Classic whiskey production technology. What is whiskey made from? Its production technology

Even the raw materials used in different countries are different: 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.

Whiskey production stages

In the technology of making whiskey, the main stages can be distinguished, including:

• preparation of ingredients;
• malting;
• malt drying;
• wort preparation;
• fermentation;
• distillation;
• excerpt;
• blending and bottling.

It makes sense to consider these stages in more detail.

Preparing Ingredients

The taste that whiskey will subsequently have directly 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, cereals, milk, glucose, ethanol (natural gas) can serve as the basis for the production of alcohol. It is worth noting that to prepare high-quality whiskey, experienced blenders around the world use only fresh and natural raw materials.

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

Grains suitable for making whiskey are selected by professional maltsters. They grade beans from one to nine points and select only the top three categories for further malting. Thus, approximately twenty percent of the harvest goes into whiskey production.

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

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 summers give the plant strength, filling it with a unique taste.
The most important ingredient in quality whiskey is water - soft or hard. The first helps soften the taste of whiskey, while the second gives it spice.

Malting (preparing barley malt)

After harvesting the barley, it is processed, thoroughly cleaned and dried. After this, you can move on to the most important stage of whiskey production - malting. To do this, barley grains are pre-soaked for seven to ten days in order to germinate them. After which the malt is dried again. This difficult task is carried out by professional maltsters with experience and the necessary skills.

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

Malt drying

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

In the next stage of cooking, the barley is cleaned and soaked to allow the grain to absorb water. Excess moisture is removed from the grain using a drying drum.
At the final stage, the grain is dried in an apparatus with heated peat. Peat gives the finished whiskey a specific and beloved smoky aroma.

Wort preparation

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

The peculiarity of this container is its structure: the base of the vat is stainless steel or cast iron, and the top coating necessarily consists of high quality copper. This structure of Masb tun allows it to retain heat for a long time. The prepared wort (malt milk) is drained using a special tap built into the vat. The volume of such a vat is usually fifteen tons, and its internal structure facilitates the mixing of malt. This mixture is aged for eight to twelve hours. One ton of malt produces about fifteen liters of wort.

Fermentation (fermentation)

For fermentation, there are huge fermentation tanks with a volume of about a thousand liters. During the fermentation process of whiskey, sterilization is not used under any circumstances. The best material for making a fermentation tank is Oregon pine. Pine, larch and even stainless steel are also used for similar purposes. It should be remembered that a metal container will certainly impart a coppery 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 in which yeast cells multiply rapidly, converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This process is accompanied by active bubbling inside the vat. The temperature, in this case, can reach values ​​of thirty-five to thirty-seven degrees. The third stage is characterized by the process of accumulation of alcohol, which inhibits fermentation until the action of the yeast completely stops. This final stage lasts 12 hours. It is important at this time to monitor specialists to ensure 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 formed as a result of the fermentation process is an alcoholic drink with a strength of 5% vol.

Distillation (distillation)

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

Whiskey distillation 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 by hot steam and the alcohol evaporates. To heat the mash with steam, a container with hot oil is placed under the distillation apparatus, 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 vapor is understood and, in contact with cold air in the cooler, takes the form of a liquid. Liquid alcohol, containing about twenty percent alcohol, moves into the receiver. The next batch of liquid entering the receiver has a higher strength. The result of the mash distillation procedure is twenty-eight percent alcohol.

In the second stage of distillation, the alcohol obtained earlier is moved to a second still, where it is heated again. The result is eighty-two percent alcohol. But even this is not whiskey yet!

Excerpt

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

The exposure technology is as follows. First, the alcohol from the distillation apparatus is diluted with clean water from a spring until its strength is reduced to sixty-five degrees. With a high alcohol content, the maturation process will be significantly delayed. Stronger alcohol is insisted on by cost-conscious producers seeking to reduce the cost of production.
The “share of angels,” which is what professionals call the evaporation of alcohol during aging, depends on many factors, not the least of which are the humidity and temperature of the cellar. Low temperature and humidity produce less evaporation. Thus, maintaining optimal temperature and air humidity are the main tasks during the aging process.

Blending and bottling

The final stages of whiskey preparation are blending and bottling. Before bottling, the whiskey is filtered. The temperature, at the same time, 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 aging line of the youngest whiskey is indicated (if the whiskey is obtained by mixing). The 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.

