Whiskey

The whisky (from Scottish Gaelic: uisge-beatha), whiskey (Irish: uisce beatha or fuisce), wiski or whiskey is an alcoholic and spirit drink obtained by distilling the fermented malt of cereals such as barley, wheat, rye and corn, and its subsequent aging in wooden barrels, traditionally white oak. This alcoholic beverage is marketed with an alcoholic content between 40% and 62% by volume. The term whisky or whiskey derives from the Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha and the Irish Gaelic uisce beathadh, meaning "water". of life' (for example, the Scandinavian aquavit shares the same etymology, passing through the Latin aqua vitæ).

The first writing on whiskey dates from 1405 in Ireland, where it was distilled by monks. It was also mentioned in Scotland in 1496. However, whiskey was believed to have been around for several hundred years, but when and where it was first distilled is unknown and, due to little existing documentation, the origin of the drink is uncertain.

In Ireland, in County Antrim and north of the River Bush, there is a town called Bushmills, which is home to the oldest distillery in the world, "The Old Bushmills Distillery". In 1608 King James I granted Sir Thomas Phillips the first license to distill "aqua vitae" in history.

History

Distillation may have been practiced by the Babylonians in Mesopotamia in the 2nd millennium BC. C., to produce perfumes.

It is certain that distillation was known to the Alexandrian Greeks in the I century AD. C., but it was not used to produce alcohol. This technology was passed on from the Arabs to the Latins during the Middle Ages, and the earliest records in Latin date from the early XII century.

In any case, the Celtic culture knew how to distill barley and rye, and the concoction obtained was considered a gift from their gods that revived the dead and warmed during the harsh winter. In fact, in Gaelic, whiskey is called "Uisge Beatha" or "water of life". A writing from 1494 (although whiskey is much older than that) describes how it was distilled in Scotland when Friar John Cor obtained approximately 6 bushels of malt, which equals 1,500 bottles. Initially it was distributed to the population as a medicine and, in fact, the 'water of life' was reserved for King James IV when he went to Inverness in September 1506; on the other hand, the first records of a distillery date back to 1690 when the Ferintoch de Forbes distillery of Culloden was mentioned.

In the XVII and XVIII cheap whiskey was used to preserve bodies destined for dissection. Parliament and the Church wanted to control the habits of drinkers and because of this, in 1579 a law was promulgated that tried to eradicate the drink on Sundays, but in 1780 taxes on wine were increased, so the popularity and popularity demand for whiskey increased. During 1786 and 1788 additional taxes were levied on the price of Scotch whisky and with it the bootleggers' business continued and their cunning was enormous: for example, Mark Eunson, a member of the Presbyterian Church in the Orkney Islands (Orkney), kept it in the pulpit. Finally in 1823 parliament passed a law whereby licenses were given to all distilleries. Legitimate distilleries increased and by 1860 the illegal trade dropped to a negligible level and many bootleggers returned to their ordinary jobs.

In the mid-19th century the Scots began mixing their single malt whiskey with whisky of lighter and cheaper grain. It was Andrew Usher and Co. who in 1850 produced the first blended whiskey; while the American whisky was founded with the technology and knowledge of the first Scottish settlers and today there are distilleries all over the planet.

Elaboration process

The distillation process consists of mixing water with barley and letting it ferment and age for at least three years. For the best whiskeys, water from unique springs is used and they provide great purity to the drink.

The first step is the malting of the barley; to do this, it is soaked and drained several times at a temperature of approximately 13° for about three days. Then it is transferred to drums or large-capacity industrial containers where it is allowed to germinate, thanks to the humidity obtained, for six days. When the cereal germinates, the barley starch is converted into sugar (from which part of the alcohol will later be removed in the distillation). Once germinated, the barley is dried in ovens using peat smoke (charcoal that also gives the malt aroma), this process lasts three days and is usually at a temperature of 70°. The germinated barley takes on a dark color, typical of caramelized by the action of heat, and this is when we can talk about malt as such.

