Is it spelled Whiskey or Whisky? The 1st thing that must be know is that there are two valid spellings. The Scotts and Canadians spell whisky with no “e”, and the Irish and Americans spell it with the “e” as in whiskey. This should be the first indicator that the world of whiskey is a very complicated one. Each region has numerous differences in raw materials used, methods of production which determines the final taste and attributes. This makes whiskey a fascinating and enjoyable spirit.
Historically it is thought that the Irish were the first to make whiskey, nevertheless the Scotts have also laid claim to being the earliest whisky makers. The Irish used the term “uisce beatha” or “Water of Life” in Gaelic to refer to whiskey. This implies that it was a significant part of normal life.
Both the Scottish and Irish produce whiskey the same way, except for the malting and distillation process. In Scotland the malted barley is dried in peat fired kilns. The malted barley accumulates the peat flavour giving Scotch whisky its one of a kind quality. In Ireland, the malted barely is dried out in enclosed ovens, never being exposed to the smoke. The process of mashing and fermentation is much the same for both regions. During distillation the Irish generally distill the fermented mash three times, which results in a very pure distillate which makes Irish whiskey remarkably smooth. Nevertheless, the distillate cannot exit the still at greater than 94.8% ethanol. The Scottish distill their product twice which produces a more flavoured spirit.
In North America there’s Canadian whisky and American whiskey. Each area has a numerous regional classifications such as Bourbon and Tennessee whiskies. Each product in North America is unique and is also regulated via the government. Canadian whisky is the top imported spirit into the U . S . and is second in consumption only to vodka.
American whiskey includes a number of regulations depending on the type of the product being created. For instance, Bourbon has to be made from fermented mash of no less than 51% corn. If it uses more than 79% corn in the mash it’s regarded as Corn whiskey. Bourbon can’t be distilled to a proof higher than 160. It must also be stored in new oak barrels at a proof of 125 or less. Blended American whiskey has to be made from a minimum of 20% whiskey aged 2 or more yrs with the remainder produced from unaged neutral spirit. American corn whiskey must be crafted from a minimum of 80% corn in the mash. Tennessee whiskey follows the same regulations as bourbon. However, it is charcoal filtered via a technique known as the “Lincoln County Process.” Consequently, it doesn’t qualify as a bourbon.
Canadian whisky must be aged a minimum of three years. However, the Canadian government allows the expertise of the distiller to define the characteristics of the final product. This means are not any limits on distillation proof or barrel aging requirements. Any Canadian whisky which is aged for less than 4 years will need to have the age listed on the bottle. Almost all Canadian whisky is aged for 6 or more years. Canadian whisky is usually a blended spirit. The expression “blended” signifies that the final product is built from a number of various distilled products. As an example, a Canadian whisky could be composed of corn, barely, wheat and rye whisky that have been aged in neutral (used) or new oak barrels. Some Canadian producers combine all the grains in one tank and ferment them together. Following that they will distill, pre-blend and age the blend. Other producers ferment each grain mash individually followed by distillation and aging. The final products will be blended to make the final product. Most Canadian whisky is twice distilled.
Author: Bill SuttonThis author has published 1 articles so far.