used.

Technology

• Barley malt after germination is dried by heat from burning peat - this is a very important feature of Scottish technology. “Smoked” malt gives a special smoky aroma and a light taste, which is considered the main feature of the product.
• According to Irish technology, malt is germinated and dried in vats, and the product smells and smacks of malt.
• Scots use two distillations, therefore their product is more rigid, tart and sharp in taste, with a characteristic smoky shade.
• The best for aging, the Scots consider barrels of Spanish sherry, the Irish prefer to use barrels of American bourbon.
• Scots often experiment with aging, Irish are more conservative and adhere to traditional recipes.
• The Irish place barrels vertically, believing that in this way it is possible to more rationally use the area of \u200b\u200bthe room.

How do American and Japanese whiskey

The main agrarian culture of the USA is corn, from which the Americans make their famous bourbon. Moreover, corn in grain raw materials should be at least 51%. Rye, wheat and barley can also be used in the production of wort.

The recipe for making the drink is simple: the raw materials are grinded and boiled, then saccharified with malt, yeast is added and distilled. Bourbon is aged for at least two years exclusively in new American oak barrels, and they never indicate the aging time. The barrels are pre-fired from the inside, so that the drink acquires a special rich amber or dark golden color and aroma.

The Japanese have been brewing whiskey for a hundred years and are largely repeating the British recipe. Even peat for fumigation of malt is brought to Japan from Europe. Despite the borrowed production process, Japanese whiskey has its own unique features. This is due to the use of softer water, the use of distillation cubes of different shapes and volumes, and climatic features of the country.

Like the British, the Japanese have three types of whiskey - malt, grain and blended. Each plant makes blends exclusively from its own alcohols, without using distillates of other distilleries. There are also peculiarities in aging - in addition to the classic barrels of wine, bourbon, and rum, the Japanese often withstand whiskey in new oak barrels growing on the Japanese islands.

The Japanese do not like pungent odors, so the scent of their whiskey is very mild. By tradition, the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun do not drink strong alcohol in its pure form - it is diluted approximately twice with water.

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Its production is a laborious and rather long business. There are several varieties of this drink, which depend on the country of manufacture, since each one produces it in its own way and from different composite ingredients. Let's take a closer look at what whiskey is made of and what it is.

Whiskey classification

This drink is of three types: malt, grain and mixed. The first has three types:

1. Barrel is a mixture of malt whiskey from different distilleries.
2. Single malt - it is produced only by one distillery and can be with different multi-year exposure.
3. Malt - taken from only one barrel. It can have a large strength or be diluted to a certain norm.

Single malt whiskey is more popular than barrel whiskey, which is aged, like a mixed drink, in oak containers and has a strength of 40 degrees. The recipe was restored in Scotland in 1960. It was previously believed that whiskey should be weakened by blending, as it has a pungent smell and taste. As a result, new varieties were obtained, each of which has its own “highlight”.

Almost the whole grain form of the drink is used for blending, but a small part of it still goes on sale in a pure unchanged form. If additional purification is performed, then the drink is used to make gin and vodka. For the latter, it is distilled up to 5 times.

Mixed is obtained by blending grain and malt. The most popular drink is one where the proportion of pure whiskey is more than 90%, the remaining 10% are additional ingredients. The high content of the malt component is, for example, in the brand "Deluxe".

Scotch whiskey is one of the most popular

This drink is divided in Scotland itself into five different types, distinguished by strength and taste: single malt, grain, blended, malt blend and grain blend.

From the very beginning, Scotland produced malt Scotch whiskey, for the manufacture of which barley was used. The malt was dried with hot air (with smoke from marsh peat), mixed with water to produce wort, fermented and distilled. The result was alcohol, which was aged in oak barrels.

The taste is greatly affected by water, peat, a drink that was previously contained in this barrel, and the location of the distillery (near a swamp or the sea). All whiskey in Scotland is mostly blended, in its pure form is rare.

Irish whiskey is one of the leaders

This drink is considered the oldest in Europe. For the most part, it has a triple distillation, and when drying malt, peat is used extremely rarely, and therefore there is no taste of smoke in it. It comes in four types: single malt, single grain, pure and blended. Depending on the variety, the exposure of the drink can be from eight to fifteen years.

What are whiskeys made of? They make it from barley and malt. Cereals are added: wheat, rye, oats. Nevertheless, the main component in the drink is natural water. If there are additives, they are indicated on the label of the bottle. Only barley malt can be used, but produced from various varieties of this cereal. Or whiskey can be made from only one variety, but at the same time. Mixed species are the most common and most popular. Currently, Ireland uses seven steps in the manufacture of a drink.

Drying of the malt, aging of the drink, distillation, blending and other preparation takes place. At the final stage, the master determines the nature of the variety, while sometimes combining up to forty different ingredients. Then everything is filtered, diluted with water to the required strength and sent for bottling.

Whiskey made in the USA and Canada

How to make whiskey overseas? The history of the Canadian drink originates in 1794, and in 1840 separate small distilleries appeared. And from the very beginning, Canadian whiskey was like light alcohol, not at all like the noble drink of Europe. Then it was finalized. For its manufacture use corn, rye and wheat. The technology is non-classical, so even the aftertaste is very different from drinks from other countries.

What are whiskeys made in America? The main type of this drink in the USA is bourbon, which is distinguished by its production, because corn is used for production, not barley. Whiskey is aged in oak barrels, which are burned inside using special technologies. It is due to this innovation that the drink has a unique taste and aroma that distinguishes it from European counterparts.

Japanese whiskey

What are whiskeys made in Japan? This drink is the youngest in the whole world. Japanese whiskey is in fifth place in the world among the leaders of alcohol. And strangely enough, the inhabitants of this island state themselves drink the national drink sake much less often than it does. This whiskey is very close in style and manufacturing technology to the Scottish one. Most blended brands in Japan contain a different percentage of malt from the UK.

Nevertheless, Scotch whiskey and Japanese - the drinks are different. The difference is less “smoke”, because not so much peat is used in the manufacture. The production technology is similar to the Scottish one. In Japan there are both malt distilleries and a grain drink. They are also aged in barrels. Only the latest made from Japanese oak.

Classic whiskey technology

How classic whiskeys are made: barley is placed for a period of 2 to 4 days in special vats containing water. Briefly they are called "barley baths". Then the cereal goes to the dryer for 12 days. There they turn it over every day so that it sprouts. On the 13th day, it is dried over hot peat or fire, and then crushed with a special mill. In order for the sugar that forms during germination to dissolve in water, the resulting “flour” is poured with hot water. It turns out a liquid called a must. It is completely alcohol free and very sweet.

Then yeast is added to it and insisted for a couple of days. During this time, fermentation begins and malt milk is obtained - the so-called low-alcohol liquid. Then distillation begins, for which different apparatuses are used. Moreover, their configuration greatly affects the resulting whiskey. After the process, the main usable portion of the distillate is separated. This whiskey production technology is used almost everywhere in the world. The resulting alcohol is diluted with water to the desired concentration and poured into barrels, where it costs from 3 to 15 years.

The benefits of whiskey

Everyone knows about the dangers of alcohol, but this alcoholic drink can also be beneficial if consumed in small quantities. For example, it perfectly relieves stress, protects against osteoporosis, prevents and treats colds. But only if whiskey is drunk in moderation.