As you know, the flavors of “living water” greatly depend on the place of production, but the general technology of whiskey production remains approximately the same in all countries. In this article we will understand what and how whiskey is made from, consider all the stages in detail and touch a little on the characteristic features of individual regions.

Whiskey composition. The basic ingredients are always the same: malt (sprouted grain), yeast and water. Sometimes a little sugar or caramel is added to the finished drink, but this applies more to cheap varieties. There cannot be any flavors, dyes or other chemical additives in real whiskey.

Step-by-step manufacturing technology

Malting

Whiskey is made from pure barley or a mixture of grains, for example, bourbon (American whiskey) consists of at least 51% corn, and the rest comes from other grains (barley, rye, etc.), pure rye or wheat varieties are also possible . Rarely, there are whiskeys made from rice, buckwheat, and other grains.

The grains, dried in a sunny, well-ventilated room, are poured with water and left to germinate, changing the water periodically - this is how enzymes in cereals are activated that break down starch into simple sugars. Sprouted grain is called malt. The entire process takes up to two weeks. The main thing is to stop the malting of the grains in time so that the sprouts do not “eat” all the starch that will be needed in the next stages.

Whiskey made from unmalted (unsprouted) raw materials is called “grain”. In fact, it is an ordinary alcohol aged in barrels with a rough taste and almost complete absence of an aromatic bouquet. Grain whiskey is not sold as a separate drink, but is only mixed into blends with “noble” distillates.

Drying malt

The finished malt is removed from the water and dried in a special chamber. In Scotland, on the Isle of Islay and in Japan, the smoke of bog peat is additionally used to give the drink a characteristic “smoked” taste and smoky aroma.

Wort preparation

The grinding is poured into a wort boiler, filled with water and gradually heated, not forgetting to stir. The future wort sequentially goes through several temperature regimes with sustained temperature pauses:

• 38-40°C – flour and water turn into a homogeneous mass;
• 52-55°C – protein is broken down;
• 61-72°C – starch is saccharified (turned into sugar suitable for yeast);
• 76-78°C – final sugary substances are formed.

Fermentation

The wort is poured into wooden or steel vats and mixed with special alcoholic yeast (each reputable enterprise tries to have its own unique strain). In many distilleries, yeast is taken from a previous batch of mash; as a result, the process becomes cyclical and lasts for tens and sometimes hundreds of years.

Fermentation takes 2-3 days at a temperature of about 37 degrees. Yeast actively reproduces, feeding on oxygen, and when the oxygen in the mash runs out, the breakdown of sugar obtained from starch in the grain begins.

At the end of this phase, the time comes for malolactic fermentation - fermentation of the wort using lactic acid bacteria rather than yeast. The mash, ready for distillation, with a strength of 5%, tastes like beer, but without hops.

Distillation

The spent mash is subjected to double or triple distillation (depending on the manufacturer) in copper distillation cubes - alambics. The material of the equipment is very important: copper eliminates the “sulphurous” taste of alcohol and provokes chemical reactions, as a result of which vanilla, chocolate and nut tones appear in the bouquet of whiskey. However, new production facilities sometimes install stainless steel equipment.

After the first distillation, the mash turns into “weak wine” with a strength of ~30 degrees. To obtain 70 proof whiskey, a second distillation is necessary.

For further whiskey production, only the middle portion (“heart”) is used; the first and last fractions (“heads” and “tails”) are drained or sent to a distillation column to obtain pure alcohol. The division into fractions is due to the fact that at the beginning and end of the distillation process many harmful substances enter the finished drink.

Even the shape of the alambik matters: every notch on the copper side affects the taste of the distillate. Therefore, when equipment is changed at old distilleries, the new one is cast exactly according to the patterns of the old one, preserving all the defects, “bends” and dents.

For the production of grain whiskey and bourbon, a Coffey continuous distillation apparatus is often used instead of a traditional two-chamber alambic. This device distills mash not in batches, but constantly. This production method saves time and distillation costs, but degrades the quality of the whiskey.

The finished distillate is diluted with soft spring water to 50-60 degrees. Some distilleries prefer hard water with a high content of trace elements; this whiskey acquires a characteristic mineral flavor.

Excerpt

Traditionally, whiskey is aged in oak sherry barrels, but for cheap varieties, sometimes bourbon containers are used (American whiskey “ages” in new barrels, charred from the inside) or even completely new, previously unused barrels.