The dry roasted malt is then ground and mixed with hot water in a tank. The must, or mixture, obtained is similar to that of a cloudy beer, which is called wort, and at that moment the yeasts are added, which will make fermentation possible. This must is passed to vats where it will be left to ferment for three days at 33°. From there it goes on to distillation: The wash (fermented wort) is distilled twice, in pot still and spirit still stills. From the first distillation in pot still we will obtain a so-called low wine of 25-30°, and when distilled a second time, we will obtain a whiskey of 60°-70°.

Lastly we come to aging. Each type of whiskey uses a type of wood in the barrel, it is also the distillery that decides whether to use new barrels, or not, burned or not, etc. In the case of malt whiskeys, the barrels must be made of oak and have previously contained Sherry or Bourbon wines. The age varies depending on the appellation, distillery and purpose. The wood from the barrel provides aroma, tannins and flavor, as in the case of wines, and in most cases, the color of the product is regulated by adding caramel. Once the product is ready, we can market it as such, make mixtures to obtain blendeds, etc.

Classification

The different types of whiskey are characterized mainly by the years they have been in the barrel or if the barrel had previously contained port wine, sherry or bourbon, but mostly everything is usually categorized according to its composition as follows:

• Maltese whiskey: made mainly of malted barley, is traditionally distilled in onion-shaped copper alambiques. Depending on the origin of the malt, these in turn are called:
  • Single Malt: is a Whiskey produced exclusively with malted barley in a single distillery. Usually the name of the Whiskey matches the name of the distillery and, unless it is described as single cask, it is a mixture of different barrels that guarantee the homogeneity of the product. When Whiskey is very popular sometimes a version without diluting is marketed and therefore with more alcoholic proficiency called Cask strength (literally) barrel strength).
  • Vatted malt: is a mixture of whiskies of different distilleries but only of malt. Yeah. Whiskey is labeled only as «malt» is almost certain it will be a vatted malt. Sometimes it is also known as pure malt when the same company uses Whiskey of different distilleries of your property to support the demand for a product under the same name.
• Grain Whiskey: made from barley without malting, corn and other cereals, the malting is also possible. It is usually distilled in continuous distillation alambique or distillation columns (Coffey stills).
• Blended whisky or Whiskey mixed: it is a mixture of the previous two. With the proliferation of distillation columns, some merchants in Scotland began to mix their whi. younger and stronger malt with soft grain whiskies (usually corn) to get a quality product acceptable at a more affordable price. Over time, some of these merchants managed to establish their products on the market by increasing quality to offer products that could compete with the whiskies from malt.

Whiskeys do not mature in the bottle, only in the barrel, so the age of a whiskey is the time between distillation and bottling. This reflects the interaction between the cask and the whiskey, changing its chemical composition and flavor. Whiskeys that have spent many years in the bottle are often more valuable, although they are not older or necessarily better than a whiskey recently matured in the barrel for a similar length of time. For the elaboration of premium whiskeys, some of the most unique barrels that exist are used and that are selected by hand, chosen for their great quality, character and flavor and that give rise to unique whiskeys.

Countries of origin

Scotland

Scotch whiskeys are generally distilled twice and some even triple distilled. It is a whiskey distilled and aged exclusively in Scotland and is the most renowned in the world. It must be done in accordance with the standards of the 1990 Scotch Whiskey Order (of the United Kingdom) which clarifies the homonymous act of 1988, and which orders that the beverage must be processed in a Scottish distillery with water and malted barley with a degree of 94.8° alcohol by volume, must age in oak barrels that previously stored whiskey with a capacity of no more than 700 liters and for no less than three years in Scotland, and may not contain other added substances than use water or caramel as coloring, nor can they be bottled with less than 40 degrees of alcohol by volume.

Ireland

The Irish call it Whiskey with an "e" (like the Americans). It is a whiskey made from barley and is characterized by its triple distillation, which makes it smooth, elegant and delicate. Irish Whiskey is consumed mostly within the country of production, exporting only 25% of stocks, although these exports have increased significantly in recent years.

The elaboration procedure is as follows: after the selection of the cereals, the own mixture of each distillery is made, later they are washed and soaked in hot water to hydrolyze the sugars (Process in which they are soaked to submit them to their germination, a process in which the starch of the cereals is transformed into soluble sugars), the grains are subsequently dried to stop germination. This process is called malting and it is carried out so that the sugars can be processed.

