whiskey/whisky Flashcards
(57 cards)
Where can you find whisky?
USA, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Japan
What do the countries have in common due to whisky? 2 things
Made from grains, matured in oak
what is the most important grains?
Barley, corn, wheat, rye
what is starch?
sugar molecules (glucose) that are bounded together
How can you convert the starch into fermentable sugars?
By malting and cooking
How can you release the sugar starch from the net when it comes to barley?
put the grains of barley in a warm, damp room -> they start to grow and releases chemicals called enzymes. Then it becomes green malt and you stop the process by heating the grains. =malted barley
What is mashing?
malted barley crushed into a coarse flour and mixed with hot water.
what does the heat of the water do to the flour?
unrolls the starch granules, enzymes convert starch into glucose = sweet liquid called wort
What does the hot air do to the aromas of the malted barley?
Smoky aromas
What do the distillers do with the other grains that are not malted?
cooks it like a master chef. Crush it, mix it with water, cook it at a high temp and blended with malted barley/bought in enzymes (not in Scotland)
Why is whisky distillers production varied?
Bc the limitation by local laws
How is whisky matured?
Most cases in oak for several years
Whisky are blends, how can you blend the whisky in different ways?
pronounced flavors with light flavors, different ages, different woods.
Name the most established reputations for whisky in USA
Bourbon, Tennessee
Where is the bourbon production located
Kentucky
What is the main ingredient in a bourbon?
Corn, 51%
What aromas does rye give?
spicy, rye-bread
What aromas does wheat give?
Bourbon dough, bread
what is mash bill and what purpose does it have?
for its enzymes, to influence the style depending on their needs
What kind of aromas can be found in a American bourbon?
banana, citrus
How are bourbon usually distilled?
Column stills
How is the bourbon matured and what aromas is the result of the maturation?
New charred-oak barrels = vanilla, coconut, sweet spice
Explain the malting barley process
1) starts to grow when warm and wet
2) starch granules unpack , enzymes that convert starch to sugar are released
3) hot air are used to stop the growing = also gives smoky aromas
4) now the starch is unpacked and the enzymes are ready to convert it to sugar during mashing
how to convert starch into sugar?
boil it in water to make it unroll.
