Malt Whisky

Since my undergrad I have been a fan of malt whisky. It all started at the Aberdeen University Malt Whisky Society . Enjoying both whisky and the society I decided to join the committee as minibus driver, and later society president. These roles got me all around Scotland and its distilleries, and I try to keep visiting as often as I can.

Furthermore I am a shareholder of Glenwyvis Distillery .

Some of my favourite distilleries are Kilchoman, Glendronach, Macallan, Balvenie, Aberlour, Glenlivet, and Bruichladdich.

What is Whisky? And Scotch?

There are different classifications. Whisky itself is made of three ingredients; water, yeast, and some kind of grain. It has to mature at least 3 years in an oak cask. For Malt Whisky we add the requirement that only barley may be used. Single Malt Whisky is malt whisky that has been produced in one distillery, in contrast to Blended Malt Whisky which is made of malt whisky from different distilleries. Blended Whisky is usually a mix of grain whisky and malt whisky. And to get to Scottish Whisky we have all of the above plus: i) It has been produced in Scotland. ii) It has been matured in Scotland. iii) It has been bottled in Scotland.

The Process.

For malt whisky we start with barley. This will be malted (hence the name "malt" whisky) to turn the starch into sugar. After a couple of days the process is stopped by drying the barley. Some distilleries use peat smoke, which gives the whisky its smokey note. The barley is then ground and "washed" with hot water to get the sugar. Afterwards yeast is added, and the mixture has time to ferment, creating a strong beer. This is distilled twice (three times at Auchentochan and the Irish distilleries). Each distillery has individually shaped stills, as the shape influences the taste. The clear spirit is put into casks to mature. The type of cask (American oak, ex-sherry, ex-wine, virgin oak, etc.) as well as the duration of maturation give the whisky its final taste.