Next, the grains are ground, a paste is made which is washed 3 times with hot water, in this process the sugars are diluted in the water allowing water with a high sugar content to be obtained, later a yeast is added to be able to ferment the wort.

During fermentation, the liquid acquires a slight alcoholic percentage, this must is distilled three times, generally in copper stills, these stills provide a unique flavor, the shape of the still influences directly, generally the still or «pot still » is known as the ideal tool to produce quality whiskeys at an artisanal level.

Finally, the grain alcohol rests in oak barrels, here the grain distillate acquires character, flavor, color, structure and becomes a refined whiskey. Some producers integrate barrels that previously held bourbon, sherry, rum, port and even the famous Madeira. Getting complexity and a completely different profile.

The famous drink created by the Irish ceased to be illegal in Scotland in 1823, 215 years after Ireland. A tax arises that is applied in 1850 by the English crown to the producers of barley whiskey, this generates variations in the recipe, with the integration of corn, wheat or rye. The creation of blends in whiskey makes it a more complex spirit drink due to the variety of recipes that arise. As in the case of Bushmills, which develops its Premium Blend called BlackBush, with a combination of 80% barley and 20% corn. In addition to being distilled in a discontinuous copper still, maintaining its unparalleled aroma, flavor and quality.

Until 1870 the boom began and knowledge of whiskey in large volumes, this arises thanks to the "phylloxera" plague that affects vineyards throughout Europe, extinguishing some varieties of grapes and affecting productions of cognac, wines and other types of fortifications. Initiating a recurring consumption of whiskey in the world and growing the market exponentially.

Canada

Canadian whisky is typically smoother and lighter than other styles of whisky. Another common feature is its use of malted rye, which provides more flavor and smoothness. By law, this whiskey must be produced in Canada, and is made with corn, rye, and is distilled in stills that allow great control of the product. It is aged in oak barrels after being diluted in water to reduce the alcoholic strength, for a minimum of three years, although they usually exceed them by far. The terms Canadian Whisky, Canadian Rye Whisky and Rye Whisky are legally indistinguishable in Canada and do not denote any particular proportion of rye or other grain used in the production.

This type of whiskey is used to make the Manhattan cocktail.

United States

U.S. whiskey must be made, according to national law, from corn at least in a concentration greater than 51%, and generally 70%, although some distilleries go so far as to use a 80-85% corn in the mix. Other added ingredients are typically malted wheat, rye, or barley. Like Irish Whiskey, the letter "e" is added to the word whiskey, to the point that only one distillery in the United States calls it whisky i> to his Whiskey (Makers Mark). The most common are:

• Bourbon whiskey: This Whiskey must have a minimum of 51 % corn and be distilled and aged in Kentucky for the denomination Bourbon appear on the label. The bourbon, however, can be legally produced anywhere in the United States territory and, therefore, legal production is not restricted to the area or the surrounding area of Kentucky even though the drink is very associated with the distilleries communities of this area of the country.
• Rye whiskey: must have a minimum of 51 % rye.
• Corn whiskey: must have a minimum of 80% of corn.

These types of whisky must not be distilled to more than 80% alcohol by volume and must be aged in new charred oak barrels, except corn whiskey which does not It must be aged, but if done, new or used oak barrels will be used. The aging of corn whiskey is usually a few months. If the aging of these types of whisky reaches two years or more, the whisky will additionally be designated the qualifier "straight", such as straight rye Whiskey . Blended American Whiskeys combine straight whiskeys with non-aged whiskeys, as well as flavors and colors.

Not defined by law but very important in the market is Tennessee whiskey, with Jack Daniel's being the best-known brand. The distillation method is identical to bourbon in virtually everything, but the most notable difference is that Tennessee whiskey is filtered through saccharine maple charcoal, giving it a distinctive flavor and aroma. unique.

Spain

The whiskey distilled in Spain, despite having a considerable volume of exports to South America, is not well known internationally in comparison to other spirits such as wine or cava. In Spain, domestically distilled whiskey has a good volume of sales due to its low consumer price compared to other imported whiskeys, but it does not enjoy the same popularity as the latter nor are they considered in lines Generally high quality whiskeys, however they are widely accepted for mixed drinks and cocktails, although higher quality single malt whiskeys have recently begun to be produced.

