The A-Z of Scotch Whisky 150 words any whisky lover needs to know Amino Acids The compounds broken down from protein that then react with sugars (in what are called Maillard reactions) to Aa produce colour and flavour in malt. ABV – Alcohol By Volume American Standard Barrel (ASB) The percentage of pure alcohol (ethanol) in a product by its volume. By law Scotch Whisky cannot be bottled under 40% 200 litre cask typically used to originally ABV. mature bourbon. These casks are usually made from American White Oak. Age American White Oak The age of the whisky is the number of years it has been matured. That is, the Latin name Quercus Alba, it grows in length of time between going into a cask North America. It is very suited to whisky and being bottled. With all types of Scotch maturation as the trees are fast growing Whisky, the age given must be that of the with tall straight trunks meaning it is high youngest whisky in the bottle. By law, a quality wood with a high level of vanillins. whisky cannot be called Scotch unless it It typically offers flavour notes of coconut, has been matured in Scotland in a cask vanilla, honey and nuts. made of oak for at least three years and one day. Ageing See maturation. Typical flavour notes of American White Oak. The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 1 Amylase Two major enzymes are a-amylase and b- amylase. They, along with limit dextrinase, work together at mashing temperatures 62-80°C to progressively degrade the starch into fermentable sugars, primarily maltose and maltotriose. 2 row barley commonly used in Scotch Whisky production. Angel’s Share Barrel This refers to the amount of whisky (ethanol and water) that is lost due to Also known as the American Standard evaporation during ageing. In Scotland Barrel (ASB), it is 200 litres in size (53 between 1.5-2% of the volume is lost per gallons). year. Blended Whisky One of the five categories of Scotch Whisky defined by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The raw materials for a blended whisky include water, yeast, Bb malted barley and cereals (maize, wheat, unmalted barley). A blended whisky is a Barley mixture of grain whiskies from one or more grain distillery and malt whiskies One of three raw ingredients in Single from one or more malt distillery. Malt Scotch Whisky and a key ingredient Sometimes there can be in excess of 15 in Scotch Blended Whisky. Barley different whiskies in a blend. By law, the provides the starch which then becomes age on a label of a blended whisky must alcohol. relate to the youngest whisky in the bottle. The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 2 Bonded warehouse A bonded warehouse (or bond), is a building or secured area in which dutiable goods may be stored or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty. This means that the distillery does not have to pay duty (tax) on the whisky whilst it is maturing or being bottled. Cask bung and bung hole. The position of this bung hole means that this cask will most likely be matured in a dunnage or racked warehouse. Bourbon Cask Butt Barrels used for maturing bourbon are required by American law to be made 500 litre casks that were traditionally used from American White Oak which has to mature sherry. been charred prior to usage. As these casks cannot be re-used to make bourbon, they often experience a second life maturing Scotch Whisky. The initial fill of the bourbon prior to use in Scotch Whisky strips out some of the harsher elements. Bourbon is a spirit which can only be made in America. It is made from a grain Cc mash which must contain at least 51% Campbeltown corn. This is one of the five whisky regions recognised by the Scotch Whisky Bung Hole Association (SWA). It is located on the west coast of Scotland on the Kintyre peninsula. It used to be home to over 30 The hole in the head or belly of a cask for whisky distilleries in the 1800s but today it filling. The position is determined by the is home to only three. style of warehousing that will be used. The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 3 Caramel Colouring Cask Strength By law, E150a is allowed to be added Is the name given to a whisky which has before bottling to aid with colouring not not been diluted after maturation and flavouring. before bottling. Charring There are generally four grades of charring: No.1 = 15 seconds No.2 = 30 seconds Three of the most popular casks used in the Scotch No.3 = 35 seconds Whisky industry. No.4 = 55 seconds (This heavy char creates layers of charcoal Cask on the inner surface of the staves, hence its nickname, the ‘alligator char’.) The name of the vessel used to mature Charring has a number of functions; it Scotch Whisky. By law casks must be helps to further break down the structure made of oak. They can come in a variety of of the oak allowing easier and deeper sizes from 200 – 700 litres (cannot be penetration by the spirit and a more bigger by law). The most common sizes intense interaction with the flavours are 200 litres (barrel), 250 litres (hogshead) produced through lignin degradation. The and 500 litres (butt). charcoal layer also acts as a filtration system, helping to remove unwanted flavours, such as sulphur, from the new Cask Bung spirit. This is a stopper used to plug the bung hole in the head or belly of a cask. It is usually made of wood but can also be hard nylon. The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 4 Chill Filtration Coffey/Continuous Still This is a method used in whisky for Aeneas Coffey patented the continuous removing deposits. The whisky is chilled still. It is also known as a column still, to between -10 °C and +4°C before being patent still or Coffey still. It consists of passed through a fine adsorption filter. two columns, a rectifier and analyser. It is This process is carried out mainly for used to produce grain spirit and typically cosmetic reasons. comes off the still at a much higher ABV than malt new make spirit. It can work 24 hours a day and produce spirit on a much Climate larger scale than a pot still. Climate affects the rate of maturation. a hot climate, for example, will accelerate Condenser whisky's ageing process and the angel's share. The function of a condenser is to provide rapid cooling for the vapours coming from the stills. As they are made of copper they also act to prolong the complex chemical reactions already taking place within the still, and therefore play their part in contributing to the flavour of the finished product. Each distillery will have a minimum of two condensers (one for each still), but they normally have more. There are two different types of condensers; shell & tube and worm tubs. Congeners This is the name of the compounds that are responsible for the majority of the taste and aroma of whisky. Coffey Still. The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 5 Cooper individual distillery manager based on the style of whisky they want to create. Traditional distilleries use thermometers The cooper is a highly skilled person that and hydrometers to measure the ABV, builds and repairs oak casks using only while more modern distilleries have a host natural materials. Many distilleries use of electronic monitoring devices to help larger cooperages for their casks. Only four them know when to make cuts. distilleries in Scotland have their own cooperage on site. Cytase Copper This is an enzyme which breaks down the cell walls of the barley making the starch accessible for the amylase enzyme to break Pot stills are always made of copper. It is down into maltose. very malleable, is a good heat conductor and interaction with the copper can help remove unwanted flavours such as sulphur. Cut Dd During the spirit run, the portion of new Degradation make spirit that is kept for maturation in casks is called the cut or the spirit cut. It is also known as the heart. A term for the breakdown of larger molecules into smaller ones during the germination process. Cut Point Draff This is the point when the spirit safe turns from foreshots to heart (cut), and then This is the spent grain left in the mashtun from heart to feints. They are judged by after the wort has been drawn off. It is timing or ABV and are decided by the normally sold on as cattle feed or used in biomass burners. The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 6 Dilution Dram Whisky normally comes off the still at The Scottish name for a drink of whisky, between 65-67% ABV. It is then normally also known as a nip or a tot. It is not an diluted down to about 63.5% before official unit of measurement. maturation and further diluted before bottling. Drum Maltings Distillation The modern method of malting barley. It The action of purifying a liquid by a involves a large germination drum which is process of heating and cooling. The turned occasionally until the malting process begins with heating a liquid (the process is complete. wash) to boiling point. The liquid evaporates, forming a vapor. Chemists use distillation to purify compounds in Dunnage solution or to separate mixtures of solutes. For example, different compounds have different boiling points.