At this stage, the bouquet of the drink is finally formed, a noble caramel shade and aroma appear. At the same time, 6 main processes take place:

1. Extraction (“pulling” aroma and tannins from wood).
2. Evaporation (the barrels are not sealed tightly, the alcohol gradually evaporates).
3. Oxidation (of aldehydes when interacting with barrel material).
4. Concentration (the smaller the volume of liquid, the richer the aroma).
5. Filtration (through membrane filters, immediately before blending or bottling).
6. Colorization (using caramel to make the drink look “noble”).

The average aging period is 3-5 years, but there are varieties that spend 30 years or more in barrels. The longer the whiskey is aged, the greater the “angels' share” - the volume of alcohol evaporated - and the higher the price. Over time, oak wood absorbs most fusel oils from alcohol, saturates the drink with lactones, coumarin and tannin, but if you overdo it, the whiskey will acquire a “woody” taste.

Blending

It is a process of mixing distillates (sometimes grain alcohols are also added to the composition) of different aging periods and (or) from different distilleries. There is no single recipe: each brand has its own secrets. The number of mixed varieties can reach up to 50, and they will all differ in taste and aging. The proportions are selected by an experienced production master - a blender. Typically, such a person works at the enterprise for decades and, long before retirement, prepares a replacement for himself from among other employees, gradually passing on secrets and best practices.

The point of blending is to guarantee the buyer the same taste of his favorite brand from year to year, regardless of the characteristics of the harvest or technology. Mixing also allows you to create new whiskeys with a unique taste (they will expand the range of products) from the distillates available to the enterprise, changing only the proportions.

Blending is not a necessary step: many connoisseurs prefer to drink pure single malt whiskey produced by one distillery, this category is called “single malt”, and blended whiskey is labeled “blended”. Disputes about the superiority of one category over another make no sense; it is more a matter of taste and philosophy than the real impact of production technology on quality.

Blended whiskey is kept in oak barrels for several more months so that the mixed varieties “get married” - turn into one harmonious drink, and not a cocktail of flavors.

Bottling

After the final aging, the whiskey undergoes filtration (mechanical to separate the liquid from particles of wood and other solid fractions); sometimes the drink is diluted again with water until the required strength is obtained. Only after this the finished product is bottled and sent to stores.

Cheap distilleries sometimes use the dubious method of cold filtration, where whiskey is cooled to approximately -2°C. As a result, fatty acids float to the surface and are easily removed mechanically. After cold filtration, whiskey loses some of its organoleptic properties (aroma and taste), but looks more presentable - it does not become cloudy in the glass when ice is added, it appears amber and transparent.

There is no such thing as bad whiskey. Some whiskeys are just better than others.
William Faulkner

Whiskey is the star of duty free shops, men's gatherings and any self-respecting bar. It is difficult to find a person who has not heard about whiskey at least once, even in a movie. It is drunk by cowboys in westerns and oil tycoons, presidents and beggars; whiskey is mixed in cocktails or simply drunk with ice. Whiskey and soda has long been not just a drink, but a cinematic brand, although experts say that it is soda that allows the taste and aroma of whiskey to reveal itself.

In scientific terms, whiskey (whisky, whiskey) is a strong alcoholic drink of a pleasant straw color, with a smoky aroma and a strong fragrant taste. Whiskey is prepared by distillation. Barley, corn, wheat and rye are used as raw materials.

The history of this drink can be traced back to the end of the 15th century, when documents first there are references to the purchase and sale of barley malt, as well as references to uisge beatha, which is translated from Celtic as “living water” and directly alludes to the Latin name for the alcohol aqua vitae. The Celtic name has changed many times over the long 5 centuries from uisge on uisce, fuisce, uiskie and finally turned into a familiar word whiskey.

It is believed that distillation technology was brought to Europe by the Crusaders, who borrowed the secret from the Arabs. Monasteries have been making alcohol for medicinal purposes from various products since the 12th century, but alcohol is still far from whiskey. Chance, as often happens, played a decisive role in the history of whiskey. In the British Isles, drinks from Spain and Portugal were extremely popular - sherry, Madeira and port, which were transported in strong, heavy oak barrels. The barrels were emptied and remained in the “household”. Someone was the first to pour alcohol obtained by distilling barley malt into an empty sherry cask, and after a few years discovered that the alcohol acquired an amazing aroma and taste. Aging in old oak wine barrels has become the main secret of Scottish distillers.