In Spain there is only one distillery that for a time was dedicated exclusively to the production of whiskey located in the Segovian municipality of Palazuelos de Eresma owned by the company Destilería y Crianza del Whisky, S.A, since the one that distills and produces whisky DYC, the most famous Spanish Blended whiskey, with a production capacity of up to 20 million liters per year, although over time it absorbed an anise distillation plant and after the Takeover in 2004 by the Beam Suntory group dedicated part of their distilling plant to parent company gin and bottling imported bourbon.

There are also other distilleries in Spain, such as Liber distilleries in Granada, although they also distill and produce single malt whiskey (Whisky Embrujo) and other spirits such as gins, rums, pomace, etc.

Historically, at the beginning of the XX century, the company Bodegas José del Soto distilled the first whiskey documented produced in Spain, but production ceased after the civil war.

Wales

In the year 2000, Penderyn Distillery began production of single malt whisky in Wales. The first bottles were put up for sale on March 1, 2004, Saint David's Day (in memory of the patron saint of Wales). It is currently sold worldwide. Penderyn Distillery uses a unique distillation method, using a still created and patented by David Faraday, a direct descendant of British physicist Michael Faraday.

Japan

A glass and a bottle of Whiskey 12-year-old “Yamazaki”

The model for Japanese whiskey is the Scottish single malt, although there are examples of blended Japanese whiskeys >). The production system is practically identical to that of the Scots: single malt whiskey is distilled twice in the pot still from a base of malted barley, and i>whisky grain in coffey still. It should be noted that almost 15% of the single malt whiskey used by the Japanese is imported from Scotland.

Indian

Indian whiskey is an alcoholic beverage labeled as whisky in India. Most of the Indian whiskey is distilled from fermented molasses, so it is considered a kind of rum outside the Indian subcontinent. 90% of the whisky consumed in India comes from of molasses, although the country has begun the distillation of whisky from malt and other grains.

Rest of Europe

In both France (Armorik) and Germany (Slyrs), whiskeys are distilled using techniques similar to those of Scotch. Isle of Man Manx Spirit, like some Virginia whisky in the United States, is distilled elsewhere and re-distilled in its country of origin. In England, a new distillery (St. George's Distillery) began operations in late 2006.

Argentina

In Argentina, whiskey is made with mixtures of Scottish malts, thus becoming known for the brands Blender's Pride, Old Smuggler and Criadores (The Breeder's Choice) for five decades, with low prices, if Well there is a wide spread of brands from all over the world.

Patagonian whiskey is currently being developed, which generally follows the Scottish method.

Names and spelling

The word whiskey is believed to have been coined by soldiers of King Henry II, who invaded Ireland in the 18th century XII, so it apparently arose from the pronunciation of the Irish native words uisce beatha, meaning "water of life" - Welsh beatha comes from from Latin vitae. Over the years, the pronunciation changed from whishkeyba to whisky.

At a certain time, all whiskey was named without the supplementary "e", thus it was known as whiskey. Around 1870, the reputation of Scotch whisky was very poor, so Scottish distilleries flooded the market by launching cheaper spirits produced using the Coffey still still. >. Irish and American distilleries adopted the "e", calling it Whiskey, thus distinguishing their highest quality product. Today, whisky (plural whiskeys) is generally used to refer to whiskeys distilled in Scotland, Wales, Japan, and Canada, while whiskey is used in the United States and Ireland. Even though the 1968 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms directive specified whisky as the correct name for the drink in the United States, most American producers still use the historic spelling. Exceptions like American brands Early Times, Maker's Mark and George Dickel, which put whiskey on their labels, are indicative of Scottish heritage.

In the late Victorian era, Irish whiskey was the finest in the world and of Irish whiskeys, Dublin whisky was recognized as one of the finest. To differentiate Dublin from other whiskeys, Dublin distilleries used the spelling whiskey, later being imitated by other distilleries. The last Irish whiskey was Paddy's, who adopted the "e" in 1966.^{[citation needed]}

In other countries, the loose word Scotch is used as a shorthand term to refer to Scotch whiskeys.