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HOW WHISKEY IS MADE
Whiskey is mainly made by two ways
1. Pot still method.
2. Patent still method
Period of ageing and degree of blending, there are mainly five step for making whiskey. They are as follows:
Malting.
Mashing
Fermenting
Distilling
Ageing and Blending
There are steps are strictly followed in case of pot still whiskey.
POT STILL WHISKEY:
MALTING: At first moistened the barley and spread on a warm floor. As the seed begins to grow it becomes malt or germinated grain, starch in the seed converts to maltose. When the shoots are almost an inch long, then these shoots are dried over fires at high temperature, the shoots use peat fires to give their whiskeys a special smoky aroma. In Ireland, coal fires are used and the bailey is later mixed with other cereals.
MASHING: The process is similar to that of beer. First, the malt is ground and the grict is diluted with hot water in large vats called mash turns, when the water absorbs. All the goodness of the grain which is called wort.
FERMENTING: Now sugar is added with the wort and yeast is given inside the “vat” for fermentation and as a result CO2 gas and a liquid alcohol produced.
DISTILLATION: For its first distillation, the fermented wort really a form of beer goes into the wash still and again distilled it in another copper pot still for distillation. Irish whiskeys are re-distilled third time for their smoothness characteristics.
AGEING: The pure colourless spirit and fiery is transferred to old wooden cask for maturation. The minimum ageing period is three years for scotch whiskey. This allows wood is giving the spirit brown in colour and nutty flavour.
BLENDING AND FINISHING
The blender is a different ingredient; these may include grain whiskeys, grain neutral spirit and hi proof spirits. Some blender also add special flavouring like sherry wine or fruit juice pure, as water has to the added to reduce the proof either before ageing or before bottling. At the time of ageing the whiskey gets amber colour from wooden casks but some time caramel colour is also sold to get the right colour.
PATENT STILL WHISKEY:
Most of the whiskeys of the world are made by patent method. They are based on a mixture of different grains like wheat, corn, rye and barley. The exact proportion of each grains mash is well-guarded company secret. This is giving each blend a characteristics taste. The first steps in the patent still method are similar pot still method.
COOKING THE CEREALS:
First the grains are grounded and mixed with hot water and pressure-cooked. Then this retraces the starch from this tough outer seed walls, the liquid wort is then transferred to a mash turn.
FERMENTATION
At this stage the cooked cereals are rapidly cooled and mixed with ground malted barley, which acts also on the other cereals to convert their starches to sugar. Then the yeast is added and fermentation takes place.
DISTILLATION
After fermentation, this is transferred in the patent still for distillation and rectification. At this stage, the proof varies from 140-160.
MATURATION
The new spirit passes for ageing, all the whiskey requires minimum three years to become smooth. After that, blending and finishing was done.