The new drink quickly gained popularity, and distillers in Ireland and Scotland constantly modernized technology and improved the quality of whiskey. The decisive step along this path was the idea of ​​mixing old aged whiskey with young whiskey in various proportions. Moreover, they mixed whiskeys from different raw materials. A blend or mixture of different whiskeys has opened up endless possibilities for creating unique varieties. By the mid-19th century, technology had become established, and in 1860 a law was passed in Britain regulating the quality of whiskey. The 1890s saw an unprecedented increase in whiskey production, the birth of many modern brands and brands, the overall quality of whiskey improved, and elite and collectible varieties appeared.

Currently, the main exporter of whiskey is Great Britain, Canada is in second place, the USA is in third, followed by Ireland and, oddly enough, Japan. Each country of origin has its own distinctive features, for example, in Scotland they still use barley malt as the main raw material, practice aging in oak barrels near the sea and use real peat to dry the malt. In the USA, they mainly use corn for whiskey and call their drink bourbon or whiskey. Ireland produces the best light whiskey with an exquisite taste and aroma without haze. Japanese whiskey is less smoky and peaty than Scotch whiskey and has a more subtle taste, although it is made according to Scottish traditions.

Types of whiskey

According to the international classification, whiskey is divided into several categories.

By raw materials:
. Malt whiskey is a drink made only from barley malt.
. Grain whiskey is made from corn, wheat and rye.
. Blended whiskey is made by mixing malt whiskey with grain whiskey.

There are several separate subcategories of malt whiskey:
. Vatted malt is a mixture of whiskey from different distilleries. Marked on the label as pure malt or blended malt.
. Single malt - whiskey from one distillery. If the label also indicates single cask, then this means that the whiskey is from one barrel. Otherwise, it may be a blend of several barrels.
. Single cask - whiskey from a separate barrel. It can be undiluted (50-60%) or already prepared up to 40% strength.
. Cask strength - cask strength whiskey, otherwise - undiluted whiskey, with a strength of up to 65% alcohol.

The American classification stands out:
. bourbon. Contains at least 51% corn in raw materials.
. rye whiskey. Contains at least 51% rye in raw materials (wort).
. Corn whiskey. Contains 80% or more corn in the raw material. Must be aged in new, uncharred barrels.
. wheat whiskey. At least 51% wheat.
. Blended whiskey, which must contain at least 20% straight whiskey.
. light whiskey. Differs in very light shades. Aged in old barrels.
. Sour mash whiskey. The leaven left over from the previous wort is added to the new wort to activate fermentation. Most American whiskey is made using this technology.
. Sweet mash whiskey indicates that no leavening process has been used and fermentation is caused by yeast.
. Tennessee whiskey. Cleaned with a charcoal filter made from maple wood.
. Bottled-in-bond whiskey. Aged for 4 to 8 years in special warehouses controlled by the US government.

Whiskey from Scotland, Ireland, USA, Canada and Japan

Scotland is considered the birthplace of whiskey and ranks first in the export of this drink. About 90% of unblended single malt whiskey is produced in Scotland. Whiskey from this region has a smoky aroma, rich color and the richest flavors. For some, the taste of Scotch whiskey is even too strong. Most luxury whiskey brands are based in Scotland.

Although Ireland ranks fourth in terms of the amount of whiskey exported, it is one of the contenders for the “birthright”. Some believe that whiskey was first made in Ireland, and controversy about this still rages. The first difference between Irish whiskey can be considered the spelling of the name of the drink itself. The Irish add an extra letter and write whiskey. The same word is used to describe whiskey in the USA and Canada - in places where immigrants from Ireland founded distilleries. The second difference is considered the fact that malt in Ireland is not dried using peat, or rather they have long abandoned this and use special ovens instead of peat. This makes the malt less fragrant, but overall the aroma and taste of the drink is noticeably subtler and more elegant. However, this is a matter of taste. The third difference is that most Irish whiskey is aged in sherry casks. Another difference: in Ireland, the blend is aged in oak barrels for only a few weeks or even days before bottling. Well, the main difference is the absence of peat taste and smell, which is an undeniable plus for some and a minus for others.

