| Age |
The numbers of years a whisky has been matured in casks. The age stated on
a bottle is that of it's youngest component.
|
| Angel's share |
It's a part of alcohol that evaporates from the cask during maturation. The whisky loses about 2% volume alcohol a year.
|
| Barrel |
A cask containing 180 litres (47 Am. gallons)
|
| Blended whisky |
A mixture of grain and malt whiskies from several different distilleries.
The quality of the blend depends on the percentage of malt whiskies used.
|
| Bourbon |
Whisky produced in the United States from a mash of not less than 51% corn
grain. Because regulation requires only the use of new oak barrels,
it's a nearly inexhaustible generator of used barrels.
|
| Butt |
A cask containing 500 litres (132 Am. gallons).
|
| Cask strength |
Normally whisky is reduced to 40% or 43% volume alcohol before it's
bottled. A whisky of cask strength is bottled at the alcoholic strength
as it is taken from the cask. According to its age and the evaporation
that took place during maturation it may have 65% to 45% Vol. alcohol.
|
| Chill-filtering |
A method of filtering the spirit when chilled to freezing point or below
prior to bottling to avoid the risk of the whisky becoming cloudy
when cold. Unfortunately, it also removes many of the natural fats, oils
and flavours, thereby affecting the individual character of
the whisky.
|
| Coffey Still |
Also known as a patent still, it's a type of still whisch allows a
continuos destillation of whisky. It's
used to produce grain whisky and also industrial alcohol. It's very clean,
but less aromative than alcohol destilled in a pot still.
|
| Dram |
The standard measure of a glass of spirits, commonly 1/6 (2½cl.) of a
gill.
|
| Gill |
Old Scots measurement, still used in whisky measures today.
|
| Grain whisky |
Whisky distilled in a continuous operation in a Coffey Still. It's made
from unmalted cereals barley, wheat or maize, combined with a small amount
of malted barley to make it possible for the starches in the other
cereals to turn into sugar.
|
| Malt |
Any grain which has been made to germinate, and then been dried to arrest
growth.
|
| Malt whisky |
Whisky produced from malted barley and distilled in a Pot Still.
|
| Pot Still |
A type of still used for batch distillation of whisky.
In a Pot Still distillation the liquid is distilled two or three times.
|
| Rye Whiskey |
Whiskey produced in the United States and Canada from a grain mash of which
not less than 51% is rye grain.
|
| Scotch |
A malt whisky which is produced and matured for at least three years in
Scotland.
|
| Single barrel |
Also known as single-single, it's a whisky taken from only one cask.
|
| Single malt |
A whisky made from malted barley in Pot Stills at one individual
distillery.
|
| Vatted Malt |
Also known as Pure malt, it's a blend of several whiskies from different
distilleries. In contrast to a single malt, of which the quality and
character may vary according to vintage or season, this produces a product
which is more consistent and has it's own stable personality.
|
| Whisky |
A spirituous liquor distilled from a fermented mash of grains. It's only
entitled to be called whisky when it's matured for at least three years.
The name whisky evolved from the
word usquebaugh (usky phonetically), which came from
the Gaelic uisge beatha, literally meaning the "water
of life". As an exception, whisky from Ireland and the United States is
spelled as whiskey.
See also wikipedia.
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