Where is whisky produced? The majority of whisky is made in Scotland and Ireland (the birthplaces of whisky), Japan and Taiwan, but in the United States and Canada as well. More and more whisky is being produced in France, Germany, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand. • Scotch Whisky • Japanese Whisky • French Whisky
Scotch Whisky Scotch whiskies must be distilled in Scotland, at a strength of less than 94.8%, then aged in Scotland in oak barrels for at least three years. There are two types of Scotch whiskey: malt whisky (produced only from malted barley and distilled in an iron still) and grain whisky (made from malted barley or other grains and distilled in distillation towers). In order to avoid marking the whiskies too much in the aging process, Scottish distillers do not use brand new barrels; they use old bourbon casks instead which add vanilla, coconut and spices to the flavour, before being matured in more marked barrels for a shorter period.
Types of Scotch Whiskies • Malt whisky is produced wholly from malted barley and is distilled in a pot still. This type of whisky has smoky notes which comes from the use of peat in the kiln for heating. In the case of Scottish malts, they are often aged in old bourbon casks. • Grain whisky is a whisky made from other grains (but usually contains malted barley) and is distilled in a column still. It is never peaty, and it is more adjusted than malts (therefore it is lighter). It is often aged in American oak barrels. • Single whisky comes from a single distillery. There are many more Scotch single malts than Scotch single grain. Single malts come from a blend of whiskies of different ages but all from the same distillery; the age indicated on the label refers to the youngest vintage of the blend. • Blended whiskies are blended from several distilleries. It can be blended malt Scotch whisky (blend of malts), blended grain Scotch whisky (blend of grain whiskeys) or blended Scotch whisky (blend of malt and grain whiskey). Blended Scotch whisky is the most common in Scotland because it has the advantage of associating the intensity of the malts with the elegance of the grain whiskies, allowing for a certain consistency each year.
Irish Whiskey In Ireland, whiskey is always spelled with an “e”, as is American whiskey, but by custom rather than rule.Irish whiskey places less importance on regionality than Scotch whiskies for example.There are approximately 20 distilleries in Ireland, many of which are world class.
Types of Irish Whiskeys •Pure pot still whiskeys are made from barely following traditional methods in a pot still. It is therefore similar to the single malt,the difference being its blend of barley and malted barley. •Pure pot still whiskeys are made from barley and are distilled in the traditional way, in a pot still. It is similar to a single malt, the difference being that it consists of a mix of malted and un-malted barley. •Single Malt Whiskeys •Single Grain whiskeys •Blended whiskeys
American Whiskey (Bourbon) American whiskey, like Irish whiskey, takes an extra "e" in its spelling (unlike other whiskies), which is also called bourbon. It is produced from minimum 51% corn, and the remainder can include rye, malted barley, and sometimes wheat. It must be aged in brand new oak barrels. and contains max. 80% alcohol,Bourbon is produced in a different way from European whisky: the mash is mixed with the backset, meaning the acidic residue at the bottom of the still from a previous distillation. This operation is called sour mashing and it increases the acidity of the must, which prevents the development of bacteria and allows the yeast to dominate the fermentation.