Whiskey in the USA, as in Canada, has only relatively recently become an expensive, good quality drink. Even in the 20th century, American whiskey was, first of all, “just a strong drink,” an analogue of Russian moonshine. But competition from European brands and the opportunity to make money quickly changed everything for the better. The main production of American whiskey is concentrated on grain raw materials. Malt is practically not used. The main difference is considered to be technology: American whiskey is prepared without the use of malt, dried with peat, and the taste and color are given to it by oak barrels charred from the inside, in which grain alcohol is aged.

Whiskey from Japan sounds exotic. But for many years now, Japan has been the fifth largest whiskey producer in the world and produces a very high-quality drink, similar in properties to Scotch and Irish whiskey, but with its own characteristics. The production technology of Japanese whiskey is almost identical to that of Scotland, but it is even more precise and technologically advanced, brought to perfection with the diligence characteristic of the Japanese. In Japan, blends of grain and malt whiskeys, sherry and Madeira oak casks, and new Japanese oak casks are used. It is whiskey from new barrels that is of interest to whiskey connoisseurs. New tastes and aromas are always very interesting to collectors and are available to ordinary fans due to their low price ($5-30 per bottle of Japanese whiskey). 90% of whiskey in Japan is blends. As a rule, this is 40% malt varieties in premium brands and up to 10% in economy brands.

Japanese whiskey is divided into three categories:
. Special (the word is on the label) - 30% malt whiskey.
. The first category is at least 20% malt whiskey.
. The second category is at least 10% malt whiskey.
The best examples of Japanese whiskey add up to 15% Scotch malt whiskey. Prices for Japanese whiskey are very affordable. A 700 ml bottle of 12-year-old Suntory Pure Malt will cost about $15.

How to drink whiskey

There is a Russian translation of the famous Scottish “Rule of Five S”: Sight, Smell, Swish, Swallow, Splash, which in Russian will sound like “Rule of Five P”: Look, Smell, Taste, Swallow and Splash water. First, you should pour the whiskey into a glass and enjoy the color of the drink, which darkens the longer it is aged in an oak barrel.

Then you need to inhale the aroma. The best glass for whiskey, as for cognac and similar drinks, is considered a tulip glass. The drink is swirled in a glass and brought to the nose, but not inhaled too much. You can drink from thick-walled glasses, especially if it is a simple blended unaged whiskey, but you should always pour the glass “at the bottom.” The aroma of real aged whiskey lasts in the glass for several days.

After “getting acquainted” with the color and aroma, take the first sip. Evaluate the aftertaste, it should be pleasant and long. Typically, whiskey is served with an additional glass of water, lemon juice or cola for mixing (straight) or with ice cubes (on the rocks). Some types of whiskey, for example cask straight (barrel strength), reach a strength of 60% alcohol; they are usually diluted, since in their pure form such a strength can numb the taste buds. Whiskey of regular strength (up to 43%) is diluted to taste or drunk neat. Single malt, unblended whiskey is usually drunk exclusively undiluted and preferably in an environment appropriate to the drink and its price (up to $7,000 for some varieties). There are fans of different options and mixing styles. The simplest is considered whiskey and soda(sparkling water).

What to drink whiskey with

It is believed that it is better not to mix whiskey with anything, such as cognac, armagnac, grappa or calvados. However, alcohol almost always causes a strong appetite, and over time, stable combinations of this drink with foods have developed. Three-year-old whiskeys and simple blends go very well with apple juice. In Ireland, it is customary to combine whiskey with seafood and hard cheeses (like Calvados in Normandy). Professional tasters prefer not to add anything to whiskey other than a few drops of clean, cold spring water. This reveals the taste and aroma of the drink, and the whiskey becomes more fragrant. In Portugal, whiskey is not diluted, but a portion of good whiskey is always washed down with freshly prepared espresso with cream. Bourbons and simple inexpensive whiskeys are diluted or washed down with apple, cherry or grapefruit juice. In the USA, a mixture of bourbon, water and sugar is very popular.

Whiskey is a noble alcoholic drink known throughout the world. Its production is labor-intensive and quite time-consuming. There are several varieties of this drink, which depend on the country of origin, since each one produces it differently and from different ingredients. Let's take a closer look at what whiskey is made from and what it comes in.

