Whiskey

Question 1

Origins

Answer 1

Irish Celts are believed to be the first to produce a spirit from grains similar to current Irish whiskeys

1st written evidence last decade of 15th century in Scotland

Question 2

Scotch Production

Answer 2

Must be produced in Scotland from a mash of malted barley and other cereal grains and aged in oak casks in an approved warehouse in Scotland for a minimum of three years

Question 3

Irish Whiskey Production

Answer 3

Must be produced in Ireland from a mash of cereal and aged in wooden casks in Ireland for no less than three years

Question 4

Bourbon Whiskey

Answer 4

Produced from a fermented mash of no less than 51% corn distilled no higher than 160 proof and stored at no more than 125 proof in charred new oak barrels

Question 5

Tennessee Whiskey

Answer 5

Must be made with a minimum of 51% corn and distilled no higher than 160 proof (80% ABV) these whiskeys have to be stored in charred new Oak containers for at least two years and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof (40% ABV) must be produced in the state of Tennessee and produced using a charcoal filtering technique known as the Lincoln County Process

Question 6

American Whiskey

Answer 6

Rye whiskey, wheat whiskey, malt whiskey, Rye malt whiskey

Produced from a fermented mash of no less than 51% rye, wheat, malted barley or malted rye grain respectively. These whiskeys must be distilled no higher than 160 proof (80% ABV) it must be stored at no more than 125 proof in charred new oak barrels

Question 7

Corn Whiskey

Answer 7

Must be produced from a fermented mash of no less than 80% corn and at 160 proof (80% ABV) there is no requirement for corn whiskey to be stored in oak containers, but if it is, it must be stored at no more than 125 proof in used or uncharred wood

Question 8

Grain Spirits

Answer 8

Neutral spirits distilled from a fermented mash of grain and stored in oak containers

Question 9

White Whiskey

Answer 9

Can be produced from unaged corn whiskey, light whiskey, slightly aged whiskey, whiskey that has been filtered after a short time in wood to remove any traces of coloration, and grain neutral spirit

Question 10

Steps of whiskey production

Answer 10

Preparation
Mashing
Fermenting
Distilling
Aging
Bottling

Question 11

Mash/wort preparation

Answer 11

Malting

Kilning

Milling

Mashing

Washing

Question 12

Water importance

Answer 12

Water must be iron-free to prevent the whiskey from turning a black shade.

The presence of minerals in the water can impacts the whisky’s flavor.

Question 13

Extraction

Answer 13

When an oak barrel is untreated, very little extraction of congeners can take place this is why the oak is exposed to heat which changes the composition and extraction can happen more readily

Question 14

Evaporation

Answer 14

Both water and alcohol will evaporate through the pores of the barrel resulting in a loss of volume. Depending on the temperature and humidity levels, the alcohol percentage will either increase or decrease

Question 15

Oxidation

Answer 15

Air drawn into the barrel during evaporation process slowly oxidizes the spirit’s components. Over time, additional esters are formed and aldehydes and acids increase due to the oxidation of the spirit’s components.

Question 16

Concentration

Answer 16

All of the chemical, physical, and extractive processes are concentrated in the decreasing volume of the whiskey because of evaporation through and soaking into the wooden barrel. This is the reason why aged whiskeys are typically more expensive

Question 17

Filtration

Answer 17

If the barrel has been charred then the interior of the barrel can act as an activated charcoal filter, absorbing some compounds and smoothing the spirit

Question 18

Coloration

Answer 18

The charring process somewhat degrades the tannins in the woods which can give the spirit a reddish color the deepens with age. The spirit color may change from oxidation and is also dependent on the level of barrel toast. Spirits that are aged for a brief period of time will typically have a lighter color than those aged for a longer time

Question 19

Blended whiskey

Answer 19

Blended whiskeys are the largest category they are made up of blends of whiskeys from different barrels, distilleries and of different classifications.

Question 20

Single barrel bottlings

Answer 20

In some cases a selected single barrel is first diluted with water until it is at bottling strength which may be 80 proof or higher and then bottled without blending it with other barrels.

Question 21

Cask strength or barrel proof bottlings

Answer 21

In the case of cask strength or barrel proof bottlings no water is added to the whiskey before bottling

Question 22

Definition of whiskey - US

Answer 22

• Distilled spirit produced from the fermented mash of grain. -Distilled at less than 190 proof (95% ABV).
• Produced in a manner such that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whiskey.
• Bottled at no less than 80 proof (40% ABV)

Question 23

Definition of whiskey - EU

Answer 23

• Must be produced by the distillation of grain mash made from malted cereals (May include malted grain).
• Distilled to less than 186.9 proof (94.8% ABV) so that the distillate has an aroma and taste reflective of the raw materials.
• Must be aged in wooden casks no larger than 185 gallons for at least three years.
• Bottled and a minimum strength of 80 proof (40% ABV).

Question 24

True or false: the distiller carefully preserved the heart of the distillation run by passing the spirit through a spirit safe where it can be sampled, have it’s alcoholic strength measured, and be classified

Answer 24

True

Question 25

Malting

Answer 25

barley is soaked in water which causes it to sprout. Known as green malt when its ready.

Question 26

Kilning

Answer 26

green malt is transferred to a heated kiln where the germination is stopped

Question 27

Milling

Answer 27

the roasted (kilned) malt is screened and ground into grist in the mill room

Question 28

Mashing

Answer 28

ground malt and any other milled grains according to the grain recipe is mixed with hot water heated to 135 to 107°F. The vessel used in this step is referred to as a mash tun or mash cooker. The grain is soaked until the sugars are dissolved and most of the remaining starch is liquefied.

Question 29

Washing

Answer 29

• in Scotland and Ireland the sugary liquid is washed from the malt and drained off, this liquid is known as the mash or wort.
• In the United States the sugary liquid and ground grain are generally allowed to remain together in the mixture this mixture is called a cook or mash