Name (also whiskey) for a spirit obtained from fermented grain mash and matured in wooden barrels. It originated in Scotland or Ireland. The name, first mentioned in 1736, is derived from the Scottish Gaelic "uisge beatha" or the Irish "uisce beatha" and means "water of life". Whisky is made from various types of grain such as barley (always included), rye, corn or wheat through fermentation and distillation.
What they all have in common is years of ageing in wooden barrels of different types and sizes. US products mature almost exclusively in new, toasted American white oak barrels. European products with a dark colour are often matured in barrels in which sherry or port wine was previously stored. Used American barrels are used for light-coloured whiskies. Whisky is a popular ingredient in many cocktails, including Manhattan.
There are many types made from different types of grain/blends and production methods. A grain is made from unmalted wheat and a small proportion of malted barley and oats (Europe) or rye (Canada and USA) or corn (USA) and is used almost exclusively for blended whiskies. A rye is made from at least 51% rye, a bourbon from at least 51% corn and a corn from at least 80% corn. A malt is produced exclusively from malted barley.
A single malt comes from a single distillery. Asingle cask is bottled from exactly one cask. A blended malt is a mixture of several distilleries. A blended Scotch whisky may have a whisky made from other grains added to a malt whisky. Around 90% of production is blended whiskies and 10% malt whiskies.
An interesting experiment was carried out by Mosel winegrower Markus Molitor. The Pinot Blanc Wehlener Klosterberg Jg. 2010 was matured in a whisky cask "Bowmore Hogshead Islay cask" with a volume of 250 litres. The special feature was that it was a used cask and the wooden walls naturally contained whisky and alcohol. Bowmore is a whisky distillery on the island of Islay in Scotland, which is owned by the Japanese-American drinks multinational Suntory. According to the tasting results, the wine was characterised by "a fine acidity and minerality as well as a slightly sweet note, without adding sweetness to the wine, and shows a fine and delicately smoky whisky note on the long finish ".
For the production of alcoholic beverages, see Champagne (sparkling wines), distillation (distillates), spirits (types), winemaking (wines and wine types) and wine law (wine law issues).
Fermentation tanks: presumably by Nicor, own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Storage/maturation: By Rappilio, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Whisky brands: By Chris huh - own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
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