Whiskey classification

This drink comes in three types: malt, grain and mixed. The first has three types: Barrel whiskey is a mixture of malt whiskey from different distilleries. Single malt - produced by only one distillery and can be aged for different years. Malt - taken from only one barrel. It can have a higher strength or be diluted to a certain standard. Single malt whiskey is more popular than cask whiskey, which, like a mixed drink, is aged in oak containers and has a strength of 40 degrees. The recipe was restored in Scotland in 1960. Previously, it was believed that whiskey needed to be weakened by blending, since it has a pungent smell and taste. As a result, new varieties were obtained, each of which has its own “zest”.

Almost all of the grain type of the drink is used for blending, but a small part of it still goes on sale in its pure, unchanged form. If additional purification is performed, 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. A high content of malt component is found, for example, in the Deluxe brand.

Scotch whiskey is one of the most popular

This drink is divided in Scotland itself into five different types, differing in strength and taste: single malt, grain, blended, malt blend and grain blend. From the very beginning, Scotland produced malt Scotch whiskey using barley. The malt was dried with hot air (with smoke from bog peat), mixed with water to produce wort, fermented and distilled. The resulting alcohol was aged in oak barrels. The taste is greatly influenced by water, peat, the drink that was previously contained in a given barrel, and the location of the distillery (near a swamp or sea). All whiskey in Scotland is mostly blended and is rarely found in its pure form.

Irish whiskey is one of the leaders

This drink is considered the oldest in Europe. Most of it is triple distilled, and when drying malt, peat is used extremely rarely, so there is no smoke taste in it. It comes in four varieties: single malt, single grain, pure and blended. Depending on the variety, the aging of the drink can be from eight to fifteen years. What is whiskey made from? It is made from barley and malt. Cereals are added: wheat, rye, oats. But nevertheless, the main component in the drink is natural water. If there are additives, they are indicated on the bottle label. 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 at the same enterprise. Mixed species are the most common and popular. Currently in Ireland there are seven stages used to make the drink.
The malt is dried, the drink is aged, distilled, blended and other preparations take place. At the final stage, the master determines the character of the variety, 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 is whiskey made overseas? The history of the Canadian drink dates back to 1794, and in 1840, separate small distilleries appeared. And from the very beginning, Canadian whiskey was like a light spirit, not at all similar to the noble drink of Europe. Then it was finalized. Corn, rye and wheat are used to make it. The technology is non-classical, so even the aftertaste is very different from drinks from other countries.

What is whiskey made from in America? The main type of this drink in the United States is bourbon, which differs in its production because it is made from corn, not barley. The whiskey is aged in oak barrels, which are fired inside using special technologies. It is due to this innovation that the drink has a unique taste and aroma, which distinguishes it from its European counterparts.

Japanese whiskey

What is whiskey made from 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 oddly enough, the residents of this island state themselves drink the national drink sake much less often than it does. This whiskey is very close in style and production technology to Scotch. Most Japanese blended brands contain varying percentages of UK malt.

But nevertheless, Scotch whiskey and Japanese are different drinks. The difference is less “smokiness”, because not so much peat is used in production. The production technology is similar to Scottish. Japan has both malt distilleries and grain beverages. They are also aged in barrels. Only the latter are made of Japanese oak.

Classic whiskey making technology

How classic whiskey is made: barley is placed for a period of 2 to 4 days in special vats containing water. They are briefly called “barley baths.” The grain then goes into the dryer for 12 days. There it is turned over every day so that it germinates. 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 is formed during germination to dissolve in water, the resulting “flour” is poured with hot water. The resulting liquid is called wort. It contains absolutely no alcohol and is very sweet. Then yeast is added to it and left 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 devices are used. Moreover, their configuration greatly influences the resulting whiskey. After the process, the main usable part 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 lasts from 3 to 15 years.

The benefits of whiskey

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

Whiskey is a noble, aromatic, strong alcoholic drink obtained by distillation followed by aging in oak barrels. The debate about who was the first to make whiskey has been going on between the Scots and the Irish for several centuries. And although the first written mention of the drink dates back to 1494 and belongs to Scottish monks, the Irish believe that 1000 years ago whiskey was invented by their people, and subsequently brought to Scotland, where it was used as a medicine. What is the secret to the success of this drink? What is whiskey made from?

How and from what is whiskey made?

