Talking Wiser's
Whisky Flavours
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Flavours:
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Definitions:
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Clean
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Straightforward taste
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Dry
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Crisp, yet pleasant
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Green
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Tasting of hay or herbs
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Heavy
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Very intense
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Light
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Intense aroma and flavour, yet still delicate
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Mellow
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Mature, warm
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Rich
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Intense, lightly sweet
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Round
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Having good balance between aroma and flavour
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Sharp
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Affecting nose and mouth
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Whisky Terms
ABV: The alcoholic content in a beverage in relation to the total liquid volume.
Proof: A measure of ethanol in an alcoholic beverage, approximately twice the ABV.
Alembic: A distilling apparatus consisting of two containers connected by a tube.
Column or Continuous Stills: Similar to the Pot Stills, this modern model provided a continuous process of distillation that allowed for a simpler way to integrate liquids throughout the different processes of production, and increase the ease of blending the whisky. It is much quicker and can produce larger quantities of young whisky than Pot Stills.
Congeners: Compounds that transfer flavours formed during the process of producing whisky.
Distillation: The process by which alcohol is separated from water by heating.
Dram: A small amount, mostly used to describe a glass of whisky. It is actually a Scottish legal measurement of spirit.
Fermentation: After cooling, the wort (a sugary liquid) is passed into further large vessels known as "wash backs." Here yeast is added and an often vigorous fermentation process takes place in which the yeast attacks the sugar to produce the alcohol and carbon dioxide in the form of foam. The process takes about two days and produces a flat beer-type liquid called "wash."
Grist: The dried malt ground in a mill during the mashing process.
Malting: Traditionally in this process barley is soaked for two or three days in tanks, then spread out on a concrete floor for eight to twelve days to germinate - where the shoots and roots start to grow. Currently, most malting is carried out by an entirely mechanical process at central maltings, and then delivered to the distilleries.
Mashing: The dried malt is ground in a mill and is now known as the "grist." Then pure water, unique to each distillery, is heated and mixed with the grist in a large circular vessel with mechanical rakes. The vessel is known as a
"mash tun."
Maturation / Aging: The period during which the whisky is kept under such conditions of storage as may be necessary to develop its characteristic flavours and bouquet.
Pot Stills: A tall, large apparatus aiding in the distilling of young whiskies through a discontinuous process, which often requires two distillations in separate stills to produce a rich, flavourful product ready for aging.
Still: A type of apparatus used for batch distillation of whisky.