For the whiskey lover, it’s more than just a drink. It’s a cherished companion, a lifelong fascination, and a true passion. Unlike the casual drinker, the whisky lover sees it as an art form waiting to be explored.
If you find yourself on this path of appreciation, then welcome! This guide will equip you with ten key terms, transforming you from a whisky enthusiast into a well-informed connoisseur.
Angels Share
Aging, my friend, is a classic process that quite a few distilleries roll with to enrich the flavour spectrum of their whiskys. Picture this: whisky gets to hang out in porous wooden barrels, soaking up all those fantastic flavours.
On average, about 2% of the liquid goes on a disappearing act thanks to evaporation and other natural dance moves. Once upon a time, a whisky lover thought this evaporation gift was going straight to the heavens. That’s where the term Angels’ Share comes into play.
2. Blended Whisky
The distillation routine usually churns out a single whisky that can stand on its own, aged or not. But blending is where the magic really happens. Distilleries mix and match different whiskys, flavours, colours, or other spirits to create something entirely new.
Folks in the blending game, those legends, carefully select the right spirits and whip them up in big batches, creating a final masterpiece. Some reckon blended whisky ain’t quite on par with the pure single malt variety.
But blending is a fine art, demanding an intricate understanding of flavours, boundless creativity, and downright love for whisky. That’s what makes blended whisky a downright classy choice to savour.
3. Charring
Ever wondered how those smoky flavours land in some whiskys? Well, it’s all about those barrels getting a bit toasty during aging. The charring levels, depending on time, come in as Level 1 – 15 seconds, Level 2 – 30 seconds, Level 3 – 3 seconds, and Level 4 – 55 seconds.
Some daring distilleries even venture up to Level 7 for that next-level flavour explosion.
4. Chill Filtration
When whisky gets a bit chilly, the fatty acids get a bit clingy, giving the drink a cloudy appearance. While it’s still totally drinkable, that cloudy vibe ain’t winning any beauty contests.
Chill filtration comes to the rescue, cooling down the drink and sending it through a fancy absorption filter to kick those undesirables to the curb. Lately, brands have been giving this process the flick to keep things au naturel, preserving those brilliant whisky flavours and smooth textures.
5. Cask Strength
Cask strength or barrel proof is all about the whisky going straight from the barrel to the bottle. This is the apex of whisky, packing a punch with alcohol content sitting at a beefy 60 to 65% ABV, compared to the usual 40% ABV of regular whisky.
That extensive barrel ageing – at least six years – is what brings out that intense kick and those unforgettable flavours. It might cost a bit more per sip, but trust me, it’s worth every drop for that unmatched kick and flavour profile for a whisky lover.
6. Distillation
Distillation is a symphony of processes that come together to birth the ultimate whisky. Basically, it involves heating up the liquid mash and then cooling down the initial steam mix to filter out specific elements.
When it comes to whisky, it also includes separating the alcohol from the fermented blend, allowing it to mature into the fantastic spirit we love. A distillery’s the hub where all these steps play out, conjuring up that liquid gold we adore.
7. Mash for Whisky
Mash or Mash Bill, my friend, is the specific grain combo a distillery picks to create the base beer or distiller’s beer. The low-wash dance for crafting whisky blends water, yeast, and malted grains in a precise ratio.
And that same mash can whip up a whole array of flavours. Some old-school distilleries stick to a signature mash ratio across all their unique creations, adding a dash of individuality to their whiskys.
8. Peated Whisky
Peat’s a brown soil type that’s mostly found in Scotland. It’s born from moss that’s super thirsty in boggy areas. Peat’s like the secret sauce tossed into whisky recipes, adding a distinct smoky aroma and flavour to scotch whisky.
With peated whisky, peat’s the fuel for toasting the grains to create malt. This process infuses those smoky flavours from the soil into the grains, which then work their magic in the final drink.
9. Expression
Expression is all about jazzing up a base whisky recipe to bring out different flavours. It’s like adjusting the barrel’s char level, the drink’s age, its proof, the barrel’s material, or even where they’re stored.
These subtle changes can result in a similar drink to the original but with tweaks in-depth, flavour profile, and other nuanced aspects of the creation.
10. Cask Finish Whisky
Now, here’s a neat trick. Some distilleries love shuffling their aging whisky between different barrels. This game is called cask finish, where the whiskies get a new home in a second or third cask during aging.
This adds a crisp and unique touch to the drink, amping up the flavour and even fast-tracking the aging process to just a few months instead of the usual years.
Conclusion
To wrap it all up, these are the ten essential terms that every whiskey lover should be well-acquainted with. Getting to know these terms will give you the lowdown on the quality and flavour profile of this versatile drop.
So, when you’re hunting down the perfect whisky to enjoy, you’ll know exactly what to look for. For more whisky suggestions check out Whisky World!