Whiskey is made from water, yeast and grains. The water used is considered the most important factor in making good whiskey. It must be clean, transparent and free of impurities. Even today in Scotland, spring water is used in the whiskey making process. It should be noted that Scotch whiskey has a more subtle taste, and this is due to the special properties of local waters. Also, the process of making whiskey depends on its type:

• Malt whiskey is based on barley;
• grain whiskey is made from wheat, oats or rye with the obligatory addition of malted barley;
• Blended whiskey is a mixture of malt and grain liquor;
• Corn whiskey is bourbon.

Making malt whiskey

The production of malt whiskey is divided into four different stages:

• production of barley malt (barley germination, smoke drying);
• mixing crushed meal with hot water and obtaining a sweet wort;
• adding yeast to wort - fermentation;
• heating the wort and double distillation in copper stills, followed by diluting the drink with water to the desired strength and pouring it into oak barrels for aging.

The aging process must be at least three years, otherwise, according to Scottish law, the drink has no right to be called whiskey. Aging varies by manufacturer, and for some elite varieties it can reach 50 years.

How is grain whiskey made?

Grain whiskey has a few key differences. It is a mixture of malted barley and other grains, and only one distillation takes place during its production.

Like malt whiskey, grain whiskey ages in wooden barrels for at least three years and during this time acquires a distinctive golden color and a softer aroma and taste. For this reason, grain whiskey is mainly used in the production of mixed drinks, and several varieties are released as a single whiskey.

Blended whiskey production

The first blended whiskey was made by Andrew Asher in the 60s of the 19th century in Edinburgh. Mixing whiskey is truly an art. Secret recipes are developed and carefully kept by manufacturers, and are also passed down from generation to generation.

The mixture contains from 15 to 50 single whiskeys. The purpose of mixing is to obtain a drink that has absorbed the best qualities of malt whiskey, which has a pronounced aroma and taste, and a softer grain drink. However, whiskeys from different distilleries have their own characteristic features and are not always successfully mixed with others. The age of a drink is indicated by the age of the youngest whiskey in the mixture.

What's in Corn Whiskey?

Corn whiskey is produced in the USA, where it is recognized as a national drink. Its production process differs from Scotch and Irish whiskey by using corn instead of barley, wheat, rye or oats, and aging in oak barrels, charred from the inside, which gives the drink a special aroma and taste.

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How to choose whiskey?

Choosing whiskey is a difficult task. It is difficult for a beginner to immediately understand the confusing tastes of the drink. Let's try to do this together and look at the famous brandy whiskeys. And user reviews will help us with this.

Jack Daniels whiskey: reviews

This whiskey belongs to the elite alcohol of American origin. It is created on the basis of corn, rye and barley. According to reviews from true connoisseurs, Jack Daniels whiskey has a unique mild taste and aroma, which is due to the drink being filtered on charcoal.

Tart, slightly sweet taste, slightly oily and chewy. A drink that equalizes everyone: men and women, rich and poor, top managers and ordinary clerks.

Whiskey Jamison

Jamison whiskey holds a leading position in sales among world-famous brands. Triple distillation and a predominantly soft taste with a herbal lightness in the aftertaste make it the most famous whiskey in Ireland. Many people leave reviews that this whiskey has a soft aroma, slightly reminiscent of fruit and caramel.

Whiskey Balantays

World famous Scotch whiskey. A representative of classic aged blended whiskies. After taking the first sip, you realize how good this drink is. Its taste is rich in fruity sweetness with a slight hint of vanilla and a wonderful aftertaste.

How to drink whiskey correctly?

Having understood what and how whiskey is made from, it is necessary to master the culture of its use, as well as understand the philosophy of tasting this noble drink.

Here are some tips for drinking whiskey:

• the bottle of whiskey needs to be slightly cooled, thereby dulling the taste of alcohol and bringing the whole bouquet of aromas to the forefront;
• A glass or glass with a thick bottom is required;
• The drink does not tolerate any decorations made from fruits or other straws.

Whiskey is very serious and intended for the same people. Shake the bottle slightly and pour a little of the drink into the glass. As a snack, you can use a bunch of grapes, a slice of melon, a slice of apple, a peach or an apricot.

• “admiring”, assessing the color scheme of the drink;
• tasting the aromas hidden in the cunning recipes of the manufacturers;
• savoring, holding the drink in the mouth in order to reveal the depth of the flavor bouquet;
• a sip, the purpose of which is to reveal the aftertaste of the drink.